Should we swear an oath?

[Duda]

Hi,

Wondering what you believe the bible says on swear oaths.

Thanks,
Duda

 

[PRMan]

Matthew 5 has a whole section where Jesus talked about this:

Oaths

33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Swearing oaths just implies that you would lie without the oath. Jesus says that Christians should get to the point where we are so truthful that nobody questions our truthfulness anyway, hence no need for the oath because you just tell the truth all the time, with or without it.

 

[Rafael]

We, as mankind, are famous for breaking oaths and covenants. To swear by oaths implies we are proud enough of something in ourselves to swear by....?? We have nothing other than what has been given to us by God, so yes as yes, and no as no is sufficient for man, just as Jesus said.

 

[Sketcher]

During a sermon at my church, I heard that the Pharisees would make lofty oaths and how strictly they had to keep them depended on whatever they swore by. Swearing by Jerusalem while facing Jerusalem meant they had to keep it no matter what, swearing by the earth meant they didn't really have to keep it, etc. If somebody could find some more details on that I'd sure like to know.

 

[Duda]

So the Bible tells me that I should not swear an oath, Mathews 5:34 "But I tell you, Do not swear at all swear an oath to God?" asPRMan said.

But in Hebrews 6:13-17 It states: "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself . . . for men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath." Should I follow the examples in the Bible, or by the Words it says?

Still looking for an biblical decision,
Duda

 

[Macca]

So the Bible tells me that I should not swear an oath, Mathews 5:34 "But I tell you, Do not swear at all swear an oath to God?" asPRMan said.

But in Hebrews 6:13-17 It states: "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself . . . for men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath." Should I follow the examples in the Bible, or by the Words it says?

Still looking for an biblical decision,
Duda

James also speaks of this in chapter 5. Do not swear by anything lest you be condemned.
I have chosen not to swear an oath in court, and was asked to make an affirmation. This is a statement rather than an oath, but is as binding as an oath, because the Bible says "let your yes be yes and your no be no, all else comes from the wicked one.
Macca.