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“I’m fine.” “I’m five minutes away.” “I love it, thank you.” “No, you look great.”
Most of us tell a few small lies before lunch without really noticing. Then one day a bigger one comes along. You lie to cover for a friend. You lie to keep the peace at home. Or you lie to protect someone who could get hurt by the truth. Later, lying awake, you wonder: is lying a sin, or does it depend?
It is a fair question, and the Bible does not dodge it. It even tells the story people bring up first when they want to argue that some lies are good: a woman named Rahab, who lied to save two lives and ended up honored in the New Testament. But when you read the verses that honor her slowly, something shows up that almost nobody points out.
Is Lying a Sin? The Short Answer
Yes. The Bible treats lying as a sin, plainly and more than once. “Lie not one to another,” Paul writes in Colossians 3:9. Proverbs 12:19 puts it this way: “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
But the short answer leaves out the part that matters most. The Bible does not just hand you a rule and walk away. It explains why lying hurts, it shows the hard cases honestly, and it keeps the door open for people who have already lied. That last part matters, because if you are asking this question, you have probably already lied.
The Hard Case Everyone Brings Up: Rahab
Joshua 2 tells the story. Israel is about to enter the land, and two spies slip into the walled city of Jericho. They stay at the house of Rahab, a prostitute whose home is built into the city wall. The king hears about it and sends men to her door.
Rahab hides the spies on her roof under stalks of flax. Then she tells the king’s men a lie: “There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were” (Joshua 2:4). She says they left at dusk, just before the gate shut, and adds, “pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them” (Joshua 2:5). The men hurry off chasing nobody, and the spies escape.
When Jericho falls, Rahab and her family are spared. And Rahab keeps showing up later in the Bible. Hebrews 11 lists her beside Abraham and Moses in its famous roll call of faith. Matthew’s family tree of Jesus names her too (Matthew 1:5, where the King James spells it “Rachab”). We wrote more about her place there in the four women in Jesus’ family tree Matthew refused to cut.
So case closed? God honored a liar, so lying must be fine when the cause is good? Read the verses first.
Three Verses Honor Rahab. Not One Mentions the Lie
The Bible praises Rahab in three places. Here is exactly what each one says she did:
- Joshua 6:25: she was saved “because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”
- Hebrews 11:31: “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
- James 2:25: she was “justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way.”
Hid them. Received them. Sent them out another way. Three passages, the first written many centuries before the other two, and each one names what she did for the spies. None of them points to what she said to the king’s men.
That does not prove what God thought of her words that night. The Bible does not say, and it is honest to leave that open. But it does show where the honor lands. Rahab is remembered for her courage and her faith, for betting her life on Israel’s God when her whole city was betting the other way. The lie is part of her story. It is never the reason the story is told.
The Midwives Said No Before They Said Anything
The other famous hard case is in Exodus 1. Pharaoh orders two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every baby boy born to Hebrew women. When he calls them in to ask why the boys are still alive, they answer that Hebrew women “are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them” (Exodus 1:19). In other words: the babies come before we get there.
Many readers take that as a lie. Some think it may have been partly true. The text does not say, so we should not pretend it does.
What the text does say is where the story turns. Look two verses earlier: “But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive” (Exodus 1:17). The brave part happened before Pharaoh ever questioned them. They had already refused. And when God blesses them, the reason is spelled out: “because the midwives feared God” (Exodus 1:21).
Once again, the praise goes to the courage, not the cover story.
The Woman Who Lied Asked for “a True Token”
Here is the detail almost everyone reads past. Once the king’s men are gone, Rahab climbs up to the roof and makes a deal with the spies. Her whole family’s life depends on it, and she says: “swear unto me by the LORD… and give me a true token” (Joshua 2:12).
A true token. The woman who had just lied to the king’s men wanted something she could trust, now that her own family’s future was on the line. The spies gave her a scarlet cord to tie in her window, and they kept their word.
That is the whole matter in one scene. Even people who lie know how much they need the truth. We can shade the truth for others, but when everything is at stake, we want people who don’t.
Why the Bible Says Not to Lie
If you only remember one verse from this article, make it Ephesians 4:25:
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
Notice the reason Paul gives. He does not say “because it is against the rules.” He says we are members one of another. Paul uses the picture of a body. Your eye and your hand work together because they trust what the other one is telling them. Imagine your eye lying to your hand about where the hot stove is. The hand is the one that gets burned.
That is what lying does. It does not just break a rule in the sky. It quietly damages the thing that holds people together. Every lie teaches someone that they cannot fully trust what you say, and once that is gone, even your true words don’t carry as much weight.
Paul was also not the first to say it. The line “speak every man truth with his neighbour” echoes the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 8:16), who wrote it for a people trying to rebuild a ruined city. Truth was part of the rebuilding. It still is.
And ten verses earlier in the same chapter, Paul adds the other half: “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Not truth used as a weapon. Not brutal honesty that enjoys the wound. Truth, told in a way that still wants good for the person hearing it.
What About White Lies?
This is where most people actually live. Not hiding spies from a king, just “I love the sweater.”
The Bible does not have a special category for small lies. But “speaking the truth in love” gives you more room than you might think. You do not have to say every thought out loud. You do not have to give your opinion when nobody asked. Kindness and honesty are not enemies. You can say, “Thank you, that was so thoughtful of you,” and mean every word of it, without claiming the sweater is your new favourite.
Often the real question is not “may I lie?” but “am I brave enough to find something true to say?” That takes a bit more effort. It is almost always there.
And be honest about the lies that sound kind but are really about protecting you: saying yes when you mean no, saying “I’m fine” so nobody asks, flattering someone so they’ll like you. The Bible looks straight at that last one in another story, which we explored in what the Bible says about manipulation.
What About Lying to Protect Someone?
Christians have argued about this for a very long time, and good, careful believers land in different places. Augustine, the early church leader, wrote two whole works on lying and held that every lie is a sin, even one told to save a life. Many others have looked at stories like Rahab’s and the midwives’ and concluded that when an innocent life is in danger, protecting it comes first.
Here is what we can say honestly from the text. The Bible never tells you lying is good. It does show people in impossible situations, facing violence against the innocent, and it honors their courage and their faith. If you ever find yourself in a situation like that, the Bible’s clear call is to protect life. What it never gives you is a license for everyday lies that simply make life easier.
Most of us will never face Rahab’s choice. We face the “I’m five minutes away” choice, many times a week.
If You’ve Already Lied
You have. So has every person reading this. So did Peter, who stood by a fire the night Jesus was arrested and said, “Woman, I know him not” (Luke 22:57). He said it three times.
Then “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter” (Luke 22:61). Peter went out and wept.
That is not where Peter’s story ends. After the resurrection, Jesus finds him by the sea and asks him three times, “lovest thou me?” (John 21:17). Three denials, three chances to say something true. Jesus did not ask Peter to pretend the lie never happened. He gave him a way to speak the truth again. It is the same pattern as the son who comes home in Jesus’ parable, which we unpacked in the speech the prodigal son never finished.
Jesus called himself “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Truth is not only a rule you keep. Truth is someone you come back to. And there is always a way back.
If you have questions this article didn’t answer, you can bring them to our free Bible Answers AI assistant (it opens in ChatGPT).
Actions to Take
- Catch one “I’m fine” today. The next time someone asks how you are, give one true sentence instead of the automatic answer. It can be short: “Honestly, a bit tired.”
- Swap one white lie for a true kind thing. Before your next polite fib, pause and find something you really mean: “That was generous of you.” “I can tell you worked hard on this.”
- Fix one lie that is still standing. Think of one untrue thing you said recently that someone still believes. Send one message to set it straight. It will cost you a little pride. It will give you back a lot of peace.
Journaling Prompts
- Which lie do you tell most often without thinking about it, and what are you usually trying to protect when you tell it?
- Think of a time someone told you the truth in love, even when it was hard to hear. What made it feel like love instead of an attack?
- If Jesus asked you one question the way he asked Peter, what true answer would be hardest for you to give?
A Prayer About Lying
God, I’ll be honest: I lie more than I like to admit, sometimes so fast I don’t even notice. Thank you that you don’t wait for me to be perfect before you let me come back. Show me the lies I’ve gotten comfortable with, and give me the courage to set the ones that are still standing right. Teach me to speak the truth in love, so the people around me can trust my words and feel cared for by them. Make me someone people can lean their weight on. Amen.
Discussion Question
Rahab is honored in three places in the Bible, and each one names her courage, not her lie. Do you think that settles the question of whether her lie was right, or leaves it open? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Share This
“Rahab is praised three times in the Bible. Not once for the lie. Every time for her courage. Never noticed that before.” https://bgodinspired.com/?p=115984
“The Bible’s reason not to lie isn’t ‘because it’s a rule.’ It’s ‘because we are members one of another.’ When you lie to someone, you’re lying to a part of your own body.” https://bgodinspired.com/?p=115984
“Peter lied three times the night Jesus was arrested. Jesus later asked him three questions and gave him three chances to say something true. That’s grace.” https://bgodinspired.com/?p=115984
Questions People Ask About Lying and the Bible
Is lying a sin according to the Bible?
Yes. The Bible treats lying as a sin. Colossians 3:9 says “Lie not one to another,” and Ephesians 4:25 says “putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” The reason given is relational: lies damage the trust that holds people together. The Bible also offers forgiveness to people who have lied, shown clearly when Jesus restored Peter after his three denials.
Did God bless Rahab for lying?
The Bible never says God blessed Rahab for her lie. Rahab is honored in three places: Joshua 6:25 says she was saved “because she hid the messengers,” Hebrews 11:31 credits her faith “when she had received the spies with peace,” and James 2:25 says she “received the messengers, and had sent them out another way.” All three point to her courage and faith in protecting the spies, and none of them mentions the lie she told the king’s men.
Are white lies a sin?
The Bible does not create a separate category for small or polite lies, so a white lie is still a lie. However, Ephesians 4:15 calls Christians to speak “the truth in love,” which leaves plenty of room for kindness. A person does not have to share every opinion, and can usually find something both kind and true to say, such as thanking someone for their thoughtfulness instead of pretending to love a gift.
Is it a sin to lie to protect someone’s life?
Christians have disagreed about this for centuries. Augustine taught that every lie is a sin, even one told to save a life, while many other Christians point to Rahab and the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1 as people God honored for protecting the innocent. The Bible never calls lying good, but it does honor courage in situations where innocent lives are threatened. Those rare cases are very different from everyday lies told for convenience.
Will God forgive me for lying?
Yes. The apostle Peter lied three times on the night Jesus was arrested, saying “Woman, I know him not.” After the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times “lovest thou me?” and gave him a new job to do. That story shows that God forgives lying and restores people who come back honestly. The usual next step is to admit the lie to God and, where possible, to set it right with the person who was misled.
