promises – La Vista Church of Christ

Swearing Not at All — Understanding Jesus’ Prohibition in Light of the Whole Counsel of God

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:05:26 +0000

by Becky René

Few biblical subjects appear, at first glance, as straightforward as the prohibition against swearing found in the words of Jesus and James. “Swear not at all” seems plain, uncompromising, and universal. For this reason, some conclude that any oath-taking in any circumstance—including legal oaths required by civil authorities—is forbidden to the Christian. This position, though sincerely held, overlooks the broader context of Scripture, the meaning of swearing in the first-century Jewish setting, and the inspired examples that unquestionably demonstrate that not all oaths are sinful. When Scripture is read with Scripture, and all relevant material is allowed to speak with equal authority, a far richer—and far more consistent—picture emerges.

This article aims to examine the prohibition in depth, with clarity and fairness. It will give full weight to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 and the instruction of James in James 5, without weakening their force. At the same time, it will consider the inspired examples of God, Christ, and the apostles, along with the Old Testament foundation upon which the New Testament writers build. The goal is not to soften the command but to understand it—accurately, reverently, and in a way that harmonises with the whole counsel of God.

The Apparent Simplicity of “Swear Not at All”

Jesus’ statement in Matthew five sounds absolute: “But I say unto you, Swear not at all.” Many have therefore argued that the words leave no room for any type of oath under any circumstance. The statement indeed carries dramatic force, and Jesus intended it to do so. However, the Sermon on the Mount frequently employs expressions that, if isolated from their context and from the rest of Scripture, would demand absolute application where Jesus clearly did not intend absolute literalism. “Resist not evil” (Matthew 5:39) would forbid any form of self-defence or lawful resistance to wrongdoing, yet Jesus Himself resisted the unlawful blow of the officer (John 18:22–23), and Paul appealed to lawful protections under Roman law (Acts 22:25; Acts 25:11). “Give to him that asketh thee” (Matthew 5:42) would require indiscriminate giving even when such giving would promote wrongdoing, contradicting the principle of stewardship taught throughout Scripture.

In each of these cases, Jesus speaks in deliberately forceful terms to expose a wrong attitude or practice and to direct His disciples to a higher righteousness. He does not abolish common sense, lawful justice, or moral responsibility. Understanding this pattern prepares us to examine “Swear not at all” in its proper interpretive setting.

The Jewish Background of Oath-Taking

In Jesus’ day, the Jews had developed an intricate system of oath-making that allowed them to use certain oaths as binding and others as non-binding, depending on how God’s name was invoked—or carefully avoided. The Mishnah preserves examples of this legalistic system: swearing by the temple might not be binding, but swearing by the temple's gold would be; swearing by the altar might be a lesser oath, but swearing by the sacrifice upon it carried greater weight. It was a maze of technical distinctions designed less to promote honesty and more to create loopholes. Jesus directly exposes this in Matthew chapter twenty-three, rebuking the scribes and Pharisees for their artificial distinctions in swearing by the temple, the altar, and heaven itself.

When Jesus says in Matthew 5, “swear not at all,” He is addressing this corrupt system in which oaths were commonly used to manipulate truth rather than to confirm it. His command is not a rejection of all oath-taking but a rejection of the dishonest, loophole-driven abuse of oaths that characterised Jewish casuistry. His solution is breathtakingly simple: Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. Do not rely on layers of oath-formulae to give weight to your words. A disciple of Christ is to be a person of integrity whose everyday speech is as trustworthy as a formal oath.

James’ Reinforcement of Jesus’ Teaching

James echoes the Lord’s instruction almost verbatim: “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath.” James writes to Jewish Christians scattered abroad, who were well acquainted with the oath-making habits of their culture. Like Jesus, James condemns the type of swearing that multiplies verbal pledges to create an illusion of honesty. His exhortation is moral and practical: “lest ye fall into condemnation.” Dishonest speech—speech protected or enhanced by artificial oath-formulae—places a soul in danger.

James does not address civil oaths, judicial oaths, or solemn truth-binding vows made for the sake of confirmation. His instruction concerns the daily speech of Christians, who are to be so consistently upright that no oath is needed to verify their sincerity. He does not forbid what Scripture elsewhere approves.

The Impossible Consequences of a Total Ban on Oaths

If Jesus’ words were to be taken as an absolute prohibition of any and all oath-taking, then several unavoidable contradictions arise within Scripture itself.

God, speaking to Abraham, “sware by himself” (Hebrews 6:13). The inspired writer affirms that “an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife” (Hebrews 6:16) and uses this principle to show the reliability of God’s promise. If all oaths are sinful, then God would be acting sinfully in swearing an oath—a conclusion utterly impossible.

Christ, standing before the high priest, was placed under oath. The high priest said to Him, “I adjure thee by the living God” (Matthew 26:63). This language is the legal formula for compelling testimony under oath. If giving an oath were sinful, Jesus could not have complied without contradicting His own teaching. Yet Jesus answered plainly, and His answer formed the grounds of the high priest’s later accusation. He did not object to the oath; He objected to their unbelief.

Paul repeatedly uses oath-formulas in his epistles. “God is my witness” (Romans 1:9). “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not” (Romans 9:1). “God is witness” (I Thessalonians 2:5). These are not casual phrases. They are solemn affirmations invoking divine witness to the truthfulness of Paul’s statements. If all oaths are sinful, then the apostle acted contrary to the very instruction he elsewhere delivered by the Holy Spirit.

A total ban on all oath-taking cannot stand without creating internal contradictions in Scripture and moral inconsistencies in the character of God, Christ, and the apostles. The interpretation that creates impossibilities must be rejected.

The Old Testament Foundation for Lawful Oaths

Far from forbidding oaths, the Old Testament commands them when taken properly. “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name” (Deuteronomy 6:13). Swearing by God’s name was an act of acknowledging His sovereignty and truth. Jeremiah writes, “Thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness” (Jeremiah 4:2). These passages reveal that a righteous oath, taken solemnly, truthfully, and in the fear of God, was part of Israel’s covenant life.

Jesus did not come to contradict the Law but to fulfil it and to correct its abuses. His teaching in Matthew five does not abolish lawful oath-taking; it abolishes manipulative oath-taking. He strips away the Pharisaic additions and returns to the heart of truthfulness.

What Jesus Forbids and What Jesus Allows

Jesus forbids the type of swearing that attempts to use sacred or semi-sacred objects to give weight to dishonest or unreliable speech. He forbids swearing “by heaven,” “by the earth,” “by Jerusalem,” or “by thy head,” not because swearing itself is inherently sinful, but because His disciples must not engage in a speech-culture that treats truth as something negotiable. He forbids the common Jewish practice of invoking oaths in trivial or everyday communication to appear trustworthy.

What Jesus allows—and Scripture affirms—is the solemn oath that confirms truth in matters of weight, especially when required by civil authority or used to bear witness to truth. He does not forbid what God Himself practices, what Christ Himself submitted to, or what the apostles themselves employed by inspiration.

The Principle of Letting Scripture Interpret Scripture

Those who insist on an absolute prohibition often appeal to the principle of interpreting difficult passages by clear ones. The principle is sound—but it must be applied correctly. Matthew five and James five cannot be taken as “clear passages” that define all other texts, because these passages, when read in isolation, create contradictions with the actions of God, Christ, and the apostles.

Instead, the clear passages are those that show what God approves and what He does not. God’s own oath in Hebrews six is a clear passage. Christ’s response under oath is a clear passage. Paul’s inspired oath-formulas are clear passages. These passages must govern our understanding of Matthew five and James five, not the other way around.

When Jesus says “swear not at all,” He is addressing a specific abuse, not abolishing an entire biblical practice. If He meant to ban all oaths, He would be contradicting God’s own example and the later conduct of His apostles. Scripture does not contradict Scripture.

The Moral Heart of Jesus’ Teaching

The heart of Jesus’ instruction is integrity. “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay.” A Christian should be so trustworthy, so transparent, and so consistent that no oath is required to guarantee his honesty. The disciple’s normal speech should carry the full weight of truth. Oaths become unnecessary, not because they are sinful, but because Christian character should render them redundant.

Yet in a fallen world, civil courts, legal agreements, and solemn declarations still require oaths as a means of confirmation. These are not the manipulative, frivolous oaths Jesus condemned. They are orderly, lawful means of establishing truth, and Scripture provides no ground on which to forbid them.

Conclusion

The command “swear not at all” stands as a powerful call to integrity, honesty, and truthfulness. It condemns the deceitful, manipulative oath-taking of first-century Judaism and replaces it with a righteousness grounded in plain, reliable speech. However, Scripture does not support the view that Jesus intended to prohibit all forms of solemn oath-taking. God swears. Christ answered under oath. Paul used inspired oath-formulas. The Law commanded swearing in God’s name when done in righteousness.

To deny all oath-taking is to create contradictions within Scripture and to misunderstand the force and purpose of Jesus’ words. To understand Jesus is to see that He calls His disciples to a truthfulness so consistent that oaths are unnecessary in ordinary speech—but not forbidden in solemn and lawful circumstances.

Does God pursue those who don’t keep their vows?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 20:45:19 +0000

Question:

Hello, dear pastor,

I have a question for you. Today, while I was reading the Bible, I read Deuteronomy 23:21: "You must not delay in repaying your vows to the Lord your God, for the Lord your God will seek you back, and you are guilty if you do not pay them."

As I read this verse, I thought, "These are the regulations of the Old Testament." If we put it in the New Testament now, will God still pursue it like the Old Testament? (I don't mean to avoid these responsibilities, but to make sure that some of the provisions of the Old Testament are still in place today.)

Answer:

"When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised" (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

God is the giver of the covenants. It is not our duty to put laws from one covenant into another. See "Why We Don't Follow the Old Testament." It isn't that the Old Testament is useless. We have the Old Testament in our Bible so that we can learn from it (Romans 4:23-24; I Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:11). It illustrates the teachings in the New Testament and reinforces the message of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). We have examples of patience. We find hope that, through trials, promises are kept, and rewards are given. It is also true in the New Testament (II Corinthians 1:3-11). The prophecy about Christ wasn’t just for him alone; we learn from His example as well (I Thessalonians 1:3). In other words, we don't follow something from the Old Law directly. If we find something in the New Law, we can look back at the Old Law to illustrate the command.

In the New Law, we are taught to avoid oaths or vows. "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37).

Whether a person is giving an oath, swearing to tell the truth, making a promise, or taking a vow, all involve making a commitment bound by something else. Through the ages, people have used various things to bind their words, such as their possessions, their reputation, their religion, or their life. Anything that another person would accept can be offered to bind a person’s commitment.

We use oaths frequently in modern life and often don’t think about it. When purchasing a car with money loaned to us by the bank, we sign a statement promising to repay the loan and offering the car as collateral. The bank doesn’t just take our word that we will pay what we owe. Our word is bound by a physical possession that the bank can take possession of if we do not keep our promise. Legal documents, such as our tax forms, contain statements above the signature line stating that we promise what we have submitted is accurate to the best of our knowledge and that the government may impose penalties on us if we provide false or misleading information.

In Matthew 5:34-36, Jesus lists things not to swear by: heaven, God’s throne, the earth, Jerusalem, or the hair on your head. Each example would be an oath that Jews would have considered non-binding. According to the Mishna, a Jewish commentary on the Law, “Oaths may only be taken about what can be defined according to size, weight, or number.” In other words, a promise is not considered binding unless it was bound by something tangible that could be, at least in theory, redeemed if a person broke his oath. “If a claim concerns these, no oath is imposed: bondsmen, written documents, immovable property, and the property of the Temple.” In other words, the claimant against a broken oath must have at least a remote chance of collecting on the broken promise if the promise is to be considered valid. Further, the Mishna states that oaths sworn with the phrase “I adjure you,” “I command you,” or “I bind you” were binding, whereas a vow sworn with phrases such as “by heaven and earth” was not binding. Thus, it mattered to a Jew how an oath was worded as to whether it was binding or not. Thus, Jesus is forbidding the making of non-binding oaths, or hypocritical oaths if you will.

When Jesus said, “swear not at all,” he was not forbidding all oaths. The Bible contains several examples of proper oaths. God swore an oath to Abraham based on Himself (Hebrews 6:13-17). God didn’t do this because His word wasn’t trustworthy, but He placed His reputation on the line to prove to the world His faithfulness. Jesus was under oath during his trial (Matthew 26:62-64). Paul took a vow while in Antioch (Acts 18:18). These oaths were acceptable because those who took them intended to keep their promises. Making an oath with no intention of carrying it out would be lying.

Instead, Jesus states that Christians need not take oaths. The reason people feel the need for an oath is because of Satan’s activity in the world. Satan is the father of lies and liars (John 8:44). It is because worldly people lie that those in the world insist on having something more than a simple “yes” or “no.”

We see this in the Old Law: "If you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you" (Deuteronomy 21:22). Does God expect Christians to keep their word? Absolutely! Lying is forbidden, and the Lord will hold us responsible for our words (Revelation 21:8; Matthew 12:36). Putting a lie in the form of an oath doesn't make the situation better. Therefore, say what you mean and mean what you say.

Can I break a deal I made with God?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 17:39:31 +0000

Question:

Hello,

Last year, I promised God some things in exchange for Him healing or freeing me from OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). I promised to stop watching a series that I watched a lot, horror movies, and anime. Well, now I am in psychiatric treatment and I still have OCD, but the thing is that in my hope of being free from this disorder, I made that promise to God, but then I broke it, which led me to a worse anxiety crisis.

The thing is that I am now watching soap operas that are worse than the series that I had been watching.

The problem is that I regret having made that promise without thinking it through, without considering whether I could fulfill it. The question is that I want to retract that promise, but not to be able to sin freely, but to choose better what I can watch and what I cannot.

I am on God's path, and I have improved significantly on this path. I plan to continue in this direction because it is the only path to life, and I need it.
But sometimes I want to watch a romantic movie without intimate scenes or series or cartoons. I know I'm just making excuses. My mind keeps making me feel guilty about it.

That's why my question is, can I retract this vow or promise that I can't keep because it's really hard for me, and even makes me cry with sadness for having promised something that was my hobby?

What can I do? I need some advice before making a decision. Please answer me.

Answer:

Let me be clear, God doesn't need your promises. Promises don't make you more truthful or more likely to keep your word. Instead, promises not kept are nothing more than lies. "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil" (Matthew 5:34-37).

If you are compulsively watching shows that contain inappropriate content, then that is wrong in and of itself. "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals" (I Corinthians 15:33). Promising not to do something wrong is foolish since God already requires you to stay away from evil.

If you made a foolish vow, then apologize to God for making promises when you were told not to do so.

It is proper to ask God for help dealing with your OCD or to ask for it to be cured if possible. You don't have to add anything extra to gain God's notice or to "force" Him to respond. You tell Him what you need, and He will respond as He sees best. "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" (I John 5:14-15).

Why did God take so long to bring Israel into the promised land?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 20:47:31 +0000

Question:

Dear Jeffrey,

I have a question and would like to seek your wisdom. This pertains to God’s purpose in the various journeys involving the children of Israel. What does the scriptures say or infer about God’s purpose?

God asked Abraham to pack up and move to the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1).
It is a long journey, but eventually Abraham arrived at Canaan (Genesis 12:6-7).
Then famine struck, and Jacob had to move to Egypt, and there he found Joseph (Acts 7:11-14).
The children of Israel groaned to God about their suffering in Egypt (Exodus 2:23-24).
God instructed Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt and return to Canaan (Exodus 3:10).

This turnaround from Egypt back to Canaan took about 400 or 430 years (Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40).

My question surrounds what God’s purpose was for allowing all these. Abraham arrived in Canaan, and then Israel had to migrate to Egypt, only to later return to Canaan. What does the scriptures say or infer about this? What application does this same turnaround event have for Christians today, other than to be patient and wait for the return of Jesus?

Answer:

When Abram was to travel to Canaan, he had a relatively small group. Even by the time of his grandson, Jacob, there were only 70 descendants. They were far too few to hold the land of Canaan. Time was needed for the family to grow, but to get the best growth, they needed someplace safe. Attacks and wars would reduce their numbers, so God sent them into Egypt. "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today" (Deuteronomy 4:20). God told Israel that the hardship and suffering they endured in Egypt caused them to become a better people. True, Egypt was a place of hard bondage, but those hardships made them strong (Deuteronomy 26:6).

Egyptians did not accept foreigners (Genesis 43:32), and they considered shepherds, such as Abraham's descendants, to be the lowest class of people (Genesis 46:34). Add to this that the Egyptians saw the Israelites as nothing more than slaves and the result was that there was little mingling between the Egyptians and the Israelites. Although the Israelites lived in Egypt, the cross-cultural contamination was limited.

At this time, Egypt was the most powerful nation on earth. It didn't even have walled cities because no one would dare attack Egypt. However, Egypt's strength became Israel's protection. God nurtured Israel by encircling them with their enemies (Deuteronomy 32:9-12). The enemies of God’s people became the buffer that protected God’s people!

The hardship Israel faced in Egypt was a shadow of what was to happen to the church (Zechariah 13:7-9). We are kept by God’s power (I Peter 1:3-5), but our faith is allowed to be tested (I Peter 1:6-7). The result is that we become stronger people, leading to our salvation (I Peter 1:9).

Like the Israelites, we live in a world that doesn't accept us (I Peter 4:1-5). We have been chosen out of the world (John 15:19), but we live in the midst of our enemies (Philippians 2:14-16; Psalms 110:2). The Lord's people, his kingdom, dwell as strangers (I Peter 2:11-12).

God wants the maximum "harvest" of righteous souls (II Peter 3:9), but it takes time for growth. Thus, the world continues until the Father decides no more can be saved. God knows what He is doing. We have to be patient to see the end.

Regrets of Unfulfilled Promises

Jeffrey Hamilton — Tue, 27 May 2025 17:12:17 +0000

by Zeke Flores

Everyone has regrets about unfulfilled promises. I know I do. I made a promise many years ago that remains unkept to this day. It's not that I was purposely trying to deceive those to whom I made the promise. It's not that I didn't have the time or the resources to fulfill it.
It just kept slipping my mind, and the more it slipped my mind, the more the years slipped by. And though I've been forgiven for not keeping the promise, it still remains in the back of my mind, and it hurts to think about it.

See, that's the thing about being human. A person may have good intentions and give assurances regarding them, but they may still never materialize. And that's the great difference between a human promise maker and the Divine Promise Keeper. God's promises do not slip His mind, nor do other things get in the way of His carrying out His promises. His fulfillment of them may not be in our preferred time frame, or even in a way we might expect, but He will keep them, for He is a God who cannot lie. And because He loves you, He wants you to keep your promises, to do what you know is right.

Remember, you’ll not only be judged by your actions, but also by your inaction.

"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

Did I vow not to make promises?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 02:19:31 +0000

Question:

I’m worried that I vowed to God not to make promises. Now I was talking to God, and then in the heat of the moment, I said, “I do not want to make vows,” only I didn’t say that fully, and I’m pretty sure I cut myself off halfway and said, "No vow." I had the thought of simply not making vows. (And I'm not sure if I cut myself off the moment I had that thought or not) But now I’m worried that I can’t make vows. This is because I want to get married, and I’m pretty sure marriage requires vows to make it official. But what truly worries me is my state of mind while saying it. I was at peace, and I'm pretty sure I was happy while saying it, which makes me feel scared. This is because verses like II Corinthians 9:7 say that each person must give what they purpose in their heart, not begrudgingly or under compulsion, because the Lord loves a cheerful giver, and I’m scared that I'm that cheerful giver. I did not intend to give up my ability to marry. I do not know what to do. Please help me.

Answer:

You're suffering from scrupulosity, a form of OCD that revolves around religious topics. Notice that you are worried about what you might have done. You treat religion as if it is a set of rituals. See: I have OCD-Religion and obsess over bad thoughts. Is there anything you can do to help me?

You have decided that your thoughts override what God has said. Jesus said, "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil" (Matthew 5:37). A person doesn't need vows or promises to make their statements true or sincere. God doesn't want you to lie, yet many people hide their intentions to lie behind vows. That angers God because His name is being used to deceive others.

It doesn't matter what you vow; it doesn't change what God said. Thus, if you had vowed not to make promises, you contradict what God said since, as you noted, vows are required for marriage and other aspects of life (such as in courts). "Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these" (Leviticus 5:4).

Vowing to do good is useless. God already commands good. Your vows cannot make good better. Vowing to do evil putting yourself against God, which is sinful.

If you think you made a thoughtless vow, apologize to God and move on with your life.

Am I bound by a childhood promise?

Jeffrey Hamilton — Mon, 06 May 2024 18:49:41 +0000

Question:

Hi, Mr. Hamilton.

When Jesus says, "Let your yes be yes and your no be no" in Matthew 5:37, he means that Christians ought to be people who keep their word, whether they formally call it a vow or swear an oath. If Jill tells Jack, "Yes, I will marry you," she has made a vow to marry him, and God wants her to keep this vow. The interim between a proposal and a wedding isn't a "Let's think really hard about whether or not we want to do this," but simply a practical delay between promise and fulfillment so that particulars about the wedding event can be arranged. All that to say, I take agreement to a proposal very seriously.

When I was around eight years old, I told a male friend of the same age that I would be his wife. We kept up this "romantic" relationship for probably a few years (with our parents' bemused blessing), until eventually the boy broke off our relationship because he'd moved, and a "long-distance relationship" was hard.

I'm in my thirties now and have never been married because I struggle with this question and others that make it difficult to feel like God approves of me pursuing a relationship. Several years ago (at least six), I thought about this instance between me and this boy and wondered, "Am I still bound by my word to be his wife?" He's married now, with four children, so did he commit adultery against me by marrying? Am I bound to hang around to wait for him in case his wife passes and he becomes single again? We haven't spoken in twenty-five years.

I've asked several friends about this, and most laugh and are incredulous that this is even a question in my mind. And yet here I am.

My friends reply: "Children aren't old enough to consent to a life-changing decision like marriage." And yet some people become baptized Christians when they are ten years old--we believe they are old enough to make this life-changing decision.

My friends ask, "If 'Jane' [a seven-year-old mutual acquaintance] promised to give me a million dollars when she grew up, would God expect her to give me a million dollars, even if she did happen to make a million or more?" And I can see the answer is "no," because she is just a child and doesn't know what a million dollars means, so why do I still feel guilty about breaking a childhood promise? Why can't I just see how cut-and-dry this is like everyone else does? Am I bound to a conscience that has a hard time feeling reassurance? Why can't I just be normal? I'm frustrated and lonely, and my childbearing years are almost gone.

Thank you for listening.

Answer:

Why do you consider breaking your word different from any other sin? All of us sin, and God has given us a way to be forgiven of sin through baptism (Acts 2:38). Christians who sin can gain forgiveness by confessing their sins (I John 1:9).

A Christian is expected to keep his word. To not do so would be lying. Jesus' point in Matthew 5:33-37 is that adding vows or promises does not make your word any more real or important.

You told a boy when you were young that you would marry him. However, that promise was not kept. He married someone else; thus, that promise is broken. It can't be kept. And as your friends pointed out, you don't expect a child to be held to the same standard as an adult. Yes, some choose to follow Christ at a young age, but the adults around the child typically are careful to make sure the child understands what he is committing to.

His promise to you and your promise to him only expressed your intentions. It did not create a marriage. See Are promises the same as marriage covenants?

Therefore, there is no reason you cannot get married. When you became a Christian, the sins you committed in the past, including not keeping your word, were forgiven.

Israel and the Promised Land

Jeffrey Hamilton — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 13:07:58 +0000

by Roger L. Leonard

Because the Jews in the time of Jesus rejected the Old Testament prophets who foretold of Him and subsequently rejected Him as the Messiah, He said to them:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37-39).

Israel ended as a nation of God's people when the Lord Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Note Luke's record regarding the apostles before the Sanhedrin Jews:

"When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:27-32).

Paul wrote: "For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:15-16).

God has nothing in the Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews today. Today, the church of Jesus Christ, which began on Pentecost in AD 33, is "the Israel of God".

Notice also Galatians 3:26-29: "For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise."

The ultimate promise the Lord made to Abraham was spiritual.

God did promise the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. (See Joshua 1:1-9.) That encompassed the whole of the land of promise. Joshua later said that every word God had spoken to the children of Israel had been “fulfilled” (Joshua 24:14-16). Note also I Kings 4:21: “Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”

But the Lord also warned them earlier that if they rebelled against Him and forgot Him, they would lose the land. Note Deuteronomy 30:15-20: “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

The Messianic prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 66:7-8, wrote about the blessings in the New Zion, which is the Church/Christian age. The fulfillment of this is spiritual, not physical, and culminated in Jesus Christ and His spiritual Kingdom. Things become complicated when we view Palestine and the land, the nation of Israel, and the kingdom as physical, and something to come in the distant future. Israel had the land but lost it due to their rebellion. However, it never was intended to be permanent. Just as the nation, physically speaking, was never intended to be permanent physically speaking. God’s seed promise to Abraham and his descendants was ultimately and completely fulfilled in Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:16: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ.” This “boy” or son” of Isaiah 66:8 is the Christ.

In Hebrews 11:13-16, we read: "All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them."

Note Hebrews 12:22-24: "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel."

There is not even a hint in the New Covenant of Christ that God will restore the nation of Israel physically or restore the Jews to the land of Canaan and Jerusalem.

The Witness

Jeffrey Hamilton — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:26:12 +0000

by Jefferson David Tant

We are all familiar with the role witnesses fill in our lives. If we have a document that needs some verification, we go to a Notary Public and sign it, and then the notary places a seal on it as proof that the notary has been a witness to my signature.

With respect to court trials, “guilty” or “innocent” is often determined by witnesses' statements. They testify as to the truth or falsity of the evidence that is presented, and the witness testifies under a pledge that he will speak “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

There is an interesting passage in the 89th Psalm concerning a witness. “My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah (Psalms 89:34-37).

God is claiming that His covenant will endure forever, for what He has promised will come to pass, and He calls as witnesses to the promise He has made — the sun and the moon. We consider the sun to be counted upon to rise in the east every morning. That was established at the beginning of Creation, and it has done its job diligently for untold thousands of years.

"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:14-18).

The sun is proof that it was created. No one can dispute it. Those who claim that the universe just created itself must admit that this is but a myth, with no factual evidence to back it up.

Now consider the Psalmist’s words about the moon. God’s covenant “shall be established forever like the moon. And the witness in the sky is faithful.” The moon itself has no light. Its light is a “witness in the sky” that the sun exists. We might imagine someone who only comes out at night and has never seen the sun, but by seeing the moon in an eclipse, this person can perceive and know that the sun exists. And these are witnesses that the Creator, God, also exists.

Now, concerning Jesus Christ, what is the evidence that he exists, and that he is who he claims to be? Some claim that God is a myth, and Jesus is a fairytale. They are called “atheists.” A “theist” is one who believes in God, and when you put the “a” before the word, it negates the word. In the same way, we have “healthy” and “unhealthy,” or “lawful” and “unlawful.”

There are many religions in the world, and all have a founder or originator -- Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, etc. The question is, “Where is the evidence that proves the founder of any of these myriads of religions is divine?” What proof is there that Buddha, Zoroaster, Muhammad, Vishnu, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russel, Ellen G. White, or whoever else is the founder of a religion is a divine being or had evidence from God to found a religion and should be followed?

This isn’t a new question, as we can go back many centuries and consider the worship of Zeus, Baal, Aphrodite, Dagon, Athena, Osiris, Jupiter, and the multitude of other “divine” beings. It is said of the Athenians that they had some 33,000 different gods, and statues of the gods were seen all around the city. In fact, as the apostle Paul visited the city back in the 1st Century, he wrote: "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).

In studying various religions, I have only found one individual other than Christ who claims to have had a prophecy made concerning him, and that is Mohammad. He goes back to the Bible and refers to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy and a prophecy that was made to Moses.

"Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken” (Deuteronomy 18:15, ASV).

Mohammad claimed he was the prophet mentioned in that passage. There is only one problem, and it is a great problem. Mohammad was not one of the brethren of Moses. Mohammad was an Arab. He was not a Jew. The lineage of Moses descended from Abraham through his son Isaac. The lineage of Mohammad descended through Abraham’s son Ishmael, not through Isaac. We see where Ismael’s descendants settled in Genesis 25:17-18: “And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. And they settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives.” Thus Ishmael’s descendants were Arabs, and Isaac’s were Hebrews, the Jews.

So, who is the prophet that God raised up from the brethren of Moses? He would be a Jew, a descendant of Abraham through his son Isaac. In Matthew 1, Christ’s genealogy and birth are given in the 25 verses of the chapter. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. To Abraham was born Isaac; and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and his brothers” (Matthew 1:1-2). Then the listing of the names of each succeeding generation is given down to Matthew 1:16: “and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”

To further establish the point, consider what God told Abraham concerning his descendants. “But God said to Abraham, 'Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant'" (Genesis 21:12-13).

As noted, Christ is from the lineage of Abraham through Isaac and Mohammad is from the lineage of Abraham through Ishmael, who was not the son of promise. The Arab nations have descended from Ishmael, and it is evident that they are a large people, even as God promised Abraham.

Some Bible scholars claim there are some 400 prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament, and he fulfilled every one of them centuries later. What more proof do we need?

Children According to the Promise

Jeffrey Hamilton — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 02:45:37 +0000

by Matthew W. Bassford

The wisdom and subtlety of God truly are beyond our comprehension. Sometimes, though, we are privileged to get a glimpse of it in the Scriptures. This is the case with the story of Abraham and his descendants in Genesis, which only makes sense in the light of its New-Testament explanation.

For instance, why did the promise come through Isaac, not Ishmael? God doesn't really explain this in Genesis, but He does decree that it is through Isaac that Abraham’s descendants will be named.

Similarly, when Rebekah is still pregnant with twin boys, God informs her that the older of them will serve the younger. Again, why? As Paul points out in Romans 9, it's not like either of them had done anything good or bad. When they do start making decisions, Jacob comes across as a trickster and Esau as more of a stand-up guy, but according to the divine decree, the promise descends through Jacob.

We may never know all the reasons why God does this, but Paul gives us one of them in Romans 9:6-13. Here, Paul is dealing with what I like to think of as the problem of Israel. The Israelites have been God's chosen people for 1500 years, yet Christ, the final fulfillment of the Abrahamic promises, is rejected by almost all of them. Instead, the newly established churches across the Mediterranean are largely filled with Gentiles, descendants of those whom God did not choose.

What's going on here? Did God's plan fail? Even more strongly, aren't the fleshly descendants of Abraham entitled to a place in the kingdom of God? Doesn't the fact they have ended up on the outside means that God has cheated them?

To answer these questions, Paul returns to the stories of those early ancestors of the Jews. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn. He should have inherited. However, he did not, nor was Abraham’s line of descent reckoned through him. God's blessing came not according to the rules of the flesh but according to the promise that God made.

The same is true with Jacob and Esau. Esau was the firstborn. Once again, he should have received the blessing and the birthright, but he ended up with neither. Instead, Jacob claimed both. Once again, he received them not because of the flesh, but because of the promise that God made to his mother.

This is a brilliant argument. If the Jews deny that God's blessing should come according to the promise, they also are denying that their own ancestors should have been blessed. By that logic, they shouldn't be God's chosen people at all!

If, on the other hand, the Jews accept that God's blessing ought to be according to the promise, then they are left without any grounds for complaining that Abraham’s fleshly descendants have been excluded. They have no less right than the Gentiles to become children of God, but they no longer have any more rights either.

The argument is brilliant, but the brilliance is not Paul's, but God’s. God knew before the foundation of the world that the problem of Israel would arise. 2000 years before it came, he arranged the family affairs of an obscure clan of nomads so that His chosen apostle would be able to demolish the objections of the descendants of those same nomads.

I'm thankful that a God like that is for me rather than against me!