“So Help Me God”Taking Oaths – A Biblical View

“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 promise before God and these witnesses.”“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully excecute the office of the President of the United States.”Weddings – Inaugurations – Court rooms – Official documentsWhat does the Bible teach about taking oaths?

Oaths Defined

Oath = promise, a promise or agreement between 2 peopleAppealing to God to avenge the failure to keep this promise– Bride and Groom at their wedding– Testifying in court– Entering a contract– Signing official government documents– Taking government office

The 3rd Commandment

Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Many assume this means don't curse – use profanity“Name of the Lord” - not a literal name – but God Himself

The 3rd Commandment

“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 falsehoodIt also includes other irreverent uses of God's name

In Defense of Oaths

Does Scripture forbid ALL oaths?Matthew 5:33-35 33 "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.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

In Defense of Oaths

Does Scripture forbid ALL oaths?Matthew 5:36-37 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

In Defense of Oaths

Does Scripture forbid ALL oaths?James 5:12 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.CAUTION: Not all oaths, but all unlawful (unbiblical) oaths are forbidden

The General ContextWe are commanded to swear by the name of GodDeuteronomy 6:13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.Isaiah 65:16 So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth;

The General ContextSwearing is a part of worshipDeuteronomy 10:20-21 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name21 He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.

The General ContextExamples of those who sworeGod Himself – Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,Hebrews 7:21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The Lord has sworn And will not relent, 'You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek' "),

The General ContextExamples of those who sworeGod HimselfChrist – Matthew 26:63-64a 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said.”

The General ContextExamples of those who sworeApostle Paul Romans 1:9a For God is my witnessPhilippians 1:8a For God is my witness1 Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.2 Corinthians 1:23a Moreover I call God as witness against my soul

The Particular ContextMatthew 5:33-37

The Jews had created situations where lying was OK

Speaking beyond “Yes” and “No” is “from the evil one”

Biblical GuidelinesWe must distinguish the lawful from the unlawful oaths. The Bible does this for us.Should you take an oath?1) The object of the oath must be Biblical2) What you promise must be true, and kept.3)The oath must be necessary4) You must be ready to abide by the oath – No Matter What!

Content of the OathThe oath must appeal to God alone.

The language of the oath must be clear, unequivocal, unambiguous

It is helpful to reduce the oath to writing

Breaking an OathViolates the 3rd CommandmentViolates the teaching of Jesus and James

Don't make excuses

As much as humanly possible – keep the oath

Invalid reasons for Breaking an Oath

Change in circumstancesOath which is impossible to perform

Know it is impossible – don't make itViolation negates the oath

Today – fail to pay loan, car is repossessedCar is sold and you still owe any balance

Oath if required by lawGovernment may require oath – court,

documents, take office

Valid reasons for Breaking an Oath

If the oath is sinfulIn Russia – Orthodox promise to light

candles, say prayers, pay feesHerod – the promise to kill John was sinfulJephthah – sacrifice his daughter

If the oath becomes impossiblePromise to mow a lawn – suffer a stroke

and are paralyzedPromise to attend a wedding – in ICU with

heart attack

Conclusion

“When an oath is falsely taken, 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.”R. L. DabneyFINAL NOTE: Baptism is an oath (vow) to be faithful to Christ and His church.