(Click to enlarge.)
Some Christian groups have, quite understandably, taken this passage to mean not merely that disciples of Jesus shouldn’t swear falsely but that they should never take oaths (e.g., of citizenship) at all.
But this seems to me mistaken, and quite impractical.
Why? Because our society runs on promises such as contracts, marriage covenants, and the like. We could not, and should not, function without them.
And God himself is said to have sworn an oath, at Hebrews 6:13, where we’re told that, having nobody greater to swear by, he swore by himself.
I need to run out the door right now — it’s been that kind of a day, all day — but it seems to me that the burden of Christ’s counsel here is not that we should never make promises, but that we not swear by things such as the heavens, the earth, the city of Jerusalem, or, even, our hair (an oath that I’ve seldom been tempted to take).
More needs to be said, but I need to go.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In