What Does Christianity Say About Withholding Information?

As Christians, we all know that lying is a sin, but what about withholding truths?

Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. - Exodus 23:1 (NIV)

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. - Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. - Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)

Is withholding information the same as lying, or is it sometimes justifiable?

To answer this question, let us look into scripture, beginning with the story in Genesis where Abraham withheld the full truth about his wife Sarah, from the Pharaoh.

The Case of Abraham and Pharaoh

If you are not familiar with the story or have forgotten, it is found in Genesis 12:10-20.

When Abraham traveled to Egypt due to a famine, he feared that Pharaoh would kill him to take his wife, Sarah, because of her beauty. To protect himself, Abraham told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister—which was technically true, as she was indeed his half-sister (Genesis 20:12)—but he failed to mention that she was also his wife.

As a result, Pharaoh took Sarah into his household, and God responded by sending plagues upon Egypt until the truth was revealed.

The prophet Abraham withheld information, so that means it’s fair play, right? — You, probably

Ehh, well… not necessarily. While Abraham did not technically lie, his actions could be considered a lie of omission, leading to Pharaoh unknowingly sinning by taking another man's wife and causing his entire household to suffer.

However, Abraham’s case does show that he withheld truth out of fear for his life and wife being taken by force, rather than out of malice or an intent to deceive for personal gain.

Still, his actions, though rooted in fear, still went against God’s ideals as mentioned in Scripture.

Do not testify against your neighbor without cause— would you use your lips to mislead? - Proverbs 24:28 (NIV)

Likewise, Exodus 23:1 commands, "Do not spread false reports."

So the question becomes "Is stating incomplete truths with the intention to mislead people considered lying? " But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Before we tackle this question, let us also consider the fact that Jesus Christ stated that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 (NIV)

Withholding Truth vs. Withholding Christ

Jesus Christ declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). If we are to interpret this literally, then Christ Himself is the embodiment of truth, which means God is the embodiment of truth, which means withholding truth can be seen as withholding God, which makes withholding truth a sin.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. - Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)

However, there are times when the withholding of information is not sinful. For example, Jesus did not always disclose everything at once; He often spoke in parables, revealing deeper meanings only to those who were ready to receive them (Matthew 13:10-17).

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. - Matthew 13:10-17

Aside from withholding information to help others gradually understand wisdom and truth, withholding information for the sake of protection is also valid.

Scripture provides examples of this, like the time when Rahab (a Canaanite woman from the city of Jericho) hid the Israelite spies and misled the soldiers searching for them, not for personal gain, but to protect innocent lives (Joshua 2:1-21).

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) - Joshua 2:4-6

Similarly, Moses’ parents concealed the truth about his birth to save him from Pharaoh’s decree (Exodus 2:1-10). Rather than being condemned, these acts were praised in Scripture, showing that withholding information for protection can be an act of righteousness.

But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. - Exodus 2:3 (NIV)

So intention matters. Why you withhold information matters. If it is done out of love, wisdom, or protection, it may be justified. But if it is done out of selfishness, deceit, or to avoid accountability, it becomes sinful.

Is stating incomplete truths with the intention to mislead people considered lying?

Lying is generally understood as speaking falsehoods, but what about withholding the full truth in a way that misleads others? If it is still considered lying, is there such a thing as justified lies? Let us find our answers in Scripture to these two questions.

For the first question, the short answer is yes, withholding the full truth with the intention to mislead is considered lying by omission. To answer the second question, we must continue our discussion on how God responds to deception and outright lying in both the Old and New Testaments.

Rationalizing What We Know

Continuing our discussion from the case of Abraham and the Pharaoh, while Abraham had an understandable reason why he misled the Pharaoh, scripture clearly does not affirm his deceit.

As mentioned before, The Old Testament supports this: Exodus 23:1, Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 12:22. As well as the New Testament: Colossians 3:9, Ephesians 4:25, and Revelation 21:8.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices. - Colossians 3:9

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. - Ephesians 4:25

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” - Revelation 21:8

Not to mention the fact that God had already promised to protect him (stated in Genesis 12:1-3), so his fear-driven deception showed a lack of trust in God's protection.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)

This leaves us with three possibilities: (1) God permitted lying in the Old Testament but not after Christ’s death, (2) God never allowed lying but showed forgives those who lied and will lie, or (3) God allows lying in specific cases where it is justified.

Possibility #1: God Permitted Lying in the Old Testament Only

In this blog post, we have talked about the stories of Abraham and Pharaoh as well as the story of Rahab, a Canaanite woman, who hid Israelite spies from soldiers.

Abraham misled Pharaoh by calling Sarah his sister, and Rahab outright lied to protect the Israelites. Despite their deception, both were still rewarded, commended (in Rahab’s case), or at the very least, pardoned.

From these stories, and many others in scripture, one might argue that God permitted lying in certain situations during the Old Testament period. However, this line of thinking is incorrect.

God’s commands regarding honesty are clear in the Old Testament, such as in Exodus 20:16 (“You shall not bear false witness”) and Proverbs 12:22 (“Lying lips are detestable to God”).

Think about it, if lying were truly permitted, why would Scripture contain such strong condemnations against it?

The stories of Abraham and Rahab, along with the lessons in Scripture, suggests that while deception occurred, God still worked through those who lied. It does not mean God endorsed or encouraged their dishonesty.

So the idea that God permitted lying in the Old Testament cannot be true. Instead, regardless of their (Abraham, Rahab, and all of humanity) shortcomings, God still works through them.

Possibility #2: God Never Allowed Lying But Forgives

Continuing our line of thought from possibility #1, another perspective that we should consider is that God has always prohibited lying but shows mercy to those who fall into it.

Exodus 20:16 forbids bearing false witness, and Proverbs 12:22 calls lying as a detestable act. Yet despite these verses clearly condemning the act of lying, God never forsook the likes of Abraham and Rahab.

Even in the New Testament, Peter lied when he denied Jesus (Luke 22:54-62).

A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. - Luke 22:56-58 (NIV)

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. - Luke 22:61-62 (NIV)

But he was later forgiven by God.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. - John 21:15-17

These stories suggest that even though lying is condemned, God forgives. This is also supported in Psalm 86:5 and 1 John 1:9, which depict God as merciful and forgiving.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. - Psalms 86:5 (NIV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

Possibility #3: God Allows Lying if Justified

Another view is the belief that lying can be morally acceptable in certain situations.

Rahab’s deception in Joshua 2 saved the Israelite spies, and she was later commended in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 for her action and faith.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. - Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? - James 2:25 (NIV)

Another example that I have yet to mention is Jehu’s deception in 2 Kings 10:18-28. By pretending to hold a great sacrifice for Baal, he gathered the Baal priests in one place and had them executed, successfully eradicating Baal worship from Israel.

As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: “Go in and kill them; let no one escape.” So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it. They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day. So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. - 2 Kings 10:25-28 (NIV)

The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” - 2 Kings 10:30 (NIV)

CONCLUSION

After rationalizing these three perspectives, the most consistent with Scripture is Possibility #2: God Never Allowed Lying But Forgives.

Scripture repeatedly condemns lying and emphasizes God’s nature as truth (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2).

If God had permitted lying in the Old Testament, His commands against it would be contradictory. Instead, we see that while figures like Abraham, Rahab, and Peter engaged in deception, they were not praised for their dishonesty but rather for their faith and repentance. Their stories show that God, in His mercy, forgives those who fall into sin, including lying.

However, Possibility #3 is not without merit, as we see examples of it in Scripture. The Hebrew midwives and Rahab deceived others to protect innocent lives. And what did God do for them? He blessed them, not necessarily for their deception, but for their faith and righteousness.

While lying is never explicitly permitted, these cases suggest that in situations where human lives are at stake, moral dilemmas may arise in which the use of deception can become justified.

Ultimately though, Possibility #2 remains the strongest, as Scripture consistently upholds truth and condemns falsehood. It is more likely that God forgives those who have lied and will lie rather than permit lying in any situation, as there is no explicit biblical evidence that God ever approves of any form of deception, in fact, the opposite is true.

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It’s important to note that this discussion (or blog post) is based on the author's interpretation and theological perspectives.

What Does Christianity Say About Withholding Information?