THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH
CHAPTER XXII
Go to Oaths
Go to Vows
1. A lawful oath
is part of religious worship,[a]
God commands us to take oaths.
Every thing we do "in the Name of Jesus" is like an oath. We are not to take (swear by) the Name of God in vain. |
[a]. Deut. 10:20; and also Isa. 45:23; Rom.
14:11; Phil. 2:10-11
Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; Him shalt thou
serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His Name. |
wherein, upon just occasion, the
person swearing solemnly calleth God to witness what he asserteth, or promiseth, and to
judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth.[b]
Here we see numerous examples of how Jesus' apostles took oaths. |
[b]. Exod. 20:7; Lev. 19:12; II Cor. 1:23; II
Cor. 11:31; and also Gal. 1:20; II Chron. 6:22-23; Rom. 1:9
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. |
2. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence.[c] | [c]. Deut. 6:13; and also Josh. 23:7
Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and
shalt swear by His Name. |
Therefore, to swear vainly, or
rashly, by that glorious and dreadful Name; or, to swear at all by any other thing, is
sinful, and to be abhorred.[d]
Not all oath-taken is forbidden, only hypocritical and self-serving oath taking. |
[d]. Exod. 20:7; Jer. 5:7; Matt. 5:33-37;
James 5:12
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. |
Yet, as in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the new testament as well as under the old;[e] | [e]. Heb. 6:16; II Cor. 1:23; Isa. 65:16
Hebrews 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for
confirmation is to them an end of all strife. |
so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken.[f] | [f]. I Kings 8:31; Neh. 13:25; Ezra 10:5
1 Kings 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an
oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in
this house: |
3. Whosoever taketh an oath ought
duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but
what he is fully persuaded is the truth:[g]
Many people, especially civil servants and bureaucrats, have taken an oath many times without giving solemn attention to their oath. Many people have taken an oath to "support the Constitution" who have never even read the entire Constitution. This is a violation of God's Law. |
[g]. Exod. 20:7; Jer. 4:2; Lev. 19:12; Hos.
10:4
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. |
neither may any man bind himself by oath to anything but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform.[h] | [h]. Genesis 24:2,3,5,6,8,9; Neh. 5:12-13;
Ecc. 5:2, 5
Gen. 24:2-9 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house,
that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: {3} And I will
make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt
not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: {4}
But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
{5} And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me
unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
{6} And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. {7}
The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my
kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I
give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my
son from thence. {8} And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt
be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. {9} And the servant
put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that
matter. |
Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority.[i] | [i]. Numb 5:19, 21; Neh. 5:12; Exod. 22:7-11
Numbers 5:19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and
say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to
uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that
causeth the curse: {21} Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of
cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an
oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; |
4. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation, or mental reservation.[k] | [k]. Jer. 4:2; Ps. 24:4
Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in
judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in
him shall they glory. |
It cannot oblige to sin; but in anything not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hurt.[l] | [l]. I Sam. 25:22, 32-34; Ps. 15:4
1 Samuel 25:22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I
leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the
wall.{32} And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee
this day to meet me: {33} And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept
me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. {34}
For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting
thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto
Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. |
Nor is it to be violated, although made to heretics, or infidels.[m] | [m]. Ezek. 17:16-19; Josh. 9:18-19; II Sam.
21:1
Ezekiel 17:16-19 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place
where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant
he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. {17} Neither shall
Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up
mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: {18} Seeing he despised the oath
by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these
things, he shall not escape. {19} Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely
mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I
recompense upon his own head. |
5. A vow is of the like nature with a promissory oath, and ought to be made with the like religious care, and to be performed with the like faithfulness.[n] | [n]. Isa. 19:21; Ecc. 5:4-6; Ps. 61:8; Ps.
66:13-14; and also Num. 30:2.
Isaiah 19:21 And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians
shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall
vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. |
6. It is not to be made to any creature, but to God alone:[o] | [o].Ps. 76:11; Jer. 44:25,26; and also
Ps. 50:14; Ps. 116:14.
Psalm 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that
be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. |
and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made voluntarily, out of faith, and conscience of duty, in way of thankfulness for mercy received, or for the obtaining of what we want, whereby we more strictly bind ourselves to necessary duties: or, to other things, so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto.[p] | [p]. Deut. 23:21-23; Gen. 28:20-22; I Sam.
1:11; Ps. 66:13-14; Ps. 132:2-5
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy
God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of
thee; and it would be sin in thee. {22} But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no
sin in thee. {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. |
7. No man may vow to do anything forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein commanded, or which is not in his own power, and for the performance whereof he hath no promise of ability from God.[q] | [q]. Acts 23:12-14; Mark 6:26; Num. 30:5, 8,
12-13
Acts 23:12-14 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded
together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor
drink till they had killed Paul. {13} And they were more than forty which had made
this conspiracy. {14} And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have
bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. |
In which respects, popish monastic
vows of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from
being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious and sinful snares, in
which no Christian may entangle himself.[r]
When a priest takes a "popish monastic vow of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience" to the Pope, we call it his "ordination vows." He becomes a priest for life. Yet when someone is inaugurated President, he takes an "oath of office" and holds office for four years. Do you know why one is called a vow and the other an oath? |
[r]. Matt. 19:11-12; I Cor. 7:2, 9; Eph.
4:28; 1 Peter 4:2; I Cor. 7:23 and also I Thess. 4:11-12; Heb. 13:4.
Matthew 19:11-12 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive
this saying, save they to whom it is given. {12} For there are some eunuchs, which
were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs
of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of
heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. |
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Vine & Fig Tree |