Why we are not to swear (an oath)

[SolaVeritas]

Matthew 5:36,37
[bible]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.[/bible]
James 5:12
[bible]Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.[/bible]

I have always accepted the above scriptures. Sometimes wondering why the language was so strong for something seemingly innocent, but never long enough to find an answer. Even when accepting Canadian citizenship, I did not swear the oath, and I make lawyers change the documents when it says, "I swear" a certain thing by my signature.

Then one day the Lord opened up the meaning to me, and it was like, "Doh! How come I couldn't see that?"
You see, wenn you swear, it is like saying, "Normally you can't quite trust what I'm saying, but this time, because I'm swearing, it's really true!" It is in essence the same as admitting to being a liar, and we all know who the father of all lies is...hence "it comes from the evil one"!

Since, as a follower of Christ, I speak the truth, I degrade myself by swearing. It would be contrary to my testimony and bring shame on the Lord's name. If someone should ask me to swear, my correct answer should be a surprised, "Swear? Why would I need to swear, I'm a Christian" Now of course there are those who call themselves Christians and lie like everybody else, but that's a whole other story.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone.

 

[TimRout]

The issue in Matthew 5 relates to the way Jews tended to think of oaths. In their view, if one swears by the name of God, then one is bound by that oath. But if one swears on something else...your mother's grave, for example...THAT oath could then be broken. A similar issue is in view in James 5. The point being:

Don't think casual oaths let you off the hook. If you say you're going to do something, God holds you accountable to do it. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. So, when I took my oath of office as a Pastor, I genuinely committed myself to doing all that I promised in the oath...and God will hold me accountable.

 

[DeaconDean]

The issue in Matthew 5 relates to the way Jews tended to think of oaths. In their view, if one swears by the name of God, then one is bound by that oath. But if one swears on something else...your mother's grave, for example...THAT oath could then be broken. A similar issue is in view in James 5. The point being:

Don't think casual oaths let you off the hook. If you say you're going to do something, God holds you accountable to do it. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. So, when I took my oath of office as a Pastor, I genuinely committed myself to doing all that I promised in the oath...and God will hold me accountable.

I couldn't have said it better.

When I took an oath to fulfill the duties of an elder, I have done so.

And it was not an oath I took lightly.

God Bless

Till all are one.

 

[SolaVeritas]

Maybe I should have quoted verse 34 too: "But I tell you, do not swear at all".
I'm just not sure how either that or the whole passage in context can be interpreted as saying, if you do swear, just make sure you keep your oath.

You're probably better educated and I respect your opinion as a Pastor, I'm just really surprised at your answer.

 

[Vince53]

Although the Bible clearly forbids oath-taking, it also commands you to keep an oath once you have given it. However, you have gotten the context correct. The idea was that "big oaths" had to be kept, but it was all right to break "little oaths." People who believed that got their big oaths and little oaths confused, however.

Jesus made it plain that we are always to tell the truth. Period.