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I do have question regarding the intersection between faith and civil law. I once read a passage from "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers" that appears to condone lying to civil authorities in order to protect a wanted criminal. Perhaps I am misunderstanding it altogether. However, in my very limited understanding, I believe that any form of lying is impermissible, even if an apparent benefit comes out of it (Romans 3:7-8). I have also heard you discuss Rahab as a case study to demonstrate that lying is never justified. St. Augustine also holds a similar position. So how is it that Abba Alonius seems to say otherwise?

Excerpt:

"One day Abba Agathon questioned Abba Alonius saying, 'How can I control my tongue so as to tell no more lies?' And Abba Alonius said to him, 'If you do not lie, you prepare many sins for yourself.' 'How is that?' said he. The old man said to him, 'Suppose two men have committed a murder before your eyes and one of them fled to your cell. The magistrate, seeking him, asks you, "Have you seen the murder?" If you do not lie, you will deliver that man to death. It is better for you to abandon him unconditionally to God, for he knows all things.'"

The dialogue between Abba Aghathon and Abba Alonius in this passage is to teach a lesson about love, not lies, because love triumphs over all. Abba Alonius is not telling Abba Aghathon to lie, but rather, he is preparing him to know that telling the truth has a cost, whether that cost may be at your expense or someone else's. There are some people that run to reveal a truth about someone else, not for the sake of love, but the opposite, hatred, envy, jealousy. They want to hurt the other, embarrass, or shame someone. What then could be the motive of the truth in a specific situation? Cunningness and twisting the truth is a form of deception, and deception is one of the devil's finest tools. Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ instructed us to keep our words simple and straightforward, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). When Rahab lied, she did it out of love and fear of God, though she had not yet been accepted into the Jewish faith and was still ignorant of God's commandments. In Acts 5:1-11, both Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead immediately upon telling an untruth. Their lies purposed concealing a hidden agenda and an ulterior motive. Furthermore, God wanted to establish the Church of the New Testament without hypocrisy. Thus, we must always be truthful, and truth begins first within ourselves. "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Colossians 4:6).