Column: A FRESH PERSPECTIVE – Is Your Word Good Enough?

By: Mike Kelly
Retired Pastor

We just recently went through an election in which numerous promises were made and those of us with a small amount of common sense realize that the candidates have little or no intention of following up on those promises.

They just said it because they wanted votes from the particular group in front of them. In other words, they lied. Their words mean nothing. Politicians rank at the very bottom of trustworthy professions.

A lie is when you say something is true that you know is not true. It seems to me that only the die-hard and the naive actually believe those promises. Which in itself says something about our society but that’s for another time.

The only way it seems that we can rely on what some people say is to put them “under oath” which carries a strong penalty under the law for being untruthful.

That is not acceptable for Believers. Jesus expects our words to be true and not lies or evasions. He says in Matt 5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’”

Do you see that? It’s saying that you should not break an oath to people but there is an understanding that you might but don’t think of breaking an oath that involves God.

Apparently, it was OK to give your word and possibly renege on it but you had to leave the Lord out of it. If your oath included the Lord, then you needed to fulfill it but if not, then you should but you could go back on it.

So, in that culture, I could conceivably tell you whatever I wanted you to believe even if I knew it was stretching the truth because I did not invoke the name of the Lord in it.

I could justify lying if I didn’t invoke the Lord in it. I think I liked life better when two men shook on something and that meant it was a done deal.

Jesus goes on in verse 34 to clarify what he was saying: “But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all:” He goes on further to explain that there is nothing in life that is yours to use as a pledge of truthfulness.

V34b-36; “either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.”

In other words, you have nothing to swear by to insure your truthfulness. Here’s where Jesus begins to meddle again. V37 “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Be the kind of man or woman who when they say they will do something, they do it. Believers ought to be without compromise when it comes to giving their word.

We’re not to prevaricate, quibble, use innuendo, stretch the truth, infer, double-talk, cloud things over. Our words ought to be clear and concise. We shouldn’t need a 10-page contract to keep us honest.

If called to testify in court, we shouldn’t need to lay our hands on a Bible to ensure that we are telling the truth. Our statements ought to be true and accurate without the added step of invoking God.

People ought to be able to count on us. From the simple things like “I’ll be there at 10” or “I’ll take out the trash.” to the more complex like “For better or worse, till death do us part.” or “I Pledge allegiance to the flag…”

President-elect Trump is about to take an oath in January while holding his hand on a Bible, thus invoking God.

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

I wonder if he is aware that God will hold him accountable to perform the duties of his office faithfully in the best interest of the country?

Have you ever been involved in a situation where you gave your word on something and then shook hands with the other person.

I believe we have to hold that agreement to be sacred. We should be willing to do everything in our power to fulfill what we promised, even if it costs us more than we originally thought.

That’s what a believer’s word ought to look like. “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Are you thought of as that kind of Christian? That kind of person? Is your word good enough?

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Mike Kelly is the founding pastor of Bryan’s Grace Community Church (retired) and Board Chairman of Bryan’s Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and Williams County’s Compassion (free) Medical Clinic.