Let your Yes be Yes James 5: 12 Part 12


Read James 5: 12

Why does James start this verse with the word “finally” when there’s still more to follow? Well, it’s what comes next that makes this make sense. James says, “Finally, above all…” He wants to emphasize that while everything he’s said about the tongue thus far is important, what he’s about to say is even more important. James is urging us to pay attention to this area of Christian living. He echoes Christ’s teaching in Matthew 5: 33 – 37 where Jesus said, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by earth for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’, ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” In the Old Testament, in Leviticus 19: 12 it says, “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of God. I am the Lord.” Jesus takes the demand of the law one step further, telling us not to take oaths at all. People, at that time, were taking oaths by all kinds of things even though they thought there were no consequences to those oaths. It was an attempt to sound more reliable, but really, it meant nothing! They even made different levels of oaths, trying to find loopholes in their oath taking. You could swear by heaven, or by the temple, or the altar and not really have to keep your oath. But they thought that if you swore by the gold of the temple or the gift on the altar then they were bound to keep their oaths. Jesus addresses people using pious language to try to appear more reliable. He taught that “whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by Him who sits upon it.” (Matthew 23: 22). God has made everything, and we cannot force His hand. We cannot even make one hair white or black of our own accord. If we cannot control even the smallest things, how are we to force consequences by swearing by God’s creation?

The people were leaving themselves a way to get out of keeping their word, but the Creator is always present. He hears your words and sees your heart; clever word games do not fool Him or excuse lying. The bible teaches us that Satan is the father of lies and all their clever uses of language were ultimately ways to lie.

As children, we would often say things like, “I crossed my fingers, so it doesn’t count.” Essentially the people were ‘crossing’ their fingers. James condemns the flippant use of God’s name and is basically telling us to ‘say what you mean and mean what you say’. James taught us earlier that if you break one law, then you are a lawbreaker! We break the law of God when we lie or promise things we don’t truly mean.

A Christian should be trustworthy in all things which makes taking oaths unnecessary. When we take an oath, we are tying God’s name to our actions. God is sovereign so we cannot alter Him or provoke Him to anything; to swear by His name is to tarnish His name. We must always be honest so people will believe our yeses and nos. We are called to be people of good character and integrity; we must not compromise who we are in Christ Jesus. James has already said so much about taming the tongue, and here too, we are warned about what we say. What we say matters! It is in the light of scriptures that we see our sins. Jesus frees us from the need to make ourselves appear better than we are by lying.

All of this does not mean that we can never take an oath; there are instances, such as a court of law or marriage, where we may still affirm the truth of our statements. We are called to absolute integrity; the words we speak must be true. Nowadays, people think we can all have our own truths, but they are deceiving themselves, there is only one truth. The fact that we must take an oath in court is due to the dishonesty of our world. Our culture is full of lies so the Christian has the opportunity to stand out in society. If you are consistently honest, people will learn to trust your words. This should be a mark of all Christians. Your tongue can condemn you if you do not guard it.

 Are you a truth teller from your heart? Do you employ language to exaggerate or hide things? Do you use language that’s evasive or double meaning? When you say things to your children, do they trust your words? Or do you make empty threats or promises that confuse them? We must be clear about what we say! We must have irreproachable honesty, and we should not need to call on anything to prove our sincerity. We must simply let our ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and our ‘No’, ‘No’. Say no to duplicity, yes to integrity and do so in recognition of the gravity of these issues. Be a person of integrity and think before you speak; keep your promises and only vow when absolutely necessary. As we learned in our last section, the Judge is standing at the door; “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12: 37).


1. Can you think of any other phrases you might have used as a child that are deceitful or lies?


2. Why is the message of our text so important for Christians to live by?


3. When are some instances where we are required to make an oath?


4. Why can’t we swear by things? Why can’t we swear by God?


5. Think of how you speak to your children or the people around you. Do you make flippant or empty promises? When you threaten to reward or punish them, do you follow through?


6. Do you remember the acronym we learned in part 5? Do you apply it in your life?


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