In considering whether it is ever OK to tell a lie, we should distinguished between a general principle and a legitimate exception.

Peter was enunciating a general principle when he wrote:

1 Peter 2:13–15 — Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme 14 or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good. 15 For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

But he was claiming a legitimate exception when he and his fellow-apostles said:

Acts 5:29 — “We must obey God rather than people.”

This is not hypocrisy, or self-contradition.  Putting the two together, we conclude that it is right to be subject to the ruling authorities except where to do so would violate what a higher authority – Christ himself – has commanded.

In Exodus 2 we have an account of the Hebrew midwives, who were commanded by the Egyptian pharaoh to kill all the male babies born to the Hebrew women.  But the midwives lied in order to protect the baby boys, and were commended by the Lord for doing so:

Exodus 1:18–21 — Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?”19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women—for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!”20 So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them.

Similarly, in Joshua 2 Rahab throws in her lot with the Israelite spies and gives them safe refuge.  When asked about this, she lies in order to protect them.  See Josh 2:4-5; 6:25.

Joshua 2:4–5 — ‘But the woman hid the two men and replied, “Yes, these men were clients of mine, but I didn’t know where they came from. 5 When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. I don’t know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!”’

Joshua 6:25 — ‘Yet Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.’

To summarise: we have a solemn responsibility before God to tell the truth, except when doing so would lead to a serious violation of his will, including the harm or death of innocent people.

See this, by Paul Carter