THURSDAY Transparent as the Sunlight Read James 5:12 . Commentators have puzzled over why James seems to make such a major issue out of swearing solemn oaths. Even if the intent were to prohibit all speech of this kind, why would it seem to be urged as important above all that he has spoken about in this chapter or perhaps in the entire letter? Is it really that big of an issue? We need to keep in mind what we have seen throughout our study of this epistle: that James is not content with a superficial faith or form of religion, despite the caricatures of him that we sometimes hear. James is thoroughly gospel-oriented, so much so that he sets standards too high for us to reach without Gods forgiving and empowering grace. Our words reveal what is in our hearts: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks ( Matt. 12:34, NKJV ) . The theology of James is permeated with the thinking of Jesus, who commanded us: Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is Gods throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King (Matt. 5:34-35 ) . Some people apparently even placed the hairs of their head in pledge to guarantee their words ( vs. 36 ) . But Jesus said all of this was evil: Let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No. (Matt. 5:37, NKJV ) . Everything belongs to God, including every hair on our head (even if, in some cases, there arent many!), so there is nothing that we have a right to pledge, as if it were our own, for the fulfillment of our word. . . . Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight. Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan.-Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing , pp. 66, 68 . Clearly, Christ was not prohibiting judicial oaths because He Himself, when placed under oath by the High Priest, did not refuse to answer, nor did He even condemn the process despite numerous deviations from sound jurisprudence (Matt. 26:63-64 ) . Several things need to be kept in mind when speaking the truth, first and foremost being that we seldom even know all the truth, even about ourselves, and so we must be humble. Second, when we do speak the truth, it should always be spoken in love and for the edification for those who hear. Read Ephesians 4:15 , 29 and Colossians 4:6 . Dwell prayerfully on the powerful message of these texts. Think how different (and better!) your life would be were you, through Gods grace, to strictly following these admonitions.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 18:21:59 +0000
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