LET YOUR “YES” BE YES AND YOUR “NO” BE NO
“But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.” James 5:12 NLT
Throughout the book of James, we see him drawing on key elements Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount. In this verse, James specifically restates what Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:33-37, when He taught about taking oaths.
Here, James continues to correct Christians’ behavior, exhorting believers to be doers of the word of God, and not just hearers only. Thus, let’s be doers of what Jesus Christ declared in the Sermon on the Mount, not just listeners who nod and agree but fail to live it out.
Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount called out people who sought to draw on a higher power to reinforce their offhand oath regarding what they promised to do– they would say something to the effect of -- “By heaven, I will” Or “By the earth” or “By Jerusalem.”
The problem is, the Jews were often trying to deceive people with a false promise.
Deception is not new. Throughout history, we have seen people perfect deceit to manipulate or fool their victim. A controlling method to obtain their will, their way. It’s telling of a prideful heart. However, those who deceive and lie, follow in the footsteps of Satan who is the Father of lies, not in the footsteps of Jesus Christ who is righteous and holy.
And the question becomes – who is your God?
If your God is Jesus Christ, you will love the truth. If your god is Satan, you will justify lying.
At this time, the deceivers would enact an oath because oaths meant people were serious about their promise and many would trust them and take them at their word. The deceivers, however, subtly refused to swear by God, thinking they could fool God, as they knew swearing by God would bring about divine judgment due to their deception. Thus, Jesus corrected this mindset, reminding them all that – each element they swore by belonged to God – Heaven is God’s throne, the earth is His footstool, and Jerusalem is His city – thus, He took it personally, He knew what they were doing and they remained guilty.
I love how Jesus, who is Truth, rebukes deceivers. The constant reminder throughout Scripture – You will not get away with this lie. Care about your own name, and reputation. Care about your word being honorable and simply say “Yes,” or “No.”
Back your worth with honor.
You are valuable to God. Your faithfulness and integrity are hard to argue with – and that’s what God desires for you.
We all know Satan is the constant accuser of the brethren, yet when we obey Jesus, living out the truth – Satan’s accusations always fall short.
Oaths draw on a higher power to reinforce the promise. And yet, Jesus here states our “Yes” or “No” holds the power needed. God has given us the freewill to make our own decisions.
Truly, our decisions shape our reality.
If, we, Christians lie or manipulate people to deceive them – sooner rather than later, we will become known as liars and will not be trusted. We ruin the witness of Jesus Christ and lose power in the world.
Many might justify their deception and think people need to just forgive them. That attitude does not understand living a life right before God and actually mocks the cross and the blood of Christ that forgives sin.
Many today, unfortunately deal everyday with compulsive liars. Compulsive liars cause a lot of frustration and cannot be trusted. The reasoning for their lies vary and they frequently lie with no guilt or any sense of conviction. Their lies are often self-serving revealing a psychological issue while also a heart issue. It’s best to not enable the sin. Do not cater to their lies, correct the lie when you have opportunity. Create healthy boundaries and pray for their heart and mind to grow sensitive to the Lord’s correction of the sin of lying.
Jesus died for our sins, so that we can live free from eternal death. Liars need to ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness and they need to ask the person they lied to for forgiveness. It becomes more of a trust issue. People will see the manipulator as controlling and always trying to work them, never respecting them. This repeated behavior causes hypervigilance where there’s a constant sense of having to be on guard with this person lest they try to fool you again. It is not a pleasant experience, it is very toxic, and calls for boundaries so that you can preserve your sense of self – lest they try and take over your life.
Lying is leaven and when not corrected it seeps through a group of Christian believers and that makes God angry. We are to be holy as God is holy. God will always hate lying. It is very psychologically abusive and creates victims wondering what the truth is.
If we say “yes,” but then go back on our word and repeat that behavior – many will stop taking our “yes” seriously and won’t trust our word.
Nevertheless, sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation where we do not want to offend people or we are put on the spot – in this case, we need to work at getting over offending people. No one can bend over backwards for everyone. We grow together psychologically and spiritually when we receive each others’ “yes” or “no” without getting offended.
Today, will you simply say “yes” or “no”?
Prayer: Abba, thank You for giving us a freewill to say yes or no in the various circumstances we face each day. Please fill us with the Holy Spirit so that our decisions are glorifying to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.