Thanks for all your teaching. Please Sir, can you explain Genesis 20 to me. Did Abraham actually lie in this passage? ~ Bro. Nkereuwem from Nigeria.
A lie is a false statement told for the purpose to deceive. It is also lying intentionally to convey a false impression or purposely to present an inaccurate account (Dictionary.com). Both testaments of the Bible teach that it is sinful to tell a lie (Exodus 20:16; Revelation 21:8).
However, it is possible for a person to tell something that is inaccurate or not the truth without it being a lie. Someone may unknowingly say something that is not true without being aware that what he or she is saying is not accurate. The information would still be defective, but the one conveying it would be mistaken instead of purposely stating a falsehood. Of course, a person ought always to do his or her best to make sure that what he or she affirms is true.
Abraham, though, in Genesis 20 stated incomplete and inaccurate information for the purpose of deceiving people. Abraham lied. Abraham sinned. Furthermore, this was not the first time that Abraham told this particular lie (Genesis 12:11-20).
One of the marks of the authenticity of the Bible being from God and not being the product of human ingenuity is that the Bible even records the failings of the children of God. Human authors would not chronicle the less flattering characteristics of the Bible’s heroes of faith. For instance, King David was at one time an adulterer and a murderer over the matter of taking Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and having her husband killed (2 Samuel 12:9).
God does not simply overlook some of the sins of His most illustrious servants. God never approves of sin. Any sin, even lying, can keep a person from enjoying an eternity in heaven someday (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). Hence, it is necessary for sinners of every sort to repent of their sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 8:22).
The sins of great Bible characters do not justify anyone today who commits sins. Instead, one can readily see that even great men (and women) of Bible faith sometimes falter in sin – for which they need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. In the case of Abraham, God essentially rebuked Abraham through the kings to whom God revealed the lies of Abraham. Abraham was rebuffed and forced to admit his lies.
