Question:  Dear Greg,

            Thank you so much for taking questions.

            My question is whether it is permissible to take the oath when you are sworn in at a trial?  To swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God.

            Peggy

Answer:  Dear Peggy,

            You are welcome!  Thank you for giving PTM a chance to serve you.  We appreciate your prayers and your support as we reach out in this ongoing ministry.

            There have been Christians since the time of Christ who interpret the passage in Matthew 5:34-35 literally, and insisted that the use of the word “swear” would disobey Christ’s instructions.  For this reason the United States and other nations allow individuals who are being sworn in during a deposition or into a court of law to “affirm”—thereby avoiding the word “swear”.

            But the background and context of this passage does not show that Christ was giving specific instructions about what to say and what not to say in a court of law, but rather he was contrasting his teaching with the old covenant.  In the Old Testament, swearing was allowed, so if a person lives by the old covenant, swearing is permitted.

            But Jesus was not saying that Christians under the new covenant are prohibited from swearing—rather he was saying that oaths, vows, and swearing in God’s name are not the only way that we can or should affirm that what we are saying is true.  Jesus exposes a double standard that can arise in such a practice—that being that only when a particular oath or set of words follows or precedes a statement is an individual bound to tell the truth.

            Jesus is saying in Matthew 5 that Christians should simply say “yes” or “no”—and that such a statement alone should be sufficient to support the truth of the statement they are making.  Christians should not need to add oaths to ensure the truth of what they are saying.  Christians should tell the truth all the time, whether they are under oath in a court of law or not.  Jesus is not saying that it is wrong to swear in a court of law as to the veracity of what one will testify.  He is not saying such a thing is a sin.  He is simply saying that telling the truth at all times is what Christians should attempt to do at all times.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht