Was it a Lie?

Since we are in the midst of an onslaught of political ads and news, there surfaces this issue of lies and half-truths.  Politicians, when either criticizing their opponents or explaining their position on issues, often tell only what they want their hearers to know. On occasion they may flat out lie, but that is becoming harder to do with the media scrutiny and information available on the Internet.

As Christians, is it acceptable to lie or tell half-truths knowing that what we are saying, in the case of half-truths, is misleading or deceptive?  Can we fall back on the "everybody does it" ethic or the "it was for their own good" principle to justify our deception?

These are hard questions. I know in our lives, my wife lost a job because she refused to be misleading, deceptive, or flat out lie to sub-contractors. 

We may all have things in our past or present that if someone where to ask us flat out, "Did you....?" We may be faced with a tough decision regarding our response. Truth hurts sometimes. Lies may serve a purpose of postponing that hurt, but seldom does it justify the hurt and possible healing that follows. Notice I said "seldom".

Jeremiah was asked to be deceptive in his response if asked about what his conversation entailed with King Zedekiah. ( Jer. 38:24-28). Some would say he lied. Others say he simply told a half-truth, others say he did not lie based on verses 15-16. I have my opinion but you must make your own choice. If you say he told a half-truth, you may find yourself in good company, because it appears that God instructed Samuel to do a similar thing in 1Samuel 16:1-3.

It is unfortunate the scripture puts us in these kind of positions. Nevertheless, they are issues we must come to acknowledge. Could a prophet lie and still be credible?  Can a parent lie, a politician lie, a pastor or priest lie, or speak half-truths and still remain credible. Can it be justified and validated based on any circumstance?

It's the old "chicken and egg" question or the "What would you do if you had to survive?" dilemma. Would you kill and justify it even though you know it is wrong to kill? When I took my concealed hand gun course in Texas, that was one of the first questions they asked. "Could you take the life of another human being?" Answering that question was crucial in whether or not you would own or carry a gun for protection and defense.

Ethics or morals is sometimes a moving target when it comes to society. They call it situational ethics. Based on the situation or the culture, you do what you need to do. Is it similar when it comes to scripture?