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"Do not swear..."

Text: James 5:12

ADDRESSING ANOTHER PROBLEM

James went on to address another problem. Some people take oaths too lightly.

“But above all, brethren, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.
But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’
lest you fall into judgment.”
James 5:12

1. “But above all, brethren, do not swear”

a) The word “swear” is not using expletives.

b) The context here is that of taking oaths.

2. Yes or No

a) James was obviously recalling what the Lord Jesus had taught on this subject (Matthew 5: 33-37).

b) The practice of swearing:

i) Swearing by heaven

ii) Swearing by the earth

iii) Swearing by Jerusalem

iv) Swearing by one’s head

c) This was common practice in the days of the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Strong advice

a) Don’t swear at all.

b) The danger of not keeping one’s oath is very real (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7).

4. Needful understanding of what an oath entails

a) The Lord’s holy Name is involved.

b) There is danger of:

i) Trivialising of God’s name.

ii) Taking His name in vain.

iii) Failing to honour an oath.

5. “Lest you fall into judgment”

a) There will be judgment from the Lord because we take His name in vain.

b) There will also be judgment if we do not fulfil the oath made in God’s name.