A Christian Who Needs No Oath
From his exposition of the sanctity of marriage, Rev. Sang Ho Bae turned to the exposition of the sanctity of words. This time he expounded the meaning of oathtaking in Matthew 5:33-37.
The Korean church grew from its beginning in the flames of suffering. When missionaries entered the land of Joseon (Korea) and preached the gospel at a time when the nation was collapsing, this land was in deep darkness both politically and economically. During the Japanese colonial period, that darkness became even thicker, and especially toward the end, the church stood before the great violence of the forced name changing and the forced shrine worship. Countless believers did not fear prison, torture, or even death in order to keep the chastity of their faith. Their blood, like the blood of the martyrs of the early church, soaked the Korean church and engraved upon the whole church the question, “What is the chastity of faith?” In that era, the chastity of faith was the most important virtue of a believer, and they actually proved that chastity with their lives.
The hymns that believers sang most often in those days were songs such as “Faith of Our Fathers” and “Onward, Christian soldiers.” The Japanese authorities misunderstood the expression “Christian soldiers” and regarded the church as a secret military organization and persecuted it. Even after liberation, suffering did not end. The Korean War (1950~1953) turned the Korean Peninsula into ruins, and people struggled day by day with the problem of making a living. In the days when the expression “the barley hump" (spring famine period) was common, people had almost lost hope for life in this land. Naturally, the hope for the heavenly kingdom became even more earnest, and within the church, songs expressing the vanity of this world and the longing for the afterlife were widely sung. The belief that life on this earth is fleeting and will decay and that only heaven is true comfort and joy was dominant. The times demanded an eschatological faith from believers, and the church responded to that demand.
However, when faith leans in only one direction, other important elements are naturally weakened. The Korean church was excellent in keeping the chastity of faith but was relatively negligent regarding Christian ethical living. Doctrine and faith were orthodox, but in many cases life was not ethical. One of the deep maladies of Korean society is “falsehood.” Even in everyday conversation, exaggeration, distortion, or intentional lying is not uncommon.
A scene I saw in the countryside during my childhood comes to mind. In farmhouses that sold pigs, it was common to feed the pig a large amount of food it liked right before the merchant arrived in order to increase its weight. But the pig dealer anticipated this and would rush in far earlier than the appointed time, at dawn, before the pig was fed, and take it away. The endless technical battle between the one trying to deceive and the one trying not to be deceived—this is the very scene produced by human sinfulness. Even today people lie technically, slander others technically, and cheat technically.
The scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ time were no different. They divided oaths into two kinds and used that distinction to lie in a technical sense. They taught that an oath made in the name of God had to be kept, but an oath sworn by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, or by one’s own head did not. Wanting to commit sin while avoiding the accusation of breaking the Law, they devised a deceptive way to evade responsibility. That is why Jesus said, ‘Heaven is God’s throne, and the earth is His footstool, and Jerusalem is the city of the great King’ (Matt. 5:34–35) and revealed that an oath unrelated to God cannot exist. Since all things belong to God, any oath is ultimately made before God. For that reason, He told us not to swear carelessly.
The Lord’s words contain an important theological message: that we are beings who stand before God at all times and in all places. Calvin, in “Institutes of the Christian Religion," defined the life of a believer as “coram Deo, that is, a life before God.” Augustine, in "Confessions," confessed, “God is closer to me than I am to myself.” Wherever we are and whatever we do, God is there. Therefore, our words and actions must always be words and actions before God. Sunday and weekdays cannot be different, and inside the church and at the workplace cannot be different. To speak holy words on Sunday and harsh words on Monday is a life that has lost consistency before God.
Jesus said, “Do not swear at all” (Matt. 5:34), but this is not a word that forbids all oaths. Scripture says, “Fear the Lord your God, serve Him, hold fast to Him, and swear by His name” (Deut. 10:20). In fact, Old Testament figures such as Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and David did swear oaths. Paul also said, “I call God as witness upon my soul” (2 Cor. 1:23), swearing. Therefore, Jesus’ word does not intend to forbid oaths themselves but means that we should become people who do not need oaths in the first place. In other words, our words themselves must be trustworthy.
People swear because their words are not trusted. But the words of a faithful person can be trusted even without an oath. But the words of an unfaithful person cannot be trusted no matter how much he swears, “I will burn my hand if I do not keep it.” Truth must dwell on the lips of a believer.
Today the world is lacking in truth. Even marriage vows are easily broken, verbal contracts mean nothing, and only when documents, seals, and guarantors are present does trust arise. Because the world is evil, believers also cannot help but make documents, but a believer must become a person who does not need documents. The words of a believer must be trusted like a certified check. This is the true meaning of Jesus’ word, “Do not swear.”
The words of a Christian must be simple and clear. “Let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no,' 'no'; anything beyond this comes from evil” (Matt. 5:37). What is right must be said to be right, and what is not must be said to be not. But this does not mean rudeness. We must speak truth but speak it in love. Paul said, “Speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Speaking truth must not become a sword that tears the heart of the other. Truth becomes power only when it always goes together with love.
Truth is power. When a believer loses truth, the world does not trust the church. But when a believer restores truth, that truth becomes the power that transforms the world. Truthful lips are the power that enables us to fulfill our role as light and salt in the world. A Christian should be a person who has no need of oaths.
Check out the Let My Yes Be Yes, an inspirational pop rock version of this article generated by AI here.