"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:16

Are there ever times when it is acceptable for a believer to lie? Some exceptions are obvious. Telling a person you are taking them one place when you are taking them to their surprise birthday party is appropriate, and does not rise to the level of lying sinfully.

But what about other ways that we might speak untruthfully for the sake of concealing the truth? What if you were hiding Jews during the WWII holocaust? What if you were smuggling Bibles to persecuted Christians? What if you were one of the midwives, in Exodus 1:17-21, who lied to the Pharaoh to save the lives of babies, including Moses?

Pastor and theologian Sam Storms explains the difference between when a falsehood is a lie and when a falsehood may not be a lie:

…not all falsehoods are lies. A lie is an intentional falsehood that violates someone’s right to know the truth. But there are cases in which people forfeit their right to know the truth. A lie is telling an untruth to someone to whom you are morally and legally obligated to speak the truth. There are, however, certain occasions in which you are not under obligation to tell someone the truth (e.g., in times of war, criminal assault, and so on.).

This may appear to some as a distinction without a difference (which is generally considered a logical fallacy). However, I think in this case it serves a legitimate purpose. We must be careful not to lie because God is truth. But there are times… and let us understand that those times are very few and very far between. I cannot say it is okay to lie because I think it is okay in this case!

May I encourage you to read Dr. Storms’ blog on this matter.
Click Here to read Sam Storms’ piece.

In addition, there is an even shorter piece on the Ligonier website in which this topic is discussed, including a warning not to think breaking God’s Law is okay because you think it is okay.
Click Here to read the Ligonier piece.

For comparison’s sake, this blog is about 400 words long. Storms’ blog is 1128 words long. The Ligonier piece is 747 words long.