Is it a sin to keep secrets?<\/p>\n
I have some secrets I want to keep hidden at the moment. Only at the right time will I reveal it. However, this is a compounding issue. Since keeping secrets may often lead to lies, and (as I’ve read on your website) lying is not an option.\u00a0If secrets involve lying, is it a sin to keep secrets?<\/p>\n
If it isn’t a sin to keep secrets, what’s the best way to avoid it getting revealed or exposed without having to lie?<\/p>\n\t
“Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ “You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice<\/em>” (I Samuel 16:1-5).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
God wanted Samuel to appoint a replacement for King Saul, but Samuel was afraid of what Saul would do if he heard that another king was appointed. Thus, God told Samuel to offer a sacrifice in the town where the next king (David) happened to live. As a result, when people asked Samuel why he was there, he could honestly answer that he was there to offer a sacrifice. He didn’t have to mention that his primary purpose was to appoint the next king. There was no dishonesty. Samuel never lied because no one thought to ask him if he was there for other reasons.<\/p>\n
From this, we learn that you don’t have to reveal everything you know in order to be honest. Some things others just don’t need to know or they might cause harm if they are revealed. Sometimes people will tell you things privately that they don’t want others to know. “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter<\/em>” (Proverbs 11:13).\u00a0 This doesn’t mean that if someone told you that they are going to rob a bank or commit suicide that you can’t tell someone. Those are matters of sin and they need to be revealed to prevent harm from being done. However, if someone told you in confidence that he is in love with Suzy, then he should be confident that you won’t tell anyone else.<\/p>\n
The best way to keep a secret is to not say anything. It is never appropriate to lie. You cannot accomplish good through sin. “And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just<\/em>” (Romans 3:8). But refusing to speak is not a lie. Or you can say, “I cannot talk about it.” But most often people don’t think to ask the right questions and you are not required to indicate what question they ought to ask.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is it a sin to keep secrets? I have some secrets I want to keep hidden at the moment. Only at the right time will I reveal it. However, this is a compounding issue. Since keeping secrets may often lead to lies, and (as I’ve read on your website) lying is not an option.\u00a0If…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[527,392],"class_list":["post-35239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-honesty","tag-lying"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26985,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-the-elders-keep-secrets-from-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":0},"title":"Do the elders keep secrets from the church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do the elders keep secrets from the church? Matthew 18:15-17 seems to be full disclosure. My thoughts are to disclose the sin, but the absolute details are not necessary. Answer: \"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43828,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/both-david-and-saul-sinned-and-admitted-they-sinned-so-why-was-the-kingdom-taken-from-saul-but-not-david\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":1},"title":"Both David and Saul sinned and admitted they sinned, so why was the kingdom taken from Saul but not David?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Good day to you. I hope you are well. My question is about two men from the holy Scriptures: King Saul and King David. When Saul sinned against God, God took the kingdom away from him, but when David sinned, God did not take away the kingdom from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54753,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-davids-trick-on-ahimelech-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":2},"title":"Was David’s “trick” on Ahimelech a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeff, Is a trick a sin? When reading I Samuel 21:1-9, can we say that David lied to Ahimelech or tricked him? In many cases in the book of First Samuel David used a trick to get himself out of trouble. Answer: \"David said to Ahimelech the priest,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34603,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-changing-your-mind-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":3},"title":"Is changing your mind a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was wondering if it's counted as a lie when I change my mind.\u00a0 This has been a problem for me lately.\u00a0 Let's say I tell my wife \"I'm having an egg sandwich for lunch\"\u00a0 and then make a hamburger, is that lying?\u00a0 If I tell myself that I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23853,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-egyptian-magicians-able-to-do-real-miracles\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":4},"title":"Were the Egyptian magicians able to do real miracles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to know if the Egyptian magicians did real miracles or did they appear to do so by the means of a tonic to immobilize the snakes? Also did the witch at Endor really summon Samuel or was it an illusion? Answer: It might seem that the Egyptian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5133,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-about-people-who-play-the-victim-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":35239,"position":5},"title":"What about people who play the victim card?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I was wondering what the Bible has to say about those who play the victim card to deceive people. Answer: All lying is wrong, regardless of the motivation behind the lies (Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 21:8). Thus, to do something with the intent of deceiving people is sinful. 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