The faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of James. So far this week, we have discovered that that the faith that works practices patience. In James 5:7-12, James reveals for us three specific ways that the faith that works practices patience.

We have seen James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while waiting on Gods timing. We have seen James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while enduing suffering. Today, we see James conclude this section of his letter by providing a third way that the faith that works practices patience in James 5:12:

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

James concludes this section of his letter by commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to do not swear. When James uses the phrase “to swear” this phrase literally means to affirm the truth of one’s statement by evoking a Divine being or an entity. This phrase conveys the sense of inviting punishment is one is untruthful.

James here is referring to taking an oath as a sign of commitment to the truthfulness of one’s words.  Instead of taking such an oath, James commands followers of Jesus that “your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.” But what is James getting at here? Is James commanding us never to take any oath at all? Why is James making this command?

I do not believe that James is commanding followers of Jesus to never take any oath at all. Instead, the point that James is making here is that, as followers of Jesus, our truthfulness should be so consistent and dependable that we need no other oath to support what we say. As followers of Jesus, we should be a people that are marked by truthfulness and integrity in our speech and our actions. James here is echoing the words of his half brother Jesus, who said the following in Matthew 5:34-37:

"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes ' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

 Here we see James reveal for us the reality that the faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words. Instead of impatiently stretching the truth of our words in a way that results in our advantage; Instead of impatiently using our words in a way that exaggerates the truth and discredits Jesus; as followers of Jesus we are to practice patience in way that speaks the truth in love and in a way that makes much of Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: How patient are you? Are you patient when it comes to waiting on God’s timing? Or are you impatiently attempting to force things to occur in your timing? Are you patient when it comes to how you respond to suffering?

Do you respond to suffering by patently refusing to grumble to others? Or do you respond to suffering by impatiently lashing out at others? Are you patient when it comes to the truthfulness of your words to others? Or are you impatiently stretching the truth in order to get what you want in your time?

Because the timeless reality is that the faith that works practices patience. The faith that works practices patience while waiting on God’s timing. The faith that works practices patience while enduring suffering. And the faith that works practices patience while being truthful with our words.