#784 1689 Confession Lawful Oaths and Vows

23:1 A lawful oath is an element of religious worship in which a person swearing in truth, righteousness, and judgment solemnly calls God to witness what is sworn and to judge the one swearing according to the truth or falsity of it.

…6 but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.… Exodus 20: 6-8

…19 So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. 21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.… Deuteronomy 10: 19-21

1“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver, 2 and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.” 3 For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.… Jeremiah 4: 1-3

…22 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23 may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness. 24 When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading before You in this house,… 2 Chronicles 6: 22-24

23:2 People should swear by the name of God alone and only with the utmost fear and reverence. Therefore to swear an empty or ill-advised oath by that glorious and awe-inspiring name, or to swear at all by anything else, is sinful and to be abhorred. Yet in weighty and significant matters, an oath is authorized by the Word of God to confirm truth and end all conflict. So a lawful oath should be taken when it is required by legitimate authority in such circumstances. 

33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.…

…36 Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one. 38 You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’… Matthew 5: 33-37

…11 See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your“No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment. 13 Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.… James 5: 11-13

…15 And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise. 16 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument. 17 So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.… Hebrews 6: 15-17

…22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come. 23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.… 2 Corinthians 1: 22-24

…24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said: “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! 26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, yet foreign women drew him into sin.… Nehemiah 13: 24-26

23:3 Whoever takes an oath authorized by the Word of God should consider with due gravity the seriousness of such a weighty act and to affirm nothing in it except what one knows to be true. For the Lord is provoked by ill-advised, false, and empty oaths, and because of them this land mourns. 

…11 You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another. 12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 13 You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.… Leviticus 19: 11-13

9 As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD, because of His holy words. 10 For the land is full of adulterers— because of the curse the land mourns, and the pastures of the wilderness have dried up— their course is evil and their power is misused. 11“For both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD.… Jeremiah 23: 9-11

23:4 An oath is to be expressed in the plain and ordinary meaning of the words, without any ambiguity or mental reservation. 

…3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to falsehood, who does not swear deceitfully.5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.… Psalm 24: 3-5

23:5 A vow must not be made to any creature but to God alone. Vows should be made and performed with the most conscientious care and faithfulness. However, Roman Catholic monastical vows or perpetual single life, professed poverty, and obedience to monastic rules, are by no means steps to higher perfection. Instead, they are superstitious and sinful snares in which Christians may not entangle themselves. 

…10 Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself. 11 Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him who is to be feared. 12 He breaks the spirits of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.… Psalm 76: 10-12

…20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. 22 And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”… Genesis 28: 20-22

1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.… 1 Corinthians 7: 1-3

…8 Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.… 1 Corinthians 7: 8-10

…27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need. 29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.… Ephesians 4: 27-29

…10 His disciples said to Him, “If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11“Not everyone can accept this word,” Jesus answered, “but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”… Matthew 19: 10-12

…2 influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,… 1 Timothy 4: 2-4