My dear readers,

Answers to Remaining Questions from Calvary Pandan Church Camp 2025 (7)

Question: Lies are prevalent in the Old Testament for Abraham, Isaac, and Rahab, who wanted to safeguard their lives. What are their differences, and how do we approach the unbeliever who poses these questions? Where all lies are unacceptable to Christians, how do we explain plainly to them to share with them in light of the scripture?

Answer: Lying is a sin many children commit, even before they enter the age of accountability. The fear of punishment causes many to lie, even adults. The shame and humiliation that may accompany a truthful confession of a sin or a wrong teaching have caused many to lie, especially those in positions of power and distinction. They would rather lie than “lose face” in the eyes of those who think highly of them. For centuries, such prideful carnality has been the bane of many who sit at the top. It remains true today and will be so into the future. Man’s sinful nature causes sinners to lie, deceive and cheat.

But when it comes to Christians, there is a far more devastating consequence. The name of Christ is at risk. When the name of Christ is jeopardised, sinners will reject Christ; they will despise Him because of the Christian’s deceit and lies. They will think that Christ is also a deceitful Saviour! Therefore, it is understandable for believers to wonder how godly men like our patriarchs could lie!

Christians on earth will not be perfect, even after they have all sixty-six books of the Bible to guide and help them live a holy life in Christ. How much more when it comes to the patriarchs who did not have any written Word of God since Moses wrote the Book of Genesis when God dictated it to him. They did not have the Word of God the way we have the complete sixty-six books of the Bible as the lamp to our feet and light to our path. The clear teaching on the indwelling and working of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life, giving them the strength they need in times of trials, was not taught since such doctrines had not been revealed yet. Not to make excuses for all who sin, we see that such records of believers lying become an encouragement rather than a disappointment to some of us.

The fact is that all believers struggle against sin. They know they are not sinlessly perfect. But they are blessed with the inner strength from God to overcome sin, which they can lean on, and not their own strength. However, they also know that they cannot sustain this spirituality perfectly. They will suffer slip-ups and fall into sin. Whenever they do sin, they will readily repent. The reason is the work of the Holy Spirit, who will prompt and convict them to be holy outwardly just as they are holy inwardly.

Abraham and Isaac told the same lie. They lied that their wives were their sisters. Sarah was Abraham’s half sister. Rebekah was Isaac’s cousin. Both men entered a Philistine city and thought their lives were in jeopardy because of their beautiful wives. They reasoned that anyone who wanted their wives would kill them; but would give a handsome dowry to the women’s siblings. In both instances, God intervened. Gentile kings were used to rebuke both Abraham and Isaac. They were shamed publicly for their deception. God protected them despite their sin, for Christ’s sake. Rahab was a harlot who hid the two spies sent by Joshua to spy out the city of Jericho (cf. Josh 2). Rahab believed that the LORD God of Israel would be successful in the conquest. She hid the two spies on the rooftop, lied to stay alive, and kept the spies safe. She said she did not know where the spies were when asked by the king’s soldiers. She became a believer in the LORD because God commended her for her faith, not her lie. Hebrews 11:31: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” She was a very new believer who lied.

How do we respond if unbelievers ask why men like Abraham and Isaac lied?

God never condones lying. God’s apodictic commandment demands truthfulness. Exodus 20:16: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” There is no justification for lying in every society. There is no such thing as white or black lies. A lie is always a sin in God’s eyes. All liars are sinners before God since God says all men must not lie. When we lie to one another, we sin against man and God. No sinner can take away the sins he commits against God. All sinners must die. When sinners die in their sin, God will cast them into hell, where there is great pain and gnashing of teeth. Unless the sinner finds someone who is sinlessly perfect before God to take his place and die on his behalf for all his sins, he will be sent to hell.

But God sent that sinlessly perfect someone – Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, who took on flesh and blood to be like us, because He was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and was led as a lamb to the slaughter. He died on the cross for the sins of the world. God raised Christ from the dead on the third day after He died for man’s justification. All who sincerely repent and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins will be saved. Romans 10:9-11: “⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

[NOTE: It is not possible for an unbeliever to understand the explanation of the above question since he is dead in sin and spiritually blind. The gospel must always be shared whenever an unbeliever asks questions about the Christian faith. Always take the opportunity to share the gospel.]

The answer to the above question is that Christians are not perfect after salvation. They will still succumb to sin, regardless of their desire to be perfect. They will lie when fearful, like Abraham, Isaac and Rahab. But they will sincerely repent whenever they lie or fall into any sin. The Holy Spirit will convict them to do so as evidence of their holy salvation. True repentance is the hallmark of every born-again believer. Unbelievers who lie will not feel bad and repent, especially when they can escape the lie. They will also not repent when the cost is too high to pay. For example, a businessman made millions of dollars legally but not ethically. The gospel was shared with him. He refused to believe in Christ because he knew that if he were to do so, he would have to return all his wealth. His comfortable life would be over. The shame of confessing that he had cheated others to get rich would be too humiliating to contemplate. He would rather hold on to his wealth and live a luxurious life in his lies and deceptions than be saved.

To a truly born-again Christian, Christ’s name is paramount. He will guard it with his life. He knows that when he sins, the holy name of Christ he bears is tarnished. The only way to clean away that tarnish is to repent and bear the consequences of his transgression. He has died to self. He does not care to “save face” anymore but desires to save Christ’s Name. Repentance is a willing self-humiliation and confession of sin to restore the holy image of Christ he bears. Amen.