We live in a world where people, including Christians “say” they are going to do something, but fail to carry through and deliver on their word. Today, I am going to show you through the Scriptures that God expects us to keep our word and carry through with our promises. WHY? Because when we give our word, we are making an oath made before God and man. And failure to do so leads only to God’s judgment and broken relationships here on earth.
According to full focus.com, “KEEPING YOUR WORD is the essence of integrity. As Stephen Covey points out, “HONESTY IS MAKING YOUR WORDS CONFORM TO REALITY. INTEGRITY IS MAKING RALITY CONFORM TO YOUR WORDS”.
Keeping your word is essential to leadership as without it you cannot be an effective leader. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, an “OATH” is “A SOLEMN ATTESTATION OF THE TRUTH OR INVIOLABILITY OF ONE’S WORDS” OR “SOMETHING (SUCH AS A PROMISE) CORROBORATED BY AN OATH”.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KEEP YOUR WORD?
Whether you make a promise to a friend, a job obligation, or even a personal goal you made to yourself, it crucial to stay true to what you say and to honor your commitments. Not only can keeping your word generate trust and credibility, it can also help you achieve your goals and sustain and grow relationships.
It’s important that we honor commitments, even when it is difficult, expensive, or inconvenient. When I was growing up, I was told that you keep your word, even when it costs you something. Simply put, our word is sacred, and keeping our word is essential to the sacred vows and promises we make. Without it, society falls apart. When I was a young man, a man’s bond was his word and a handshake was giving his word. The failure to keep one’s word was considered an insult and no one for the most part were wiling to risk their social capital or relational equity by breaking their word.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
Sadly, I continue to experience people not keeping their world (breaking their word), even within in the church. This is tragic-especially for them because it destroys all trust I have or I should say "had" in them as keeping one's word and speaking the truth is the very foundation of our relationship. With all this being said, I want to look at some biblical truths and wisdom to see what God says about an "OATH" and a "VOW" becuase keeping our word to make a vow.
WHAT IS A VOW?
Vows are voluntarily expressions of devotion usually fulfilled after some conditions have been met. Vows made in the OT were usually conditional based on things to be done for the Lord or for others. A common vow may say something like: “IF X…THEN Y”. Genesis 28:20 for example says: “THEN JACOB MADE A VOW, SAYING, “IF GOD WILL BE WITH ME AND WILL KEEP ME IN THIS WAY THAT I GO, AND WILL GIVE ME BREAD TO EAT AND CLOTHING TO WEAR, SO THAT I COME AGAIN TO MY FATHER’S HOUSE IN PEACE, THEN TEH LORD SHALL BE MY GOD, AND THIS STONE, WHICH I HAVE SET UP FOR A PILLAR, SHALL BE GOD’S HOUSE. AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME I WILL GIVE A FULL TENTH TO YOU”.
A vow is more than an oath in the it specifically holds a response of condition. For example, when we get married, we “EXCHANGE VOWS”. These are promises we make to get and KEEP MARRIED. BUT-making a vow, especially before or to God can be very dangerous if not kept. Let’s look at MATTHEW and 1 JOHN for some guidance as the the importance of keeping one’s oath and the dangers of failing to keep an oath made to God.
Matthew 5:33 in the NIV says, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made” (Matthew 5:33 NIV).
1 John 2:5 says, “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in Him, This is how we know we are in Him” (1 John 2:5). IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE FAIL TO FULFILL OUR VOWS, WE ARE NOT IN HIM-MEANING IN CHRIST? I would say that a person who fails to consistently keep their word has a very shallow faith at best and not faith at worst. WHY do I say that? Because-HOW can one make a vow to trust the Lord and then not keep their word to God there-forward. I would submit that their confession of faith and vow before God was not authentic to begin with in most cases.
HOW ABOUT MATTHEW 5:27?
“LET WHAT YOU SAY BE SIMPLY ‘YES’ or ‘NO’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37). I think that is pretty clear. God’s law says, “DO NOT LIE UNDER OATH” (Leviticus 19:12). Jesus makes clear here that to make a vow involved the pledge to “DO SOMETHING”, TO CALL UPON GOD TO WITNESS THE DISCHARGE OF THE ACTION , AND TO PUNISH IF IT WERE NOT CARRIED OUT”. That is why Jesus warned us to keep our word and to keep it simple with either a “YES” or a “NO” in effort to make things complex and break our VOW or our WORD.
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation” (James 5:12). [On one hand, oaths themselves are not prohibited; on the other, a believer should not be forced to take an oath in order to tell the truth. Unrepentant deception WILL cause the believer to FALL UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT (DISCIPLINE) now, and ring disapproval at the judgement seat of Christ (See James 2:12, 13).
REMEMBER
Keeping your word is the essence of integrity. As Stephen Covey points out, “Honesty is making your words conform to reality. Integrity is making reality conform to your words”. It is essential to leadership. WHY?
FIRST: Because INTEGRITY IS REQUIRED FOR TRUST: If people can’t trust what you say or “YOUR WORD”, they won’t trust you.
SECOND: TRUST is NECESSARY FOR INFLUENCE: And all of us are called to live a life of influence as followers of Jesus Christ. People “CHOOSE” those they allow to influence their them-and this is based mainly on TRUST.
THIRD AND LASTLY: INFLUENCE IS ESSENTIAL FOR IMPACT: You cannot make the impact you want to make unless you can influence others and help change or shift their behavior.
In the end, KEEPING YOUR WORD can be DIFFICULT, EXPENSIVE, and INCONVENIENT. But the cost of not doing so is even MORE EXPENSIVE. It will ultimately cost you relationships, your reputation, and your ability to lead. And THIS IS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING YOUR WORD.
