Q: Is it ever okay to tell a lie? What about to save someone's life? to spare someone's feelings?

SM, 15, United States: Nope. If you have faith God will save that person's life for you.

Michelle, 15, Malaysia: Lying is definitely a no-no. It would be violating one of the 10 Commandments. If we really want to save someone's life or spare someone's feelings, we should trust God to provide a way out of the problem.

Beryl, 19, Nairobi, Kenya: Jesus always told the truth but He always did so in love. He also promised us a way out of every situation we are in (1 Cor 10:13) so I know the truth will always set us free.

Courtney, 22, Davao del Sur, Philippines: My answer is simple. The Commandments say, Thou shalt not bare false witness AGAINST thy neighbor. To save someone's life is not bare false witness AGAINST thy neighbor, right?

Tinabo, 22, Harare, Zimbabwe: I would like to take this from a practical point of view, imagine your father is wrongly accused of supporting and aiding opposition political parties to topple the president and the FBI is looking for him and you have heard the headlines that if he is found he will be executed. Then these people come and you know where your father is hiding, what would you do? Tell the truth? Remember if you say I don’t know you will be lying? I really think it depends with what you want to achieve with your lying, in the Bible there is a story of midwives who would lie in order to save baby boys who would be delivered because they were suppose to be killed, at the end was God's kingdom not glorified? ... Think about this......

Helen, 22, Trinidad: It's true that we all lie sometimes, but it not the right thing to do. I don’t know if I'll lie to save someone’s life, when it does happen I’ll know. And to spare someone feeling no I won't lie, I’ll pull them aside and tell them what I have to say and that I don't want to hurt their feelings but there is something they have to know, that’s what friends do.

Abraham, Cameroon: I would like to share this small experience of a family during World War II. The father and mother asked their children the current question and it took them a whole night discussion. Finally, the mother who knew that a Jew found shelter under their roof told the children that there is no reason and no circumstance why God's children should tell lies. The following day, Gestapo soldiers came and started searching the house. They found the youngest girl and her brother who were in the sitting room. The soldiers angrily asked them where is the Jew that is hidden in the house. The boy was troubled. The sister started laughing and showed to the soldiers a small table and told them that the Jew was under the table. They uncovered the table and saw nothing. The girl continued laughing. Then the soldiers thought she was mocking at them and they rushed out of the house. What is amazing is that, the girl told them the truth. The Jew was hidden under the table; they simply had not only remove the cloth that was covering the table but the piece of wood that was over a hole where the man was hidden. Surprisingly to the boy his sister told the truth and the Truth set them all free: first the girl, the boy and the Jew. Free of sin. God knows what to do and how to operate in our most difficult situations, provided that we stand firm on the principles he gave.

Courtney, 16, Maryland: I think telling a lie in general is wrong. You should always tell the truth. But sometimes you don't tell the whole the whole truth so someone feelings wouldn't get hurt. To save an innocent life yes I believe its okay to tell a lie. To spare someone feelings: yes. I recently went through an experience. A good friend of mine is having a birthday soon and is having a party to celebrate on the same night a the Homecoming dance at my school. My friends and I felt torn since we wanted to go to the dance but we didn't want to disappoint our friend. At lunch one day Home-Coming came up when one of my friend that isn't going to the party ask me if I was going to Homecoming. My friend look horrified just to hear that I was considering going to homecoming. So I told her I wasn't thinking about going because I know that she is really sensitive about stuff like that. Lying can hurt people but if it is to protect someone than I think it’s okay.

Fay, 14, Canada: It is never o.k. to sin. One of the Ten Commandments is not to bear false witness, and anyone who regards iniquity in his heart, the Lord will not hear his prayer. The person who told a lie, for e.g. and if he or she never confessed that wrong, I cannot tell that person his relationship with Christ is solid. I would be presumptuous. But that individual should fall on his/her knees, or right where he or she is at that moment, and ask God for forgiveness and perhaps, depending on the situation, maybe tell the person that he/she is sorry for lying. It only takes a spark to get the fire going. It only takes one step to do wrong and if it is not halted, that individual could find him/herself in serious trouble. Let's do the right thing. Don't lie.

Pauline, 21, Lilongwe-Malawi: Whenever we tell a lie, you feel it within your heart, you fell guilty so why lie? The little sins we do can lead us to hell, remember there is no secret under the sun. Saving someone's life is a God given mandate as Christians we have to make more people know God and save them from the works of Satan.

Damion, 27, Jamaica: No, I don't believe it's ok to tell a lie. When we tell the truth we are declaring that the result of our actions depend on God. When we tell a lie we are depending only on our devices to bring the best results. Telling the truth may hurt or put us in a bad light, but at least it's the only opportunity we have to give God a chance to work in the situation.

Jared, 23, Uganda: No it is not proper to say the lie no matter the circumstances because it is a betrayal to Christ.

Tatiana, 24, Cameroon: In my point of view I think the Lord need a special kind of Christian, I mean a particular young Christian’s even in death it is better for us to tell the true or to close our mouth. God is powerful and He is God. He can’t save his children even without us. We are just instrument in his marvelous will. We can spare someone's feelings with silence or being tactful. EVEN IN Death IS BETTER TO BE FAITHFUL AS OUR EXEMPLE JESUS CHRIST

Simeon, 18, Nairobi, Kenya: It's NEVER okay to tell a lie. ALL lies come from the devil himself because he is the father of it! I wouldn't think of adopting ANYTHING from the devil even for a second. The truth will set you free - and even save someone's life. The reality is that it’s HARD to tell the truth all the time. But we can rest in the fact that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We should take everything to God in prayer - even in the event where you're tempted to "save someone's life". God is faithful at ALL times! He won't let his righteous people perish in such situations. He always opens the escape window...ALWAYS!!!!

Kay, 24, Trinidad and Tobago: The bible makes it very clear that "lying lips is an abomination unto the Lord.” However, in the very bible we observe Rahab tell a lie to protect the spies. Was it wrong for Rahab to tell a lie in this instance? It is critical to note, that in the book of Hebrews this very woman is placed in the hall of faith for her hospitable treatment of the spies.

Kevin, 18, California, United States: You shouldn't. People lied when they made a mistake. But God will always show the way out, just don’t mess up with it

Teka-Ann, 25, California, United States: Can a lie be justified? That’s a technical one. Abraham lied and he was called the 'friend of God.' Though this doesn’t make it right, it makes the young Christian wonders if it is okay to lie, especially to save someone else's life or to spare someone's feelings. But as in the case of Abraham, his lack of faith at the moment though his life was a true example of faithfulness, caused him to lie. So it is with us; our lack of faith, lack of trust in God's Word that He will always be there and come through for us, may cause us to lie. But it doesn’t make it right. So, no, it is not okay to lie even to spare a life or feelings. The truth is that we cannot comprehend the mysteries of God and we cannot think that by sinning we are sparing someone's life or feelings. Why? Because we are not God and we do not know the next occurrence. What we can and what we should do is to be eternally faithful to Him and His Words and by doing so trust Him to do His part. I do not believe the Lord will place us in any situation where we need to sin against Him or ourselves in order to do good. So, let’s put Him to the test. Try Him. Let Him prove His faithfulness to us again and again. We may never know what He has planned for that situation we think we need to save. That part of the work isn’t ours; all we need to do is to be obedient and faithful. Let us let Him do His work.

Hannah, 17, Wisconsin, United States: While there are many instances in the Bible where it clearly states that lying is wrong, what of the woman who saved the two spies lives by lying to those in authority in the city? The story, and her actions, is cast into a positive light rather than condemning her for saving two of God's men. It would seem, from that example, that lying to save someone's life is acceptable. At least, as long as it glorifies God, if that makes any sense. Because if the tables were turned, and it was two pagan spies in the company of Jews and a Jewish woman lied to God's people about them to save their lives, I'm sure the story would not have seemed so positive.

I suppose, like others have said, just ask God for the words you should use and for the actions you must take.

Oh and lying to spare someone's feelings? I don't believe its okay to do that.

Collins, 24, Nairobi, Kenya: Let's encourage values. Lying is a vice, and under no circumstance can its nature change. It is important to occupy our minds with thoughts that build us up; such as speaking the truth all the time, and praying to our Loving Father to help us out of situations in which our finite minds would deceive us that it's ok to lie (such as to save a life).

Deborah, 25, Cavite, Philippines: I truly believe that lie is never been a good thing in this world whether it will spare someone's life or even me. For me, I always feel guilty every time I want to say lies I used to think that it will come right back to me so I avoid myself in doing so. And God will never be happy watching us assuring other people with our lies. As God true servant we must be transparent to whatever we say, we think and we do.

Vanessa, 22, Cape Town South Africa: To tell a lie is a sin and it is wrong…be it it’s told for the goodness of other people or to save a life it’s still a sin

Krys, 20, Trinidad: Now, when we speak about lying we need to be specific. For one thing, the 10 commandments do not specifically say "Thou shalt not lie." We just interpret the 9th that way. Proverbs however does mention that God hates lying lips. But, we must agree that God ranks highly the sanctity of life. So we're in a dilemma. Is lying by omission wrong? Because if it is, the prophet Samuel and Jonathon didn't tell Saul the whole truth to save David's life and their own. Ponder on that.

Katiana, 25, Haiti: It's never okay to tell a lie even though someone can die for that. god has power to deliver from any danger without compromising with sin.

LaFranche, 17, Texas, United States: According to Prov.6:16-19 lying lips is one of the six things that God HATES!!! That is a very strong word but it is true: " These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue..." Also, in Prov.12:22 it says, " Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight." God hates lying so there has to be a better way to save someone's life or to spare someone's feelings other than by lying. According to these to verses, Christians shouldn't lie for any reason because it displeases God. Ask God what to do in a situation were lying seems like the only solution.

Banele, 22, Eastern Cape ( South Africa): It is not and it will never be okay to tell a lie. It is not alright to play with other people’s feelings. Do the way you want other people do to you.

Taashi, 26: Lying is wrong always wrong no matter what. You should never lie to save someone's life because when you do that you are circumventing God's law. And also if you truly believe that God is all powerful then you won't go around thinking that anyone's life is dependent on you. Trust in God's power to save.

Beronde, 17, Jamaica: Now... just think about it. Sin is sin. I know this might sound cold where life is concerned but, lying is sin and abiding by the rules "thou shall not..." is what we are to strive for if we want to love and know Jesus more, to be closer to Him. Sparing someone's feelings... I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind you telling him/her the truth. Bless!

Jacquelyn, 22, Virginia, United States: Fortunately, I have not found myself in a situation where someone's life hung in the balance and depended upon my words, and I have confidence that, if I ever were to be in such a situation in the future, the Lord would send me the Holy Spirit so that whatever I said would come from Him, not me. Honestly, I do not think we should dwell on hypotheticals like this one because it can lead us down a wrong, dark road of doubt and confusion. We can guess or brag all we want, but none of it matters until that exact moment where we are faced with that terrible decision.
The Bible is clear that lying is not to be condoned. Exodus 20:16 says: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Many times this is explained as lying, but I think it is also refers to something even deeper; I believe that the Commandment is referring to a lie which you tell to inflict harm (not necessarily physical) upon your neighbor or to receive a benefit (greed). When you think about the majority of lies, what is the reason behind them? To prevent a punishment, to hurt someone, and to gain something. These are all sinful, selfish reasons. However, if you lie to save someone's life, would this be a sin? There are many stories of brave Christians who hid persecuted individuals... runaway slaves during the United State's early history, the Jews during World War Two, etc. ...in many cases, we can assume that these followers of Christ were forced to lie. Does this make lying right or is it still wrong? This type of discussion definitely leads us into murkier and murkier waters.
I was raised that there is a right and there is a wrong. Lying is wrong. However, there are times, because we leave in a world of sin and we, ourselves, are sinful, that we may have to do something wrong. I am not condoning lying, and though I may stumble, I try to follow the words of Christ. In Matthew 5:37, He said: "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
There are ways to spare someone's feelings without lying, and that is what we should do on a daily basis. There may be some extreme times in your life or mine where we are faced with the horrible choice of lying to save someone's life, and in that moment, all I can say is this: pray to the Lord and do what you would want someone to do for you. If you commit a sin in an effort to save someone's life, I believe that is one of the times when God will wink. (Acts 17:30) But like I said earlier, I do not think dwelling on "what ifs" and "maybes" is healthy for our spiritual growth and personal relationship with Christ. Our focus should always be on Him, and we should always allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Theresa, 16, Austria: As Christians we know that in the Ten Commandments is written “thou shalt not lie". I think that if we would come in situations where it is about to save someone's life, God will give us the right words, if we really believe that he will do that. We can answer without sparing someone's feelings or save someone's life. We have to be wise - like it is written in the bible. If we have a firm connection to Jesus in every situation, he will be always ready to help us!

Thobani, 24, South Africa: Its not okay, lying is deceiving we are not to take Gods position our God does not run out of ideas to save people so its not up to us lying is deceiving.

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