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When is lying not sinful?

RDKirk

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At one point you conflate "deception" and "lie," then you end up carefully distinguishing them and essentially saying that deception is okay as long as nobody tells a technical untruth.

You were right in the first: Deception is deception. Satan can quote scripture--and scripture is always truth--but he speaks facts only in order to deceive.

Scripture indicates God has no problem with tactical deception used in combat by His people under attack. Tactical deception needs no excuse--it is the tool of any good soldier, it is what commanders do all the time.
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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Thanks for your reply brother. It's good to hear someone else that understands and appreciates The Art of War. My point with the example of the Serpent's deception was to show that deception with lying is sinful whereas deception without lying is not sinful. Another way of putting it would be that sin is always deceptive but, deception is not always sinful.
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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Midwives lied to Pharaoh to save Israelite babies and the Almighty rewarded them.
Yes He did bless them sister but, like Rahab's act of faith and respect for God and His people: this is why the midwives were saved as it is written:

"And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses."
-Exodus 1:21

It's the fear of God which moves God to deal well with us: not our own schemes and lies to save our hides.

Much love to you sister and God bless.
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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so in other words what may appear to be sin outwardly may not actually be so. it largely depends upon the intent of the action in question.
Yes brother that is correct!
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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so in other words what may appear to be sin outwardly may not actually be so. it largely depends upon the intent of the action in question.
Meditate on the words of Jesus Christ concerning what you just said:

"But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, 'We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He hath a devil.' The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.' But wisdom is justified of her children."
-Matthew 11:16-19

"And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, 'We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.' For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, 'He hath a devil.' The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, 'Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!' But wisdom is justified of all her children."
-Luke 7:31-35

"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? The people answered and said, 'Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?' Jesus answered and said unto them, 'I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.'"
-John 7:19-24

Let us follow Jesus who always told the truth, was secure in Himself and His beliefs about God, and making His judgments in righteousness and truth; but, let us avoid those who are like the Pharisees and the Sadduccees: these are liars, hypocrites, and insecure with themselves and their belief about God, and judging based on appearances only.
 
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Sabertooth

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Scripture indicates God has no problem with tactical deception used in combat by His people under attack.
I like your phrase, "tactical deception."
 
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Sabertooth

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so in other words what may appear to be sin outwardly may not actually be so. it largely depends upon the intent of the action in question.
At least, in a limited number of circumstances. The same thing can't be said about sexual sin, blasphemy, idolatry, etc.
 
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