Is false witness acceptable under any circumstance?
Are White Lies acceptable?
Should the public interest and public moral be cared and catered for first?
There is the common belief of White Lie. The Bible never teach or promote white lie on neighbors. You never truly help a friend or a neighbor by lying/bearing false witness.
Christians are to make peace rather than make war. Make whole rather than break down.
The truth may be hard to swallow. There are some weaker brothers, such as those who do not want to eat meat or items sacrificed to false gods.
The Bible never teach that wrong belief due to weakness should be acknowledged as truth and correct understanding, and be taught and circulated in church/assemblies.
Peter, being self-condemned, followed the desires of the circumcision. But he never teach that matter as the truth. He never teach that Paul's view is incorrect.
Deut 19 v15 - A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; ... -NASB
Deut 19 v15 - |3808| not |2724| will rise |8085| witness |0259| One |0376| against a man |3605| for any |5771| iniquity, |3605| or for any |2403| sin, |3605| in any |2403| sin |0834| which |2398| he sins. |5921| At |6310| the mouth of |8147| two |5707| witnesses |0000| or |6310| at mouth of |7969| three |5707| witnesses |6965| will be settled |1697| a thing. - Lit.
A single witness is not to be regarded as final. Such witness is not substantiated in the church/assembly.
It is great wickedness when a group of people conspired together to bear false witness.
Lev 19 v12 - And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; .. -NASB
This verse clearly commands us not to express untrue statement and affirm them by the Holy Name of the Most High. There is no exception hinted. Regardless of circumstances.
The name of God is most important/Holy; even ranked and mentioned first in the 10 commandments. All other things can only follow.
Exo 23 v1 - You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. -NASB
False report hurts; and untrue message somehow hurt our friends and neighbors. The Law orders us not to circulate false report.
Circulating false report is regarded as unrighteousness. Such witness is an unrighteous witness.
You are not serving the righteous God, siding with Him, by being unrighteous.
Exo 23 v7 - Keep yourself far from a false matter; ... For I will not justify the wicked. -NASB
This verse/commandment orders us to have as little knowledge or falsehood and false matters as physically and mentally possible.
A false matter is wickedness.
Exo 20 v16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. -NASB
This is one of the 10 commandments through Moses.
It seems to provide a way to bear false witness. It does not forbid bearing false witness against those who are not your neighbors, people such as your enemies.
It does not say - do not lie, or do not bear false witness to anyone at all.
Therefore, lying to enemies could be allowed. Also enemies at war are not meant to be nice and kind to one another. Yet Jesus teaches us we should pray for our enemies and do good to those who hate us.
Not just evil for evil; however an eye to an eye.
Our eye for their eye. If we are good, our eyes are good also. Therefore, it is our good eye in return for their bad/evil eye. A confrontation of good against evil. Not evil with evil.
Let your yes be yes, and no be no.
What are we if we just do as the world would do?
Please also note that the Mosaic Law was written for a stiff neck people with very hard hearts.
Unless our righteous exceeds that of the Pharisees (self-righteous people), we may not enter the kingdom of God.
The righteous are justified by faith. By deeds shall no one be justified.
You want to be justified by white lies and outright lies? Think again and again!
Abraham and Sarah lied to Pharaoh partially by telling the Egyptians that they were brother and sister.
God protected them anyway. They would have survived without such lie. They did not even consult the Lord. They should fear God rather than men.
Rahab told the Canaanites that the Israelite spies went another way.
Her life was saved by the Israelites keeping the covenant with her. She was not counted righteous by her act. She is counted as one of the faithful. She had sided with the Israelites and wared against the wickedness of Jericho, the Canaanites.
She was not bearing false witness against her neighbors, but enemies. Similarly Elijah bore false witness against his enemies.The brothers of Joseph lied to Israel their father; and were ashamed of their doing later.
But Joseph was taken care of by God; and did not lie to his Egyptian master.
The magi simply went another way without return to Herod bearing false witness to him.
Who are your neighbors?
Those who help you unconditionally (as expressed in the parable of the good Samaritan. The good Samaritan is pointed out as the neighbor of the Jew in mis-fortune. That Jew is not portraited as the neighbor of the good Samaritan who supplied him a chance to help out.)
[The story of the good Samaritan is often wrongly told even in the Christian circle - to represent helping your neighbor , who is anybody in need.]It is indeed a serious crime bearing false witness, lying, hurting those who help you; even unconditionally helped you. Can God not judge and punish such wickedness? Can you?
There is a scenario:
If you are German hidding some Jews and the German SS came searching; do you tell them the hidding place of the Jews you try to hide/save, or do you tell the truth and immediately cause the arrest of those whose lives depend on your protection including deceit?
What a temptation! What a choice!
Does the Lord require any sacrifice from you?
Is His hand too short to save that you must help/aid Him, even with falsehood/lies?
The Lord will provide. You will not be tested beyond what you can bear.
Fear God, who is most powerful, and is in ultimate control, rather than fearing men.
The destruction of the physical body is not the end of life. It simply is not the end.
The Jesus we believe in has conquered death. He is the Life. He is the Ressurection. He has power over death.
Those who truly believe Him, though they may die, shall live again evermore.
And Paul wrote - to live is Christ; to die is gain. It is exceedingly better to be with the Lord.
And do not test God and to commit iniquity hurting others and yourself.
Furthermore, people often assume/imagine the hand of the Almighty God is too short to save.
They have to act out by their own moral standard to adjust the matter, and warp the consequence.
An illustration is found in the Bible that one of the bearers of the Ark of God thought he could help stopping the Ark from hitting the ground by making contact with the Ark against the commandment of God.
He was struck dead immediately. He failed the test of faith and exposed his own arrogance, disobeying God.
In similar comparison, you think God is not able to save the fugitive from the Nazis if you tell the truth? Think again, the power of your God. Almighty? Or just limited? Beyond or below human ability?
Politicians need not lie if they really trust in the ultimate goodness and might of God.
The mass public they represent are not their enemies that they should bear false witness to hurt. So as to advance their position. So as to test out weapons. So as to have strong economy. So as to stay in power. So as to gain vote/trust and bring other parties down.
People of other countries are not necessarily their enemies that they should bear false witness to hurt, to gain advantage over them.One slave cannot serve 2 Masters. he will hate one and love the other. Choose who you would love and serve. Stop making excuses; unbiblical/unGodly excuses.
To obey is better than sacrifice.
The/Our Lord Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father (in the Lord's Prayer) that we may not be brought into temptation. This reminds our weakness and His strength and providence.
So, when such difficulties are seen coming our way, we should pray for Divine wisdom and guidance. Beseige the Lord for provision of escape.
The Lord is faithful. What seems to be the end is not necessarily the end. God is in control.
Do not assume intelligence, strength, experience, and righteousness, and act privately and arrogantly.
May the Lord bless and keep you. His Spirit and grace be with you.
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