James:Tests of a Living Faith
Faith Tested by Reaction to Self-Serving Oaths (5:12)
By Steve Budd
Section Summary
Swearing an oath is unnecessary among Christians, whose speech is to be honest, and whose lives are to demonstrate integrity and credibility. For believers, a “yes” or “no” should suffice.
Outline
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
I. The Distinction of the Command (a)
“But” does not indicate a contrast with the previous section and can appropriately be translated as “now” or “and”, indicating the introduction of a new subject. The words “above all” seem to indicate a distinction between the exhortation that follows and the others in the epistle, thus setting it in the primary place. Lenski notes that the subject of a believer’s speech is extremely important to James, as he discusses it in every chapter (cf. 1:26, 2:12, 3:2-11, 4:11). Lenski emphasizes James’ intentions with the following paraphrase:
“Before the readers do anything else, they must cease using oaths”. –Lenski
So as not to exclude himself, and to show compassion, James uses the affectionate term “my brethren”.
II. The Restriction of the Command (b)
When James instructs believers not to swear, he is not talking about profanity. He is talking about swearing oaths, which calls God as a witness to the truth of one’s promises. This command is taken by some Christians to mean they are not to take a formal oath when taking the witness stand in a courtroom. When taking Scripture as a whole, we see that it is indeed appropriate to take an oath in some circumstances (Psalm 110:4, 2 Corinthians 1:21, Galatians 1:20). Courts administer oaths because they know that men are congenital liars, and when we are asked to take an oath by the ruling authorities under which God has placed us (cf. Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14), we have an obligation to do it. Taking an oath in a courtroom is not the same as creating our own oaths to convince someone that our statements are true. Oaths are not to be an occasion for clever lies, which was the case in James’ predominantly Jewish audience. The principle according to Jesus (Matthew 5:33-37) and James is this: Be honest in all your speech so that when you make an affirmation or denial, people will unquestionably know you are telling the truth.
III. The Instruction of the Command ( c )
“Jesus lifted all conversation in His church to the level of sacredness. Believers are to be known as people who keep their word, having such integrity that their simple ‘yes’ and ‘no’ will suffice for people”. –John MacArthur
IV. The Motivation of the Command (d)
James again brings the idea of judgement into view. In the case of believers, he is talking about a judgement of rewards, but in the event that some of his hearers were not true believers (remember his audience was professing Christians), the judgement could be referring to the fate that awaits them because their false, dead faith was not producing works.
“Those whose lives are characterized by a pattern of lying give evidence of having an unregenerate heart. And the Bible teaches that liars, spiritual children of the father of lies (John 8:44), will be sentenced to Hell (Revelation 21:8, 27, 22:15)”. –John MacArthur
Next Lesson: James 5:13-18 Faith Tested by Resort to Prayer
