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James 5:12
“Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”
Poor Christians who are being mistreated by wealthy unbelievers are not to take personal vengeance or grumble against one another. Instead, they are to patiently wait for the Lord’s return to set things right, just as farmers wait for harvest, imitating the steadfastness of the prophets and Job (James 5:1–11). Such waiting does not entail doing nothing or mean that any attempt to alleviate suffering is wrong. After all, farmers continue to work their fields in various ways as they wait for their crops to mature. The point is that we are not to let our suffering turn us against others or take away our faith in our good and gracious God.
In today’s verse, James appends a warning about oaths to his teaching on Christian patience (v. 12). Commentators differ as to why James would put this instruction here. The most likely explanation is that the poor Christians who were being oppressed by wealthy unbelievers would have been tempted to swear oaths that they were unlikely to be able to keep when they promised to repay debts. Whatever the case may be, James’ words must guide us today.
First, James cannot be forbidding all oaths, for the Apostles made oaths and vows under some circumstances (e.g., see Acts 18:18). Moreover, Scripture generally assumes that people should make vows; what we cannot do is swear by God’s name falsely (Lev. 19:12). What, then, is James doing? John Calvin says that James reproves those “who taught that they could swear with impunity, provided they adopted some circuitous expressions.” James is dealing with the same kind of thing that Jesus addresses when He calls out the Pharisees in Matthew 23:16–22. Many Pharisees had the idea that one did not really have to keep an oath if it had been sworn not in God’s name but in the name of something associated with the Lord. They developed an elaborate moral framework whereby they gave themselves permission to break their vows as long as they did not expressly use the name of God in swearing.
This practice missed the point. We are not to swear oaths casually or make them in such a way that we think we can break them with impunity. Only God can perfectly hold us accountable for keeping our promises. We ultimately speak falsely against God, thereby committing blasphemy, when we think that leaving His name out of an oath renders Him unwilling or unable to hold us to account for our word. We must keep our godly promises.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Dr. R.C. Sproul comments, “The Christian is expected to be a person whose word can be trusted.” Ultimately, that is what James is telling us in today’s verse. Oaths and vows are appropriate on solemn occasions, but not for everyday use, for God expects us not to need them to keep everyday promises. It is better not to swear at all than to swear an oath that we do not intend to keep.
For further study
- Numbers 30:1–2
- Psalm 119:106
- Matthew 5:33–37
- Hebrews 6:13
The bible in a year
- Joshua 11–12
- Luke 4:1–41