Did Abraham Really Lie?

Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” “And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her. When God called me to leave my father’s home and to travel from place to place, I told her, ‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell the people that I am your brother.’” Genesis 20:2, 12-13 New Living Translation (NLT) Abraham is often referred to as being a liar. Some have even accused him of "pimping" his wife. Often, telling only a portion of the truth can still be considered a lie of omission. It takes reading the whole story in the Bible to know what it was all about. This is just another reason why reading the Bible in its entirety, as discussed yesterday, is essential to knowing and understanding God's Word. However, God still called Abraham friend (James 1:23) and blessed him abundantly for his faith (Hebrews 11:8-9). Because Abraham believed God, God intervened in his "white lie" scheme and apparently forgave this transgression. Fear has a tendency to make us a deceitful. Lacking faith in God's ability to handle anything that may happen to us will often lead us to rely upon our own resources. But without Christ, we have no reliable resources. He gave His life for our sinful natures so that we could get back on the track to God's Kingdom. While we may lie from pride, arrogance or even out of desperation, we must always remember that God knows the whole truth about everything. We can trust Him with the truth for He is faithful to forgive. But it takes faith in who He is and acceptance of who we are without Him to live in His light. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Psalm 34:12-13 NIV