The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 5 Part 15 Being Careful In Our Conversations

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus has shown how our heart can be changed through the new birth.

These teachings are called the "beatitudes" because they describe what a new heart and a new spirit from God is like.

The second section of Jesus' sermon describes the testimony of His disciples and our need to be salt and light.

Salt retards the moral decay around us and light exposes sin.

Both are necessary for a properly functioning society.

Jesus followed this by saying He came to fulfill all aspects of the law of God with perfect obedience.

However, this also means that the moral law God gave to Moses remains in effect. 

It is an absolute moral standard by which all people will be judged.

All sins of all humanity for all time were judged when Christ bore them on the cross for us.

He shed His innocent blood to redeem all who believe the gospel.

The next several parts of Christ's sermon deal with specific parts of the moral law that were corrupted or perverted by scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus taught about anger, lust and divorce, showing how these are sins of the heart and our need for a new heart from God.

Jesus corrected wrong views of the 3rd and 9th commandments of God.

Matthew 5:33-37  Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34)  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35)  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36)  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37)  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

This command forbids committing perjury after swearing by the name of God to speak the truth.

It also forbids making a vow using God's name and failing to keep your word.

Both aspects of violating this commandment were addressed by the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Perjury is a sin condemned as an act of incredible disrespect toward God and injustice toward man.

Federal law states that a witness must be sworn in with a solemn oath intended to impress upon their conscience the seriousness of stating the truth.

The following as a typical oath where the name of God is invoked.

The quotes below are from the State Courts of North Dakota rules governing courtroom proceedings.

"Before testifying, every witness shall be required to declare that the witness will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation administered in a form calculated to awaken the witness' conscience and impress the witness' mind with the duty to do so."

"To a Witness. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? So help you God."

Jewish legal proceedings had a very long tradition of using such oaths to ensure that testimony in a judicial setting was truthful.

Jesus addressed an oath which is a solemn affirmation or declaration, made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.

A false oath is called perjury, or, as in this place, forswearing.

The solemnity of making a judicial oath before God to tell the truth had become compromised and corrupted among the Jews.

The Jews outwardly adhered to the law but they introduced some oaths in common conversation that they did not consider to be binding. 

For example, they would swear by the temple, by the head, by heaven, by the earth. 

As long as they did not swear by the name of God they would make oaths that they knew would be broken. 

This is the abuse which Christ wished to correct. 

Heaven is God's throne. The earth is His footstool and Jerusalem His special abode. 

A man's head was made by God and his genetic make up is such that he cannot make one hair white or black. 

Therefore, when the Jews irreverently swore by these things, they displayed great disrespect for things created by God. 

They were guilty of profaning His glorious name.

In Christ's day, it was a common practice to swear by created things in normal conversation.

In doing this, Jesus said that they were mistaken in their views of the sacredness of such oaths before God. 

Liars pervert the judgment of God and profane His holy name.

Proverbs 17:23  A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment. 

The Bible makes it clear that justice was often perverted because people took bribes and lied, which violates the 3rd and the 9th commandments. 

King Solomon gave us wisdom concerning those who commit such sins.

Those who lie under oath to tell the truth, do so in order to pervert judgment so that a righteous verdict is thwarted.

The third commandment says God will judge those who take His name in vain.

Exodus 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

In the third commandment we see that God will not overlook the sin of swearing by His holy name to tell the truth and then lying.

In Leviticus, Moses tells us that those who lie and swear falsely that they will tell the truth, are guilty of profaning the holy name and character of God.

Thus, liars and those who are guilty of "forswearing" are inviting the judgment of God to fall upon them.

False witnesses and liars shall be judged by God.

Proverbs 19:5  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. 

King Solomon's wisdom guides us to see that a false witness will be punished by God and he will not escape from lies he has told under oath.

God hates lying tongues and false witnesses.

Proverbs 6:16-19  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17)  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18)  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19)  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 

The Spirit of God gave King Solomon a list of seven things that God hates.

Notice that a lying tongue and a false witness that speaks lies are on this list.

A lying tongue and a false witness are connected to violating the 3rd and 9th commandments of God.

Jezebel forced men to lie about Naboth, to execute him and seize his property.

1 Kings 21:7-13  And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 8)  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. 9)  And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10)  And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. 11)  And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 12)  They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13)  And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. 

This is one example of men who perjured themselves in order to convict an innocent men.

Another example are Ananias and Saphira who both lied to Peter and forfeited their lives (See Acts 5). 

Thus, Jesus upheld the legal practice of judicial oaths taken in a court of justice.

Jesus strongly rebuked the wicked habit of frequently wearing in normal conversation by those things that He condemned. 

Jews made swearing a frivolous practice that had no real meaning because their word was not good.

Jesus said "But I say unto you, Swear not at all" which means do not engage in swearing in the common, profane ways of that time.

Jesus said don't swear by heaven because it is God’s throne. 

To swear by heaven means swearing by Him who is enthroned.   

We are not to swear by the earth because it is God's footstool.

We have no right to pledge, or swear by, what belongs to God.

If you promise to do something, make good on your promise.

Deuteronomy 23:23  That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. 

Numbers 30:1-2  And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded. 2)  If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. 

The Bible has much to say about making a promise or keeping a "vow" as it is often called.

If we say we will do something, then let us be those people of God who follow through and do it.

There is nothing worse than those who repeatedly promise to do something and then never do it.

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Paul's words connect with what Jesus taught His disciples. 

Let no corrupt, vile, frivolous or filthy communication come out of the mouth of any Christian.

Instead, let our lips speak that which builds up the faith of other Christians.

Let us say words that are good and wholesome.

Let us seek to be those whose words and actions minister grace to those who hear and observe us.

A Christian is a child of God and our word should be our bond.

If we commit to doing something, then we must do it unless there is some catastrophic event that makes it impossible to carry out our promise.

Our faithfulness or lack thereof in standing by our word and our promises, directly reflects upon the God who saved us from our sins.

Let us resolve to keep our word just as God is always faithful to keep His promises.

Bob