TITLE: KEEPING ONE�S WORD
COPYRIGHT � JANUARY 14, 1995 All rights reserved.
Copyright � 01/14/'95; 01/12/�96 (Revised)
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By Lee Tyler P.O. Box 620763, SanDiego, CA 92162-0763
(ruth#1 lee#2) =
[email protected] =weekends
[email protected] = Sunday afternoon thru Thurs evening
Please consider the following scriptures and principles about
keeping your word.
People who give their signatures, handshakes, property
and etc. as oaths in promissory notes of indebtedness, or
contracts or other such documented promises or predictions
not only fall into the condemnation of man when they fail to
fulfill their sworn promises or predictions, but they face the
double condemnation of God for swearing
(promising/predicting with an oath), and then for the failure
to truthfully keep their promise (the covenant breaking of
Rom. 1:31,32; Eph. 4:25). The God of Truth does not want His
followers to suffer for doing wrong, or to keep on doing that
which is wrong.
It is obvious that certification of a legal document can
be comprised of oaths, swearings, covenants and contracts.
For example government documents requiring certification
consist of at least an assertion about the future, if not a
promise or prediction about the future. A Calif. Highway
Patrol ticket has the statement, "Without admitting guilt, I
promise to appear at the time and place checked below.
Signature___________". The promise or assertion about the
future is made binding by the maker's signature. In legal
terms, the signature functions as an oath, making the
promise/agreement binding on the maker, so the entire
statement becomes a sworn statement (a solemn promise
made binding by an oath).
Phrases like "I promise that I will . . . .", "I agree that I
will provide . . . .", "I will also cooperate . . . .", "I agree that I
will inform . . . ." are all predictions or promises about one;s
future behavior. When certified or signed with one's
signature, the signature functions as an oath, making them
binding and the maker punishable for failure to fulfill his
predictions/promises.
The signature, or witnessed statement, is that which
(1) attests to the credibility of the predictions and promises,
(2) makes the promises or predictions binding on the
applicant/recipient/maker, and (3) enables the courts to
punish the applicant/recipient/ maker if he fails to fulfill his
words. According to almost all legal and college level
dictionaries, those three characteristics of such a signature
makes that signature an oath that completes and confirms
the swearing (promises or predictions) that precede it.
Almost all legal and college level dictionaries define
swearing as promising or predicting with an oath. The
government's Loyalty Oath is a perfect example, i.e. promises
or predictions made with a witnessed raised right hand
and/or a witnessed signature (i.e. name).
So what is the Biblical case? Consider the following
New testament scriptures:
Matthew 5: 33 � Again, you have heard that it has been said
to the ancients, "You shall not swear falsely, but you shall
perform your oaths to the Lord."
Romans 1: 28 . . . God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do the things not right,
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; [being] full of envy,
murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits, [becoming] whisperers, .
. covenant-breakers, . . . 32 who, knowing the righteous
order of God, that those practicing such things are worthy of
death, not only do them, but have pleasure in those
practicing [them].
Then you have the Old Testament precedents, some
from the annuled Sinai Law (Numbers & Deuteronomy), and
some from the prophets that still apply to us. Consider the
following:
Nu 30:2 If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath
to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He
shall do according to all that comes out of his mouth.
De 23:21 When you shall vow a vow to the LORD your God,
you shall not wait to pay it, for the LORD your God will
surely require it of you, and it would be sin in you.
Psalm 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who
shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart. . . . [He that] sweareth
[promises, contracts] to [his own] hurt [loss, disadvantage],
and changeth not [keeps his word/promise]. . . . He that
doeth these [things] shall never be moved.
Eccles. 5:4 � When you vow [promise] a vow [promise] to
[before] God, do not wait to pay it. For He has no pleasure in
fools. Pay that which you have vowed [promised].
5 [it is] better that you should not vow, than that you should
vow and not pay.
6 Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; do not
say before the angel that it [was] an error. Why should God
be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?
Jon 2:9 but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will fulfill that which I have vowed. Salvation
[belongs] to the LORD!
Some of the oaths people swear by are God (Gen. 24:3),
one's self (Ex. 32:13), God's holiness (Amos 4:2), the raised or
unraised right hand or arm (Isa. 62:8; Rev. 10:5,6), one's
name (Jer. 44:26; Lev. 19:12; Deut. 6:13), something greater
than you (Heb. 6:16), and a curse on one's self if what you
say isn't true or if you fail to do what you swear you will do,
like Peter when he swore and cursed denying Jesus (2 Sam.
3:35; 13:35; 1 Kg 2:23; Matt. 26:74). I see my signature
attesting to/vouching for and guaranteeing (certifying)
promises and predictions as an oath, just like swearing by
my name or swearing by myself. Today the "curse" you
swear on yourself if you are lying or fail to do what you
promised is jail (perjury, fraud) or civil suit. The fourth
century AD Church fathers Jerome, St. Ambrose and Basil all
agreed with this definition of swearing (promises or
predictions confirmed with one's signature, name or
hand).#30
The Holy Bible in Matthew 5:33-37, James 4 and James
5:12, declares that we don't know our future, not even
tomorrow or even the next hour. Therefore it is a
presumptuous assertion to say that we will do this or that in
our future. He tells us to recognize and admit our finite
knowledge and our mortality by saying, "If the Lord wills
and we live, we also shall do this or that." To make
presumptuous assertions about your future is prideful
boasting and contrary to His will. See James 4:13,14,15 and
Prov. 27:1.
This is not an attempt to be dishonest or evasive since
this same God of Truth commands us to be honest, to give
that which is due to others, and to conscientiously submit to
the civil authorities (Romans 13 and 1 Pt. 2). While He
wants us to be honest and give that which is due, he takes
into consideration our human frailty, finite knowledge and
mortal nature and so holds us liable only for our intent, will
and expectations about the future.
From James 4:13-17 & 5:12 we see that there is
nothing that we can give that will honestly and absolutely
attest to the credibility and fulfillment of our promises or
predictions about our own future. We have absolute and
perfect control or authority over not one thing. To give the
recipient of such promises, oaths or predictions about our
future the idea that we can be expected to perfectly and
completely fulfill such statements is to give the recipient a
false expectation of (and false confidence in) our fulfillment
of such swearings/oaths. Such dishonesty is contrary to the
Truth of the word since or life is like a vapor or a blade of
grass and disasters, disabilities, incapacities, death or etc.
could keep us from fulfilling our sworn oaths.
Truth, Who was revealed as Christ, declares that
all I can give to promises or predictions about my future is
simply "If the Lord wills", or a simple "Yes", i.e. an
affirmation of my will, a declaration of my intent, an
expression of my expectation, an evidence of my good and
honest intentions and an expression of my optimistic hope
for the future fulfillment of my intentions or expectations.
No oaths. Such an affirmation attests to and is confirmation
of nothing but that described in this paragraph's first
sentence. It is proof of my sincere desire and intention to
fulfill the declaration/affirmation/intention. The recipient of
such an affirmation knows that he has been given no
profound absolute and mighty guarantee. Such an
affirmation is a reflection of our finite, mortal and frail
human nature.
Laurence Geller, a Calif. Administrative Law
Referee/Judge ruled against San Diego County and Calif. and
for my petition, on 8/5/'75, stating: "It is the claimant's
conviction that before he may affix his signature to any
document, his signing must b e qualified by a religious
preface such as "In case Christ wills and I live." Claimant
testified that his desire to so qualify his signature is in no
way an attempt or subterfuge to not meet his reporting
responsibilities. Claimant simply desires the qualification so
that the placing of his signature would be in conformity with
his religious convictions which appear to require an
affirmation of the finite nature of the claimant's existence. . .
San Diego County shall rescind its July 1, 1975 denial . . .
Further, the county shall permit the claimant to sign his
application and qualify his signature with the religious
statement.
In A Commentary on the Gospels.31 we read "The
citizen of the New Kingdom . . .is also too frank and truthful
to need the use of oaths; his word is his bond." In The Gospel
of Matthew.32 we read the following:
"Matthew 5:33-37 . . . This passage concludes with the
commandment that when a man has to say yes, he should
say yes, and nothing more; and when he has to say no, he
should say no, and nothing more. The ideal is that a man
should never need an oath to buttress or guarantee the truth
of anything he may say. . . Clement of Alexandria insisted
that Christian must lead such a life and demonstrate such a
character that no one will ever dream of asking an oath
from them. . . ."
In A commentary on the Gospel According to Saint
Matthew.33 we read the following:
"Since in all of life man is dealing with God, he is always
obligated to complete integrity in word and act. Therefore
the use of oaths is misleading; swear not at all; simply say
"Yes" or "No" . . . The use of solemn-sounding oaths instead of
simple, truthful speech is a concession to a double standard
and comes from the Evil One, Satan, the "Father of Lies" . . .
and dishonesty (Jn *:44)."
In the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.34 we
read the following:
". . . oaths and vows had to be kept. . . . Attempts have been
made to limit ["swear not at all"] of Jesus, e.g. to promises
rather than affirmations.20* . . . Hence the ["Swear not at
all"] applies to all oaths, whether in daily life or in judicial
cases. . . The Essenes rejected the oath unconditionally. . .
Jesus does not merely attach the misuse of the oath; He
rejects it altogether. . . He who already belongs to the
kingdom . . . must be truthful in all things; hence he stands
under the requirement not to sear at all. . . ["swear" Mt.
5:34] means to swear, to affirm (confirm) by an oath. . ."
In The Gospel According to Matthew.35 we read that "Jesus
would abolish oaths altogether as unnecessary for those who
habitually tell the truth as his disciples are expected to do.
This radical rejection of oaths is paralleled in the Damascus
Document of the Dead Sea Scrolls (XIX, 1).
Arndt & Gingrich Greek Lexicon render the word
"swear" (Mt. 5:34) as "swear, take an oath w. acc. of the
pers. or the thing by which one swears . . . warning against
any and all oaths as early as Choerilus Epicus[V BC]".26 ;
and the word "oath" (Mt. 5:33) as "swear to someone with an
oath . . . perform oaths to the Lord . . . guarantee by means
of an oath . . .".27. Thayer's Greek Lexicon renders "swear"
(Mt. 5:34) as " to swear; to affirm, promise, threaten, with an
oath: . . . .in swearing to call a person or thing as witness, to
invoke, swear by . . ." .28 ; and renders the word "oath" (Mt.
5:33) as "an oath . . . that which has been pledged or
promised with an oath; plur. vows . . .".29 That this is the
definition of swearing and oaths in the Holy Bible is obvious
from the following scriptures: Gen. 21:23, 24 (19th Cent. BC);
Gen. 31:44, 52, 53 (18th Cent, BC); Josh. 2:12, 13, 14, 20; Josh
9:11-20 (14th Cent. BC); Judg. 21:1 (11th Cent. BC); 1 Kg
1:29,30 (10th Cent. BC); Ezek. 17:12-19 (6th Cent. BC); Luke
1:73,74,75 (1st Cent. BC); Matt. 5:34-37 & 14:7,8,9 (1st Cent.
AD); Acts 7:17 (1st Cent AD); Acts 2:29-31 with 2 Sam. 7:11-
16; Heb. 3:10,11 with Num. 14; Heb. 6:13-17 with Gen.
22:16,17; Heb. 7:20,21 with Psa. 110:4; and see also Isa. 62:7;
Jer. 44:6,26; Matt. 23:18; Heb. 3:18.
The passages, like Mt. 26:74, where people think that it
means profanity or cussing or "taking the Lord's Name in
vain", i.e. that Peter was using profanity to deny that he
knew Jesus, instead mean "in swearing to call a person or
thing as witness, to invoke" where Peter called on God to
curse him/his if what he was saying (that he didn't know
Jesus) was untrue. The cursing was invoking God's curses on
him if what he was affirming under oath was untrue, that he
did not know Jesus. Jesus is not talking about cursing,
profanity, cussing or taking the Lord's Name in vain in Matt.
5 or James 5.
The vows, covenants, betrothals and prenuptial contracts
seem to be covered by God's standards in the following:
[Footnote: >87 See appendix #4 . >.88 See appendix #4 .]
MKJV EZEKIEL 16: 3 �And say, So says the Lord Jehovah to
Jerusalem, . . . 8 And I passed by you and looked on you,
and, behold, your time [was] the time of love. And I spread
my skirt over you and covered your nakedness. And I swore
to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord
Jehovah. And you became Mine.�
MKJV MALACHI 2:14 �Yet you say, Why? Because the LORD
has been witness between you and the wife of your youth,
against whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she [is] your
companion and your covenant wife. 15 And did He not make
[you] one? Yet the vestige of the Spirit [is in] him. And what
[of] the one? He was seeking a godly seed. Then guard your
spirit, and do not act treacherously with the wife of your
youth. 16 The LORD, the God of Israel, says He hates sending
away; and to cover [with] violence on his garment, says the
LORD of hosts. Then guard your spirit, and do not act
treacherously.� Here "act treacherously" means " break
covenant" or "fail to honor your covenant/commitment".
MKJV ECCLES. 5:4 �� When you vow a vow to God, do not
wait to pay it. For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which
you have vowed. 5 [it is] better that you should not vow,
than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Do not allow your
mouth to cause your flesh to sin; do not say before the angel
that it [was] an error. Why should God be angry at your voice
and destroy the work of your hands? �
MKJV PSALM 15:1 � �A Psalm of David. LORD, who shall
dwell in Your tabernacle? . . . 2 He who walks uprightly, and
works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; . . .
[he] has sworn to his hurt, and does not change it; 5. . . He
who does these [things] shall not be moved forever.�
MKJV ROMANS 1:28 �And even as they did not think fit to
have God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do the things not right, 29 being filled
with all unrighteousness . . . 31 . . . covenant-breakers. . . 32
who, knowing the righteous order of God, that those
practicing such things are worthy of death, not only do them,
but have pleasure in those practicing [them].�
Ezekiel 16:59 �For thus says the Lord Jehovah: I will even
deal with you as
you have done, WHO HAVE DESPISED THE OATH, AND
BROKEN THE COVENANT. . . . 17: 15 But he rebelled against
him . . . Shall he prosper? shall he escape that does such
things? SHALL HE BREAK THE COVENANT, AND YET ESCAPE? .
. 16 [As] I live, says the Lord Jehovah, verily in the place of
the king that made him king, WHOSE OATH HE DESPISED,
AND WHOSE COVENANT HE BROKE, even with him, in the
midst of Babylon, shall he die. . . .18 HE DESPISED THE OATH,
AND BROKE THE COVENANT; and behold, he had given his
hand, yet has he done all these things: he shall not escape.
19 Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah: [As] I live, verily,
MINE OATH WHICH HE HAS DESPISED, AND MY COVENANT
WHICH HE HAS BROKEN, EVEN IT WILL I RECOMPENSE UPON
HIS HEAD. 20 AND I WILL SPREAD MY NET UPON HIM, AND
HE SHALL BE TAKEN IN MY SNARE; . . �.
It is the treachery of breaking covenants that God
condemns in these passages and that which he hates. "Yes, I
swore an oath to you and entered into covenant with you,
and you became Mine," says the Lord God>70 . We become a
part of the bride of Christ in the same way. The Spirit
considered Mary and Joseph as husband and wife on the
basis of their espousal/ betrothal/ covenants even before the
wedding and the coming together>71.
[Footnote: >70 (Ezek. 16:8). >71 (Mat. 1:18-25 ;Deut.
22:23-27)]
Don't be a fool, be an acceptable child of God and keep your
promises, covenants, swearings and oaths that are not in
violation of the Word of God.
#30The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers of the Christian
Church, 1954, Erdman's Publish Co.' pp. 63, 386, 248.
31 By Ronald Knox, 1952, N.Y. Shed and Ward, Imprimatur,
Richard J. Cushing, Archbishop of Boston
32 Vol. 1, Barclay, Professor of Divinity at the Univ. of
Glasgow, Westminister Press, 1958; p. 158
33 Filson, Dean and Professor of N.T. lit.and Hist.; McCormick
Theological Seminary, Chicago, Harper and Bros. Prss, 1960;
p. 89
34 edited by G. Friedrich G. Kittel, Eerdmans Publishers,
1967, Vol. 5; pp. 176ff and page 183
20* See the reference
35 Argyle, Cambridge, 1963; p.52
26 Arndt & Gingrich Greek English Lexicon; p. 568ff
27 Arndt & Giungrich; p. 585
28 Thayer Greek Lexicon; p. 444
29 Thayer; p.453
