“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”-James 5:12
When someone gives their word, they give themselves. If you commit to being somewhere, you must make sacrifices to be there. If you commit to work, you must show up, and work. Even in the small things, especially in the small things, our words are only as good as our ability to follow through. Words are easily spoken, but consistency of action is stubborn.
The Apostle James gives us ample exhortation on how we should speak. Here he is exhorting the church, (echoing the words of Christ) not to swear ourselves, but let our communication simply be “yea” and “nay”; and telling us not to overcommit ourselves to a binding oath. Why? For my part I see a few reasons. First, it is the part of the Christian to always tell the truth. In our lifestyle and actions. What we say and do will directly reflect the overall testimony that we give to those around us. Therefore, if we give an oath, if we swear ourselves to something, then we bind ourselves to it. This gives ample opportunity to fall into condemnation, because so little in this world is under our control. For example, King Saul, after his son Jonathan had won them a great victory, swore that none should eat lest he die. Then his son Jonathan ate, not knowing his father’s oath. Saul was so blinded by his own legalism that he was going to kill his son, but the people saved Jonathan. All this because Saul presumptuously opened his mouth in an oath (herein is the slippery slope of legalism. When you and/or your church culture swear themselves to the doctrines of men, you can get to the place where a sleeve that is six inches off the shoulder instead of eight inches, means you have sinned. Or, if you sit on a plane and glance at the in-flight movie then you have sinned. Now, don’t take me wrong, the church should abstain from the world, and live to the scriptures; however, this should come from the place of love and passion to draw nigh to God, not the oaths of men forced on the congregation). Secondly, our “word” should be enough. Our lifestyle is so consistent that when we say “yes” no oath is needed, because we are going to do it. Or make every possible effort to. If you have an appointment, then meet it. If you have a responsibility, then fill it. If you have a job, do it. The Christian must be consistent because we are ambassadors for Christ. Christ is consistent. Furthermore, who doesn’t want consistency in their life? You cannot build anything without this trait. How unsung it is! It doesn’t take intelligence or skill to be consistent, yet intelligence and skill mean little without consistency. Lastly, if you make your “yea, yea” and your “nay, nay”, if you strive for consistency; then it will cause you to be very careful about what you say yes too. The vacation might seem like a good idea, but what is it going to pull you away from? The promotion comes with a pay increase, but what will it cause you to work towards? That certain someone may be the most attractive person you ever laid eyes on, but you’re not just marrying their body, you’re marrying their values. Again, we put ourselves in what we say “yes” too.
A consistent church full of Christians who are always in prayer, instant in witnessing, dutiful in scripture, loving their neighbor, opening their hand to the poor, and living so they have something to give; this church will grow. It is so easy to get distracted in this “land of opportunity”, and sometimes serving God means knowing when to say “no” and committing when it’s time to say “yes.” Words matter because what we say is what we should do, and what we do is who we are.
