Bible Discussion Thread

A moral quandary:

If you or your family are in physical danger, would God judge us for misleading (or possibly lying to) the attacker to avoid the danger?

1 Peter 3:9-12

I'd have a hard time offering up a family member to an attacker just for the sake of 100% honesty. Anyone have any thoughts on this or ever faced with such a situation?

Thank you for the input. I think most would be willing to make up a story to protect someone (violate do not bear false witness command), yet, I see no scripture saying this is ok to do. Imagine an old ex who just got out of prison at your doorstep and you him she doesn't live there anymore- Are we just assuming it's ok to lie based on the world's standards or is there something in the Bible that indicates lying isn't as bad as harm to a loved one?

Hi Adam.

I wouldn't say God weigh one sin against another.

I'd rather say the weight of sin/penalty is on us.

It's never permitted and repentance is seeing and agreeing with God on the incurable ungenerated heart apart from God's indwelling spirit.

With Christ spirit we won't continue in sin but yet if we say we have no sin we lie.

Sin still exists in us.

You can take a deaf blind baby and tie him up a his life until death. He's still flesh and there's no good thing in the flesh. He still has that ungenerated heart.

He will still need mercy.

Paul said in Romans 7:15-25 "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

God bless.

It's interesting how easy it is for us all , who are reading the exact same words , to believe that they mean something different , even when it's just a short clear command . I have always believed that to bear false witness , is to say that you saw ( witnessed ) someone do something that you didn't see , or conversely to say that you didn't see ( witness ) someone do something ,when in fact you did see them do it . For me the key word is witness , which I take to mean to see . It's no wonder we all find it so easy to disagree with each other :) . Today , as I walked into my local store , an assistant was following close behind a young man and accusing him of stealing some detergent and having it in his rucksack . The assistant was a middle aged lady . The young man was denying it as he walked out of the store and the lady wasn't able to stop him . I sidestepped them both . Plenty of times I have seen people shoplifting and I haven't stopped them . There isn't ever an assistant nearby for me to tell and I'm not prepared to risk physical injury over some toilet paper or a chicken . Once I witnessed a young lady being caught in the supermarket and I offered to pay for the things that she had stolen but the store wouldn't allow me . I always feel that if someone is resorting to shoplifting then they must be in very desperate circumstances . Maybe I'm too soft but I just feel that I can't add to a person's difficulties by helping them to be in even more trouble than they are obviously already in . Once I had to be in a very tough part of town and I saw a child ( maybe twelve years old ) selling herself on the street . I reported this to the police immediately and waited for them to come and collect her . There are some things that I can't ignore . I guess we all have to go with our own consciences .

I wouldn't hesitate to lie to some one in order to protect some one else from physical harm . God knows our hearts and our motivations and we must trust Him to judge us with righteousness and also mercy .

Hi Adam.

If I had to face a situation like that I have what you might call a premeditated scenario that involves a lie.

"If I saw this killer coming and don't have time to hide but was able to hide my wife and lie about her whereabouts at the present time I certainly would.

I even have the hiding place already picked out and the lie prepared.

So that lie and intent for this particular situation is already in me.

So the question I would ask is, is this premeditated lie sin before or after the fact? "There's no doubt I'm going to do it "

I'm not granted that amount of faith at the present.

HOWEVER!

God may grace me with the faith I need for the moment and I would certainly be praying it.

This is the dilemma in living in such a wicked world with only a measure of the spirit and this coward sinful flesh.

This reminds me of Peter when he denied the Lord to stay alive.

"At the time he wasn't spirit filled."

Christ told him how he would glorify him by his death in John 21:18-19.

When he was indwelled and strengthened by the Spirit he preached Christ boldly and was made an Apostle to the very people he feared.

God bless.

Hello Adam. You've asked an interesting question, and even though I've tried to picture various scenarios that would fit your question, I don't think I've succeeded.

Assuming that this attacker is in close proximity to me & of course a family member is also likewise, but hidden from his view or in a more distant place, I believe that the love I have for my family, even a friend, would cause me to present myself to him to accept his wrath than to the one I love. But then again, if the family member is somewhere in the house/property, what would prevent him from conducting a room-by-room/yard search? And if the family member was away or fled the house, then this decision of mine would for the present would not be of much concern - I would still declare ignorance as to their whereabouts, which may well be a true statement. If this is what you're thinking of (i.e. not divulging information as to where the family member could be located), then I think it would be quite appropriate to not give him the answer he wants - he has no authority to compel you to do so.

Sorry, that the above might come over as a very general answer - it's simply because I can't really perceive another situation, where the attacker was unable himself to search out the one he's wanting. Now, if the attacker wasn't a criminal but a representative of one of the law enforcement agencies, then yes, honesty is required to give them the information they seek.