Christian Oath Bible Vows Trek for Truth
When one reads God's Word, oft times they run across the words vow
and oath. What are Christian vows and what is a Christian oath? Are
Christian vows and a Christian oath the same thing?
A Christian oath is swearing or promising about something or to perform something, whether it be made to or by God or man. God's Old Covenant and New Covenant both possess laws and guidelines with a vow of promise ... If mankind chose to abide by said Covenant. Mankind often made vows to God in the Bible and vice versa. Here is an example:
Genesis 28:20-22
20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God
will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will
give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace;
then shall the Lord be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be
God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give
the tenth unto thee.
Mankind, over the years has vowed (promised or swore) that if God would do this and that that they would do this or that. Bible vows and oaths were made both by man and by God:
Christian Oath Bible Vows Declared
Matthew 26:72
And again he [Peter] denied with an oath, I do not know the man
[Jesus].
Luke 1:73
The oath which He [God] sware to our father Abraham.
Christian oaths are that which the vow (promise) is confirmed by. For example:
Hebrews 6:17
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an
oath:
In other words ... God confirmed His Christian promise (vow) with the
Christian oath, and the Christian oath ... Was Himself.
Hebrews 6:13
For when God made promise [vow] to Abraham, because He could
swear by no greater, He sware by Himself.
Referring to when God swore to give Abraham the land for a heritage
and said I am the Lord, to confirm His vow.
Exodus 6:8
And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did
swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give
it you for an heritage: I am the Lord.
Many still make oaths all the time,such as saying "God as my witness,"
or "On my Mother's grave," or "I swear on my life," as to convince the
other of the honesty of their words or promise to perform ...
They do this to get the one they are making a vow to believe the vow.
Hebrews 6:16
For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for
confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
Christian Oath Bible Vows Concern
Here is the Old Covenant Law given by the Lord:
Numbers 30:2
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.
There are special rules when it comes to women making vows and oaths.
Numbers 30:3-16
3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind
herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;
4 And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she
hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then
all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her
soul shall stand.
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he
heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath
bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because
her father disallowed her.
6 And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or
uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in
the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds
wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
8 But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he
heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which
she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none
effect: and the Lord shall forgive her.
9 But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced,
wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her
soul by a bond with an oath;
11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her,
and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond
wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the
day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips
concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not
stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive
her.
13 Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul,
her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her
from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds,
which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at
her in the day that he heard them.
15 But if he shall any ways make them void after that he
hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
16 These are the statutes, which the Lord commanded Moses,
between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter,
being yet in her youth in her father's house.
As with many other laws, one must be careful to discern well. Jesus expanded on the Bible vows and oaths laws:
Matthew 5:33-37
33 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.
Therefore ... Jesus shows us that for swearing or promising to perform a vow ahead of time and adding an oath such as swearing (vowing) by Heaven or God's Throne or anything else is wrong. One should concern themselves with making vows by an oath. James echoed the Words of Jesus.
James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your
yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
So, we see that making Oaths in the Bible is serious and potentially dangerous business. Imagine how much more so Christian Vows and Christian Oaths today. Allow me to share one more Bible Vows and Oaths Biblical saga:
Judges 11:30-31
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If
thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the
doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the
children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up
for a burnt offering.
Without being asked to by God ... Jephthah swore that if God would
help him win a war, that he would sacrifice whatever came out of his
house, probably thinking one of his animals would. Well, they
did win the war that Jephthah spoke of (as expected) and then, he went home.
Christian Vows and Christian Oaths
Let's find out what came forth from his home that he traded to win that war (That they may have one without making an oath).
Judges 11:34-35
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and,
behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with
dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor
daughter.
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his
clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low,
and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my
mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.
When he got home, his daughter came forth from that door and he was
obligated to keep his vow. He kept his vow but you know he learned a
very important lesson:
James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by
heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but
let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation.
Christian Oath Bible Vows Summary
In closing ... Our Christian Vows and Christian Oaths quest for Truth has revealed that a vow is to promise or swear about something or to do
something and an oath is adding words such as "Swear to God," "God as my witness," or "On my Mother's grave," or "I swear on my life," as to convince the other of the honesty of their words or promise to perform. Jesus who was instrumental in our receiving Grace asked us not to do this.
Just say yes or no.
