Matthew 5:33-48
33 ¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
- The DEFINITION
- The MODERN Understanding
- To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. This is the sense that Jesus forbids in these verses. Does it make a false statement true if we say ‘I swear on the Bible’ or ‘I swear to God’? No, it does not change the the veracity of the statement in the least. It is only done to try to sway the opinion of the hearer. The reality is that if it’s a lie, it remains a lie no matter the oath that is used in the utterance.
- To promise on oath. This also should be unnecessary for our word to be reliable. If we simply tell the truth and keep our word then the use of oaths is rendered needless.
- To give evidence on oath – to swear to the truth of a statement. This is something that is done in a solemn and official manner and is not what is in view in these verses.
- To be profane; to practice profaneness. To be profane does not require the use of ‘curse’ words. It is the irreverent or abusive treatment of holy things. Certainly the most familiar example is using the Lord’s name as a curse word. But to treat God or the things of God in a light manner is to profane His name and His person. We should always be very reverent when speaking of God. It is deeply ingrained in our language and culture to use expressions of amazement or surprise that invoke the name of God or His Son. This is one of the thing that are in view in this passage.
- The Biblical Sense
- The Meaning of the word
- One meaning in the OT is that of imprecation (to call a curse upon someone, that is to call for harm or ill upon another)
- Another use is that of a sworn covenant ie: a binding and solemn agreement
- The Nature of the oath – An oath had two elements 1. an affirmation or promise 2. an appeal to God, as the Omniscient one and the punisher of falsehoods This can be seen in Hebrews 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation [is] to them an end of all strife. Men always call on that which is greater than themselves Often men, when under pressure, will exclaim “I swear to God”. They do this to emphasize the veracity of their statement or the sincerity of their promise The oath is held to be binding because of the majesty of the Almighty whose name has been invoked
- The Occasions – The Hebrews used oaths for various reasons and on various occasions and was done in different forms It is beyond the scope of this study to go into all the different aspects of the subject
- The Sanctity of the oath How seriously the crime of perjury was taken can be seen in the punishment meted out for it. The punishment for perjury was that which was specified for the crime in question If the person on trial was in danger of the death sentence, then to perjury oneself was to be exposed to the same penalty.
- The Meaning of the word
- The Christian practice is that your yea is yea and your nay is nay. What does this mean? It means that you tell the truth all the time. God is every where and hears all. Christians are to be aware that God is present with us at all times. The injunction against swearing does not mean that we should not testify in court or take a oath of office, but that we should not use God’s name in vain with such expressions as ‘my God’ or ‘I swear to God’. These things are said in a light and flippant manner and should not be part of the practice.of the Christian. We should live in such a manner that our word is our bond.
- The MODERN Understanding
We will deal with the matter of cussing or the use of swear words. The vast majority of people would say that using God’s name as a swear word is wrong, but will often use the name of Jesus in a light manner and this is the same thing in God’s sight. We should say what we mean and mean what we say. There should be no need for profanity to make people believe what we say.
- The DANGER – When we disregard the instructions of Jesus found in these verses we run the danger of:
- Being profane. We should always be aware of the caution of Scripture. Matthew 12:34-37 [34] O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. [35] A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. [36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. [37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. James 1:26 [26] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
- Blaspheming by the use of God’s name or His person in an abusive or irreverent manner. It goes without saying that if you are a Christian not only should you not do such but should not watch movies or TV that uses God’s name is this way. I know that it will limit the movies, TV, and even the music that you watch. But we put our stamp of approval on the behavior when we sit and watch.
- The DEFENSE is very simple. Jesus tells us to speak truth, let your yea be yea and your nay nay. It seems to be so simple so it must be too simple. The Christian life is really very simple, we teach a song to children in Sunday School or VBS that has the lyrics of O B E D I E N C E obedience is the very best way to show that you believe. That not only goes for kids but for adults as well!
May God bless you,
Pastor Mike Scott
Faith Baptist Church of Newborn GA 