Is Deception Always Sinful?

I’m going to stick my head out with this opinion piece!

Many people have problems with the fact that the Hebrew midwives lied to the Egyptian officials about why the Hebrew babies weren’t killed.  They also have a problem with Rahab lying to protect the Israelite spies.  People insist that these people sinned; that the Bible praises their actions but never says it was okay for them to sin.

Throughout Scripture, lying is condemned because it brings harm to people in some way or another.  There is a commandment against bearing “false witness.”  But does this mean all lying is sinful?  

I think when saving innocent lives it could better be called deception.  As a combat engineer I learned how to deceive the enemy by camouflage so as to save the lives of those hidden; was that sinful lying?  A famous event to deceive enemies was when, in World War II, the British used a body fixed up as an officer with “secret” documents to simulate a victim of a downed aircraft (an excellent movie based on the story is, “The Man Who Never Was”); the documents misled the Germans as to where an invasion would take place, thereby saving many lives — was that sinful lying?   Also during WWII, many Christians lied to the Nazis so as to hide and protect Jews; was that sinful?  Deception is a well-known tactic in warfare for saving lives by tricking the enemy, but is it sinful?

I could go on with many incidents where deception — lying to the enemy — has saved countless lives.  Such events are not rebelling against God, rather they are honoring God by protecting man - who is made in God’s image.

I believe God is a just and merciful God.  When it comes to “deception,” there is the “spirit of the law” which makes ordinary lying that causes harm definitely sinful, while deception to protect innocent lives is NOT sinful.

Therefore, I do not think God would charge the Hebrew midwives or Rahab with the sin of lying.