Question:
One of our adopted children has hepatitis-B. We knew this before the adoption. In the past, my husband and I have given blood, but now we are no longer eligible because we live in the same house as someone with hep-b. The reasoning actually centers around sexual contact, which obviously we do not have, so would you answer truthfully on the blood donor application, or would you say *no* since you KNOW that you are healthy?
Answer:
Yes I would answer truthfully. We should always strive to be honest and let God handle situations like this. Even if we have good intentions, it is still a clear compromise of our honesty and integrity. It should be the rare and extreme case that we are ever in a situation where we purposely choose to tell “untruth”.
Isn’t that splitting hairs? Isn’t “untruth” another word for liar? If a LIAR AT HEART is using the term, yes, but like Rahab hiding the spies in Canaan, telling a rare untruth for a genuinely critical, selfless higher cause might still technically be lying, but God will be the Judge of it.
Shocker right?
Brent just that it’s okay to lie, right? Well yes and no. As a rule, as a life principle, as a working foundation that guides 99.99% of our life we should be honest in all situations and in all communication. The exception? The rare, critical, extreme exception.
For example, if I heard that a murdering gang was coming down the street to my house and was going to kill my entire family, I would hide them. When the gang came through the door and asked me where my kids and wife were, I would lie if it meant saving them. Does that mean I condone lying? Does that mean that I have a lying nature and will use it to benefit myself? No. If I were in a situation and I had to lie to protect the life of other innocents, I would probably do so and throw myself on God’s mercy. God knows our hearts.