"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth..."
"I take thee to be my lawful wedded wife and I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be thy loving and faithful husband, in sickness and in health..."
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States..."
Weddings, Inaugurations, court rooms, etc.
What does the Bible teach about honoring our oaths?
Oath = promise, a promise or agreement between 2 people
Appealing to God to avenge the failure to keep this promise
Includes – bride and groom at wedding; courtroom, enter a contract
Not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
Many assume this means – don't curse, use profanity
“Name of the Lord” - not a literal name; but to God Himself
“In vain” - literally means “falsely”
Do not swear (utter) the name of God to a lie
Do not swear (utter) the name of God falsely
Do not appeal to God to confirm a falsehood.
It also includes other irreverent uses of God's name
Does this command forbid ALL oaths?
Matthew 5:33-37
James 5:12
Caution: Not all oaths, but all unlawful (unbiblical) oaths
We are commanded to swear by the name of God.
Deuteronomy 6:13
Isaiah 65:16
Swearing is a part of confession and worship
Deuteronomy 10:20
Confess that God exists
Examples of those who swore
God himself – Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:21; Hebrews 6:13
Christ – Matthew 26:63-64a
Paul – Romans 1:9; Philippians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:27
Matthew 5:33-37
Created situations where lying was OK
Speaking beyond “yes” and “no” is “of evil”
We must distinguish the lawful from the unlawful oaths
The Bible does this for us
Here are some Biblical guidelines
The object of the oath must be Biblical
What you promise must be true, you must keep what you promise.
The oath must be necessary
You must be ready to abide by the oath – no matter what
The oath must appeal to God alone.
The language of the oath must be clear, unequivocal, unambiguous
Helpful to reduce the oath to writing
Violates the 3rd commandment
Don't make excuses – As much a humanly possible, keep the oath
Change in Circumstances
Oath Which Is Impossible to Perform
Know it is impossible – don't make it
May become impossible by circumstances (next section)
Violation of An Oath Negates the Oath
Even today – fail to pay for a car, repossessed, sold – you will still owe any remaining balance
Failure to keep a vow does not do away with the vow.
Oath Involuntarily Imposed by Legitimate Authority
Government may require an oath – court, official documents, etc.
As long as the oath does not promise what God forbids
Oath Made to Unbelievers
Oath Made Under Distress
If the oath is sinful:
In Russia – Orthodox promised to light candles, say prayers, etc.
Herod – promise to kill John the Baptist was sinful, violate this promise
Jepthah – sacrifice daughter
If the oath becomes impossible to complete:
Promise to mow a lawn and you suffer a stroke and are paralyzed – now it is not possible to keep the promise.
Promise to attend a wedding – have a heart attack and are in ICU
"Where an oath is falsely taken," warns R. L. Dabney, "it is a heaven-daring attempt to enlist the Almighty in the sanction of the creature's lie and is thus, either the most outrageous levity, or the most outrageous impiety of which he can be guilty."
Adapted from - http://www.reformed.org/webfiles/antithesis/index.html?mainframe=/webfiles/antithesis/v1n1/ant_v1n1_oaths.html