Chapter 22. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows

There is scriptural warrant for swearing with the hand uplifted. Christians should avoid all superstitious or pagan customs in taking an oath.

Those Scripture passages warning against taking oaths are to be understood as forbidding profane swearing, or the use of an oath to deceive or to escape one’s duty.

The administrator of an oath, whether civil or ecclesiastical, ought to explain the meaning of the oath, and administer it with suitable solemnity. The well-being of individuals and of society requires that the administrator of an oath know and fear God and understand its nature. Oaths should be administered only to those who understand their meaning.

An oath is a confirmatory act calling God to witness the performance of a promise. An oath may confirm a vow or a covenant.

A vow in Scripture is an act of voluntary dedication to God of one’s person, goods or service. A vow is usually made by an individual.

While it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the uses in Scripture of the words “vow” and “covenant,” a covenant that men make with God differs from a vow in that it is a corporate act of pledging obedience to what God has commanded in His covenant.

God has established two covenants with men: the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace (see chap. 7). In accomplishing the Covenant of Grace God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Israel at Sinai (renewed in the plain of Moab), and with David; these were fulfilled in the new covenant by Jesus Christ.

God’s covenants require obedience of all men whether they acknowledge their obligation or not. God’s people, individually and corporately, respond to His covenants by solemnly promising to be the Lord’s and to keep His commandments. The Old Testament sacraments, such as circumcision, passover and the feast of tabernacles, were means of entering into and periodically renewing Israel’s covenant. Likewise, the sacraments of the New Testament are ordinances for entrance into and renewal of covenant union with God. In addition to these prescribed times of covenant celebration, God’s people under the old covenant engaged in corporate acts of repentance and renewal in relation to the transgression of specific commandments or to general apostasy from God. Scripture calls such acts “covenants.”

Covenanting in the New Testament takes the form of confessing Christ and His Lordship. In view of the continued emphasis of the covenantal relationship of God to men in the New Testament, it is appropriate for churches and nations to covenant to be the Lord’s and to serve Him. The statements or documents produced in these acts of covenant response are dependent upon the Covenant of Grace. They are statements of responsibility arising from the application of the Word of God to the times in which they are made. Such covenants have continuing validity in so far as they give true expression to the Word of God for the times and situations in which believers live.