There is no where in those scriptures that says it is now ok to lie and sin. Rahab was not commended anywhere in the bible for lying.
What does that have to do with no where in scripture is Rahab commended for lying? The scriptures teach no where that it is now ok to tell lies. Lying is a sin *1 John 3:4. Rahab did not know what sin was because she was a gentile harlot
"To him that knows to do good and does not do it to him it is sin" - James 4:17
Hmmm...if it happens that he was acting as if he was under the influence (partly drunk), then you could consider that when you try to imagine 'being in their shoes' , and ask yourself 'how would I want someone to handle answering me if I was drunk and a little off?' and it might be your answer was then ok if that's the case (or maybe not?). Or on the other hand, if he seemed sober and just having bad mental attitude, then trying to imagine someone like that, one possible way to answer that could fit some people/situations as I'm imaging it (which may or may fit that actual person's condition) might be I'd think about answering softly ('a soft answer turneth away wrath' -- Proverbs) like "Oh, I'm sorry, we are worried that the rocks might get end up on the tracks like if kids came along and put them on the tracks for a prank or something, so we had to move them" -- said with sympathy and respect and caring for them as a person.
Right, well, if we think someone intends to attack us, we aren't obligated to give them information that would provoke them to do the wrongful action they seem to be tending to do. We can intentionally refrain from answering (which itself might provoke), or even give a misleading answer (if not doing a clear harm to them like taking advantage of them or a greater serious wrong like denying God exists) to someone that looks set to do a harm, so as to help them not do the harm they look like they are going to do. If the misleading answer doesn't itself do something clearly wrongful like trick them in order to take advantage of them (harm them), then you aren't breaking the golden rule, in that if you were mentally ill for a day for example, you may well choose it best for someone else to give you a misleading answer to help you avoid doing a sinful action like attacking someone. I would. If I were beset by a bad mental state and in a state where I was agitated and ready to attack someone, then I'd want someone to deflect me from it, help me avoid doing the evil of attacking someone, including by misleading me in a generally harmless way, in a way not meant to take advantage of me.
Those scriptures answer your earlier questions. Perhaps you can pray about it.
Well it is good you have asked for God's forgiveness. Jesus as you have hinted at of course was accused of breaking the Sabbath. Yet here he was the creator of the Sabbath and came to teach us how to correctly keep the Sabbath. Kind of sad how God says to "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" in God's 4th commandment *Exodus 20:8-11 yet most people choose to forget it regardless the scriptures teach that sin is defined as the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4). Sadly according to Jesus in 3:18-21 many people seek to justify sin rather than confess it and repent of it and give it to God. Let's all pray we are not in that group Jesus defines in Matthew 7:21-23. Time for me to bow out of this one thanks for the discussion
Time for me to bow out of this one thanks for the discussion
But there is room not to make things clear;
There is nothing really to argue about here dear friend. Telling the truth from the scriptures is not unique to Adventism it is God's Word and Gods' Word is the standard of truth that we are sanctified by according to Jesus in John 17:17 and the only definition of what is true *see also Romans 3:4 that we are to believe and follow. Our opinions do not really mean much in Gods eyes. Therefore as Christians the only standard of truth for us all should be what God's Word says (Acts of the Apostles 5:29; Romans 3:4). Now if faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God *Romans 10:17 how can we have faith if we do not believe and follow what God's Word says? - We can not and whatsoever is not of faith is sin in Gods eye (see Romans 14:23 and Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 10:26-27; John 3:36).
I think you did the right thing.
I think you did the right thing.
This story from 1 Samuel 16 came to my mind:
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” NIV
Sometimes, if you have time beforehand, you can come up with an answer which, while technically true, isn't the whole truth. That's what I see in the story above.
When it was time for my brother and I to move our senile mother into a memory Care unit, we told her we were going to the beach. There actually was a beach down the road a bit from her house that has interesting waves that I hadn't seen in years.
So we did actually go to the beach, and see the waves. But when it was time to leave we got on the road going the other direction away from her house and towards the facility.
Funny thing is, she didn't say anything for about 45 minutes and then said Shouldn't we be at my house by now? That's when I told her the exciting news that we had found a place for her to live much closer to my brother, so he can visit her much more frequently.
She was happy with that and went back to sleep.
