Less Is More

James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Just let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no,” so that you do not fall under judgment.

They say that sometimes less is more. For example: If you want to accentuate a piece of art or jewelry, it may be best to keep things simple and not clutter it with all kinds of gaudy surroundings. Less is more. When a friend has suffered a terrible loss or is enduring great pain, it can be better to silently stand by their side and hold their hand than to ramble on with words that cannot make things right. Less is more. In this Scripture James tells us that when it comes to swearing and giving our word, less is more.

Here we have another one of those instances where the translation of a Bible term and the popular definition of that same word are at odds with each other and can result in some confusion. Typically, when we speak of “swearing,” it involves using profanity, which God certainly counts as unholy. God doesn’t want any unwholesome talk or perverse language to be found on our lips (Prov. 4:24; Eph. 5:4), but in this case "swearing" signifies taking an oath to bolster the truth of what we're saying. Think of the fisherman who stretches his arms wide and says, "I swear I caught a fish THIS BIG!" 

Now some may wonder, "What's the big deal? What's the harm in such swearing?" James gives us two reasons why not to swear. Let’s start with the latter. While our mouths can easily cinch up the concept of taking an oath down to a single word, "swear," the weight behind that word is quite significant. Swearing is asking God to serve as our witness and for him to judge, curse, and condemn us if our words are in any way untrue. When you think of it that way, the size of that monster fish starts shrinking rapidly! Do we really want God to strike us down for all the times we swore about how many pieces of pizza we ate or how late we stayed up? Too often we casually use swearing to boast, brag, exaggerate, or outright lie. Most events in life are so trivial and mundane that there’s no need to call God as our witness.

However, there are times when the seriousness and solemnity of an occasion demands an oath, such as when husband and wife are wed or when someone's guilt or innocence hangs in the balance in a court of law (cf. 8th Commandment; Matt. 26:63). In these high stakes scenarios it is proper to swear and implore God's help in speaking and holding to the truth.

We’ve devised all kinds of inventive ways to swear without invoking God directly. The people of Jesus’ day were no different. Rather than swear by God himself, they hoped to sidestep divine scrutiny by swearing by heaven or the earth instead. Others would swear by the Temple or by the hairs on their head (Matt. 5:34-36; 23:16-22). But God is not fooled by our clever word games! He sees the heart that speaks the words! His divine power has made and sustains his whole creation from heaven above to earth below, and he accounts for every hair on our heads (Matt. 5:36; 10:30)! For that reason, it's best not to swear at all!

Secondly, James says, Just let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” The sad irony is: if I’m in the habit of swearing all the time, I'm actually undercutting my own credibility and reputation. If I need to swear about every word I say or promise I make in order for you to believe me, then I am telling you, "You can’t trust me unless I swear about it!" As with all sin, swearing is self-defeating and self-destroying! For us Christians, it is particularly important that we are trusted and considered credible and reliable in what we say and do. Because our faithfulness reflects on our Savior and impacts how people will regard our witness for Christ.

We praise God that Jesus’ lips never lied nor swore a frivolous oath. Instead, his mouth only spoke grace and truth. God himself had promised that he would send a Savior to take away our sins of mind, body, and mouth, and he sealed that oath with the precious blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

By being simple “yes/no people,” who follow through on our word we give glory to God and gain opportunities to witness for Jesus. Because sometimes when it comes to our words, less is more.

Questions / Personal Reflection:

1.) What are some other important occasions in secular and religious life when it would be appropriate to make an oath?

2.) It is often said that trust must be earned. When someone has broken our trust, we can unintentionally drive them towards swearing by holding them in perpetual disbelief. May God give us the grace to give others the chance to rebuild their trust and reputations again.   

Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide my heart and guard my lips so that I speak words of truth and love. Help me to recognize my own limitations and to set proper priorities so that I don’t overextend myself and so bring shame upon you with promises that I cannot keep. Amen.