In this message we shall consider the last two sections of the Epistle of James: speaking honestly without swearing (5:12) and healthy practices in the church life (5:13-20).
In 5:12 James says, “But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth, or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no be no, that you do not fall under judgment.” We should not swear, because we are nothing, and nothing is under our control or up to us (Matt. 5:34-36). To swear displays the acting of our self-will and our forgetfulness of God. But to let our yes be yes and our no be no is to act according to the divine nature we have received through regeneration, in the consciousness of the presence of God, with the denial of our self-will and sinful nature.
What James says in this verse reminds us of the word of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:37: “But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatever is more than this is of the evil one.” Here the Lord is saying that our word should be simple and true: “Yes, yes; No, no.” We should not try to convince others with many words.
In 5:12 James says that if our yes is yes and our no is no, we shall not fall under judgment. Our genuine faithfulness and sincerity in our words according to the divine nature we partake of will keep us from God’s judgment.
Once again, James’ word about judgment reminds us of a word spoken by the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 12:36 and 37 the Lord says, “I say to you that every idle word which men shall speak, they shall render account concerning it in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be convicted.” The Greek word for “idle” is argos, composed of two words: a meaning not, and ergon meaning work. An idle word is a non-working word, an inoperative word, having no positive function, useless, unprofitable, unfruitful, and barren. In the day of judgment those who speak such words will render account concerning every one of them. Because this is the case, how much more must we account for every wicked word! In Matthew 5:37 the Lord gives us a serious warning. This warning indicates to us that we must learn to control and restrict our speaking.
What James says in 5:12 fits in with the subject of this Epistle—practical Christian perfection. Our way of speaking has much to do with this. Speaking honestly and with restraint is a virtue of Christian perfection. But if we are loose in our speaking, we will fall short of much perfection. Therefore, after telling us not to swear, James says that our yes should be yes and our no should be no, so that we may not fall under judgment.
As a godly man, James could never forget the coming judgment, and he lived under this judgment. I hope that we all shall have the understanding that whatever we do will be judged. For example, our talk on the telephone will be judged by the Lord. When some sisters are on the telephone, they talk without any restraint. Apparently, they do not realize that whatever they say will one day be judged according to the Lord’s word in Matthew 12:36-37.
Concerning swearing and unrestrained speaking, James was serious. However, certain believers are not serious regarding these things. To them, it seems that there will not be any judgment. They may have the concept that once they have been saved from eternal perdition, there will be no more problems. But we know according to the New Testament that all believers will have to give an account to the Lord at His judgment seat.
What was on James’ heart as he was writing this Epistle was the matter of practical Christian perfection. Because of his concern for Christian perfection, he says in 5:12, “Above all things, my brothers, do not swear.” After saying so much about the tongue in chapter three, he gives such a word about swearing in 5:12.
Anyone who swears is not an honest person. He who swears is a liar. Anyone who is honest has no need to swear. The reason we Christians should not swear is that we are honest. Anyone who swears is a person who is pretending, and his swearing is a sign that he is not honest. Swearing, therefore, is a sign of pretense.
The basic reason for not swearing, however, is that nothing is under our control. Neither heaven nor earth is ours. Actually, we do not even belong to ourselves, and we cannot control anything. Because nothing is under our control, we should not make an oath. Once again we see that our speaking needs to be restricted.
In 5:12 James indicates that we should not speak excessively. Unnecessary talk always causes trouble. If we speak carelessly, we may exaggerate and not be honest. But if our speaking is restrained, we can exercise ourselves to speak honestly.