“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you take an oath by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.” (Matthew 5:33-37)
Applications from This Text:
1. Truthfulness is a core value because our relationships depend upon it.
2. Lying becomes a vice because it damages relationships.
3. Oaths arise because people so often are liars.
4. Oaths imply that one is normally untruthful or that one needs only to be truthful when swearing an oath.
5. Jesus’ emphasis is that honest people do not have to resort to oaths; it is not that they should refuse to take an oath if asked to or required to do so.
6. The greater righteousness does not look for loopholes.