Do Not Swear Oaths

Jesus taught that His followers should not swear oaths at all, but let their yes be yes and their no be no. This means cultivating such consistent honesty that you never need extra guarantees to be believed. It matters because integrity is the foundation of trust, and a reliable word reflects God's faithfulness. In daily life, this looks like being truthful in small things and large, following through on commitments, and building a reputation where people know you mean what you say.

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Category: Character & Conduct

Key Passages

Swear not at all; let your yea be yea

Matthew 5:34-37

Jesus commands such consistent truthfulness that oaths become unnecessary - a person of integrity needs no external guarantee because their word is reliable.

B³⁴ut 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.

Did You Know?

Jesus was not forbidding all solemn promises. He was forbidding the casual use of God's name to guarantee our words. Our simple "yes" should be enough.

The need for oaths reveals a deeper problem. Our word is not reliable. Jesus calls us to a life so consistent that no oath is necessary. Let your yes be yes.

The early church took this seriously. Their reputation for truth-telling was so strong that they were sometimes exempted from the requirement to swear oaths in court.