Today is my mom’s birthday! I love her so much and am so proud to be her son. She has been such a foundational part of my growth as a Christian man. Raising my brother and I in the ways of the Lord and doing her best. Love you Mom!
12 But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation. James 5:12 [AMP]
This single verse by James sounds very close to Jesus’ teaching on the same:
34 But I tell you, Do not bind yourselves by an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 Or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black. 37 Let your Yes be simply Yes, and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:34-37 [AMP]
Our truthfulness should be so consistent and dependable that we don’t need an oath (eg. “I swear on my mother’s grave”) to support it: a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should suffice.
‘Our mere word should be as utterly trustworthy as a signed document, legally correct and complete’
Mitton
Application:
This truth has a lot of what I call ‘Bleed Over’. Even when I am talking and say something like, “honestly, I really don’t care about that” or “to be totally transparent, it is not like me to be that way” it carries with it an air that I really don’t mean what I am saying even though that is emphatically what I am saying. The fact that I would think to caveat it with “honestly” or “to be totally transparent” means that even I myself don’t think it sounds truthful. Quite simply, coming through on my word is God honoring. This is what I should strive for when I make a commitment and even in my everyday conversations. I should never leave any room for reproach.