James 5:12 KJV
[12] “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”
Our word should be our bond. As Christians, we should be people of integrity. When we give a direct answer to someone, they should be able to take it to the bank. People should be able to trust what we say because we prove ourselves trustworthy. When we answer, there will be no need for earthly oaths and swearing. I’m sure we all remember those childhood oaths we made, such as the promise of “pinky swear”, “cross my heart and hope to die”, or the ultimate “I swear on my mother’s grave”. James forbids us from making statements such as these. Our word should be enough when given.
Another reason that he says we should not make these oaths is that we are going to face God in judgment one day. We do not want to fall in condemnation before Him for making such promises. Our conversation needs to be as direct as the Scriptures we read. At least six times in the book of James, he addresses our tongue. The final principle is that if people cannot trust our word, they cannot trust anything about us. It’s a reminder that our conversation is in connection with our conduct.
The positive side is that practicing character in our lives and language gives us a powerful testimony. We gain the ears of those who are listening. Think of some precious saint that you admire. Anytime they speak, you are all ears because of the amount of respect you have for them. If they told you something, you would have confidence in them because you know their life. Their “yes and no” carry weight because they have been faithful. They do not need a prop to back up their answer.