Did Rahab sin by lying about the spies of Israel?

[2tim_215]

Rahab, although a sinner (she was a harlot), was not a Jew and therefore not under God's law.

What David did was horrible and look at what God said to him through the prophet Nathan, when he was confronted over his sin. He points out all the things that He had done for David up to this point:
2 Samuel 12:7-9 (KJV)
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
Look at all the Lord did for David prior to his terrible act.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Even though God didn't kill him (He certainly had the right to do so) He passed tremendous judgment on David, who'd spend the rest of his life being punished for what he had done. And to David's credit, all he did for the rest of his life is to write the Psalms, and repent for his wrongdoing.
2 Samuel 12:10-12 (KJV)
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

Note that God says because of what David did, that God's enemies would use this account to blaspheme him (after all, God called David a "Man after His own heart" but this was of course before David's horrible sin). How many of you have heard people blaspheme God because of what David did? I've heard quite a few over the years. I'd say that that's one of the two greatest arguments people make as to slam God's character, His treatment of David and Abraham (because of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac). I can't think of anyone who had a worse life from that time on than David. He certainly paid for his sin and then some. He also lost his firstborn which you can see if you read on.
2 Samuel 12:14 (KJV) Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

 

[SolomonVII]

Christianity is not really a rule bound religion. The letter of the law still exists of course, and it still regulates behavior, as to what is licit and illicit, what is sinful and what is not.
But Christians are not guided by the law as we are ultimately guided by the Spirit which resides within. Our only goal is to bring ourselves more closely into a personal relationship with Jesus, so that the of Spirit Christ permeates our very being.

We are to prepare a temple for the Lord within us, where the Spirit may reside to guide us in our every action, and then we follow the Spirit, who is regulated by no law.

We were not made for the law, but the law was made for us. And certainly the law was made to regulate our behavior, and not the ways of the Lord, which are by definition pure and good and perfect in every situation and in every way.
Follow the Spirit within, and then we become free from the minutiae of the law. We are as free from regulated behavior as the Spirit himself is.

The question must be asked then, whether Rahab was acting according to her own will, or the will of the Spirit, when she chose to deceive the people she abided with?
The Bible suggest strongly that she was acting according to the Spirit's will. Therefore, since the Spirit is bound by no law, the question of sin itself is transcended.

 

[2tim_215]

During the time or Rahab, the law existed for the Jews but Rahab was not a Jew. We now have a much better covenant and are no longer in the age of the Law but instead in the age of Grace.

 

[brinny]

Christianity is not really a rule bound religion. The letter of the law still exists of course, and it still regulates behavior, as to what is licit and illicit, what is sinful and what is not.
But Christians are not guided by the law as we are ultimately guided by the Spirit which resides within. Our only goal is to bring ourselves more closely into a personal relationship with Jesus, so that the of Spirit Christ permeates our very being.

We are to prepare a temple for the Lord within us, where the Spirit may reside to guide us in our every action, and then we follow the Spirit, who is regulated by no law.

We were not made for the law, but the law was made for us. And certainly the law was made to regulate our behavior, and not the ways of the Lord, which are by definition pure and good and perfect in every situation and in every way.
Follow the Spirit within, and then we become free from the minutiae of the law. We are as free from regulated behavior as the Spirit himself is.

The question must be asked then, whether Rahab was acting according to her own will, or the will of the Spirit, when she chose to deceive the people she abided with?
The Bible suggest strongly that she was acting according to the Spirit's will. Therefore, since the Spirit is bound by no law, the question of sin itself is transcended.

We were not made for the law, but the law was made for us. And certainly the law was made to regulate our behavior, and not the ways of the Lord, which are by definition pure and good and perfect in every situation and in every way.

Follow the Spirit within, and then we become free from the minutiae of the law. We are as free from regulated behavior as the Spirit himself is.

The question must be asked then, whether Rahab was acting according to her own will, or the will of the Spirit, when she chose to deceive the people she abided with?
The Bible suggest strongly that she was acting according to the Spirit's will. Therefore, since the Spirit is bound by no law, the question of sin itself is transcended.

Whoa! This puts it so succinctly about Rahab. (It floored me)

Thank you.

 

[SolomonVII]

During the time or Rahab, the law existed for the Jews but Rahab was not a Jew. We now have a much better covenant and are no longer in the age of the Law but instead in the age of Grace.

Yes I do agree that Rahab was not under the intricacies of the Covenant law between God and the Hebrews, but that is not limits of the law itself.
Jews themselves understand that God is the Lord of all humanity, and even if the Covenant of Moses is specific to them, the Noahide laws apply to all of humanity.

Destroying innocent human life, for example, is as wrong for a Canaanite as it would be for a Levite. We are all obliged to be honest too, and to the extent that man's laws mandate dishonesty they go against laws that are written into our very hearts.
Covenant laws of Moses are specific to Israel. Law itself is for all of humanity, and it exists whether or not people take it upon themselves to codify it for any particular society.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Yes.

In the light of James 2:25, "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

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No.

was Rahab lying a sin?

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No. It is not a sin when Yahweh says it is not. It is a sin when He Says it is - Yahweh is the Judge.

Is it always a sin to lie, or when is it acceptable?

 

[2tim_215]

I think Paul (in addition to James which was previously mentioned, explains this to us in Romans 2:
Romans 2:11-15 (KJV)
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
It boils down to one's conscience in terms of how we choose to behave.

Romans 2:23-27 (KJV)
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Men have turned against God due to Christian bad behavior. Of course, many have turned towards God due to Christi good behavior.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
Circumcision of the flesh is not what's important, it's circumcision of the heart, that God requires/

Romans 2:28-29 (KJV)
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
I think Rahab, who was a Gentile at the time of the Jews, would fall into this category.