It’s a lie to tell the truth…
…with the intention of being misunderstood.
Satan said Eve would not die if she ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was true, in part. She would not die immediately, but she would begin the process of physical death, and she would be the first person to experience spiritual death (Genesis 3:4). The devil is called the father of lies (John 8:44). He lied. Eve was deceived and died.
Related to the first, if you leave out information, hoping to be misunderstood, it is a lie. It could be the way Ananias was lying in Acts 5:1-4. He may have intended to appear as though he was giving more of the profit from the sale of his possessions than he was, without saying anything. His wife, on the other hand, blatantly lied. She was asked if she sold the land for so much, and she said, “Yes, for so much” (Acts 5:8). Both lied. Both died.
What about joking?
“Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, ‘I was only joking!’” (Prov 26:18-19, Unless otherwise stated: Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Used by permission. All rights reserved)
This shouldn’t be confused with how someone may tell a fictional story for entertainment. It is more like trying to pass false stories off as true. It could also have to do with how someone might say they are joking about something they did or said after they are caught in a lie.
Can you think of some biblical and current examples of any of these (no personal names, please!)? What are some other ways we may fall into lying that may not be apparent to us? In what ways is lying a selfish act, even if we may try to justify it as trying to help someone?
I’d love to hear what you think.
And that’s no lie,
Van
