Should Christians take an oath?

James 5:12 NKJV

But above all, my 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.

This past Monday president elect Donald Trump became president when he took this oath.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This oath is engrained in our constitution and is the same oath taken by George Washington on April 30th 1789.

This oath was primarily taken on March 4th until Franklin D. Rosevelt’s second inauguration in 1937.

As I heard this oath and reflected on the passage for this week, I could not help but ponder on the biblical stance on oaths.

Is it okay for presidents, vice presidents, military, judges, etc… to take an oath?

When I went to Marine Corps boot camp I took an oath. Was the oath against scripture?

When one gets married they take what is often called marriage vows. However, vows are personal promises given to one another while oaths are promises given under the oversight of a higher authority or institution. Thus, the reality is that a pastor or judge must administer the pledge, making them marriage oaths.

Yet, Scripture does not condemn these wedding oaths, and instead commands us to faithfulness, until death do us part.

SO, what does it mean when it says that we should not take an oath?

The Word used in James is OMNYO meaning to swear or take an oath.

The Old Testament word for oath is ALAH meaning cure, oath, or agreement.

However, this is not just James’s word but rather it is Jesus’s.

Matthew 5:33–37 NKJV

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Oaths are mentioned 108 times throughout the scriptures.

In Exodus 22:11 we see that in oath is of the Lord.

Exodus 22:11 NKJV

then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good.

God took an oath in Deut.

Deuteronomy 1:34 NKJV

“And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying,

The Israelites were commanded to take oaths in Deut.

Deuteronomy 6:13 NKJV

You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.

What did Jesus mean when He stated not to take an oath?

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:33–37

The matter of making oaths (

I. The Purpose of Oaths.

The purpose of oaths was to bind someone to a contract.

Yet, the culture of the day was to find excuses to negate the oaths.

II. The Prohibition of Oath’s.

Jesus (and James) said not to take oaths, because the breaking of an oath was evil and brought evil.

A. It caused a conflict in the church.

B. It hindered the oath breakers testimony.

C. It hindered the churches effectiveness.

III. The Predicament of the Heart.

A. The issue was that the Pharisees wanted to gain the benefits of oaths without the responsibility of keeping them.

The problem with oaths was a problem of the heart.

IV. The Problem of Truth.

Truth had become a commodity.

It may be argued that this mentality was a precursor to Nietzsche’s thought on reality. That is, truth and reason are subjective.

We see this same mindset bearing out into todays culture.

Woke ideology will tell us that truth is subjective. Boys, can be girls, Girls can be boys, kids can identify as cats or dogs and as long as they believe it then it is their reality.

Although the pharisees did not take it that far, this was the same mindset. We made an oath but the reality is, we did not invoke God, or heaven, and thus truth is subjective to our interpretation.

You may not like our president, but I was encouraged this week that he deemed their are only two genders. You say, Preacher why would you discuss politics on a Sunday morning? I will respond by saying, This is not a political argument but rather a biblical one.

Genesis 1:27 NKJV

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The problem is not with truth, but in truths absence.

People will say, what someone else thinks or does? Why does it matter to you, leave them alone and let them do what they want.

I will agree to an extent and say that if someone wants to believe they are a firetruck and walk around making firetruck siren noises that is their prerogative. However, I will not join in their lie nor allow them to convince my children that they to are firetrucks.

In 1521, Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms, declaring, 'Here I stand, I can do no other.' Despite the pressure to recant, he remained steadfast in his truth, igniting the Reformation. His commitment to the truth changed the course of history, demonstrating the incredible power that truth holds to challenge systems and inspire change. It reminds us that standing for what is true, even when it’s unpopular, can lead to a broader movement toward freedom and justice.

One of the reasons the dark ages were dark was due to religious oppression. How does this correlate to failures of cultural advancement? Because truth inspires, and their is great power that comes with truth.

V. The Power of Integrity.

Truth matters, and we must be people of our word.

There was a time when a mans word and a handshake was all that was needed. I will argue that even the handshake should not have been necessary.

Our word is our bond. Regardless of what society and culture does, among the people of God lets have integrity and hold to truth.

Conclusion

The act of taking an oath (committing yourself) is not wrong, but the tendency to neglect these oaths is wrong. Furthermore, the ignorant promises that we often add to our word are vain and useless. Thus, we should merely give our word and then fulfill it.

What is condemned is the buttressing of oaths. “I swear on all that is holy.” “If I do not do this you can __________.”

“Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.”

It is an oath, with a pledge consequence for breaking it. Such as, “I swear on my children’s life.”

Jesus (and James), says don’t do this, just give your word and do it.