THEOSISGregory the Great
As long as my breath remains within me and the Spirit of God fills my nostrils, my mouth will not utter wickedness, nor will my tongue devise any deceit (Job 27:3-4). Initially, what he refers to as ‘wickedness’ he later describes as ‘deceit.’ This is because all ‘deceit’ is inherently ‘wickedness,’ and conversely, all ‘wickedness’ reflects ‘deceit.’ Whenever something contradicts the truth, it is certainly considered lawless. However, there is a significant distinction between what he first declares as ‘speak’ and what he later adds as ‘intend.’ It can be far worse to 'intend' a lie than merely to utter it. Speaking can often result from a lack of self-control, while intending is a deliberate act of malice.
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It is obvious that the circumstances differ greatly between someone who has lied by accident due to intemperance and someone who has lied with intent. The righteous person, in his commitment to truth, asserts he will not lie either intentionally or inadvertently due to excess. All forms of falsehood must be approached with utmost caution, although there are instances where a deceit told to benefit someone might seem less severe. Nevertheless, it is written, "They that slander the mouth kill the soul" (Proverbs 1:11) and "thou shalt destroy them that speak lies" (Psalm 5:7). Such lies, along with others, require vigilant avoidance, lest we inflict severe harm upon our own souls while ostensibly aiding others. We believe this particular sin is often more readily forgiven; for if any sin can be cleansed through righteous deeds, how much more readily can sins accompanied by remorse—the catalyst for virtuous actions—be atoned for?
However, some seek to justify deceit based on the actions of midwives recorded in Scripture, arguing that this form of lying is not sinful, particularly since it is said that "the Lord established their households" (Exodus 1:21). Yet, rather than serving as precedent, this example illustrates that the act of lying led to earthly gains, suggesting that any rewards they might have awaited in the afterlife were forfeited due to their deceit, leaving them instead with merely temporal benefits. They lied out of a desire to preserve life; through compassion, they aimed to protect infants, and through deception, to save themselves.
Despite a few such instances in the Old Testament, careful readers will generally find that those who were righteous did not resort to falsehood, even if certain narratives might superficially suggest a truth in the lies presented. This could be seen as a minor infraction of the Old Testament era, marked by sacrifices of bulls and goats, which were merely shadows of true sacrifice. With the manifestation of the Truth in the flesh in the New Testament, we are called to a higher standard of conduct. It is fitting and just that those who lived under mere shadows of the Truth should strive for greater integrity. If anyone posits that these Old Testament lies were less damaging to those of earlier times, they would then be forced to accept that theft and the compensatory measures allowed for the weak should not be a concern for them today. Yet, it is evident to all that the commandments became more stringent after the arrival of the Truth. Thus, a righteous individual commits to refraining from both speaking and planning falsehoods, pledging only to align with the truth, and so he joins: