Christians: Do you let your yes be "yes" and your no be "no" or....?

Matthew 5:34-37 (NIV)

34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

How can we make a promise. We do not know what the next second may bring. I ALWAYS say "I will try" "I will do my best" or "The good Lord willing, I will".

This is something that is so very important to me. I do know though that there is a big difference in someone genuinely trying to keep a promise and those that never have any intention of keeping it. You can tell who those people are when they do it more than once or twice.

My Daddy taught me that a 'man is as good as his word' . In this day, sad to say, there are not too many that are good then.

God help us all

p.s. James 4:13-17 is the other I was trying to find

Jesus was making a point of not swearing by telling his listeners to make your word good with whatever you say. If you say yes, then keep whatever you have said yes to and not break your word. If you say no, then mean what you say.

I taught my children to say what you mean and mean what you say which is the point to this question. When they were growing up, I would not make promises because I never knew if I could keep them. Instead I would tell them, "If the Lord wills, we will do it." They hated it at the time but they all understand now that they are all grown.

James 4:13-17 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “IF THE LORD WILLS, WE SHALL LIVE AND DO THIS OR THAT." 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

I'm a Christian member of a mainstream Protestant religion. A lengthy-time pal of mine is Pentecostal Holiness, and the daughter of a Pentecostal evangelist and the sister of a Pentecostal minister. We've been capable to proportion expertise and study from every different over time. While a few humans could believe that they're doing the correct factor via no longer associating with humans who suppose otherwise, in keeping with my pal's father, "Of path you must partner with humans who suppose otherwise. If you best ever related to the stored, the religious, the humans who suppose the identical as you, you would on no account have the possibility to unfold God's phrase in which it's not already acquainted. I must get in the market and talk to the sinners to do any well on this international. They're the humans who have not heard God's phrase and perhaps have to pay attention it!" Of path, if you were not fascinated about what he needed to say, he wasn't fascinated about forcing it on you, both--in contrast to a few--k, many--evangelical Pentecostal fundamentalists.

Because of my own situation, the closest I come to yes or no, is 'Would like to, not sure',

and if it required more, I'd have to let someone else do it. I can find out if there are

things that I can do IF I can do it, if I can come then. So much can change, can

make it go from one thing to another thing.

Also, those words, NEVER, you know? 'I will NEVER ...' ...these are emotions talking.

Always is another one. I am unable to say any of that. Studied materials on

that also, and they were good materials. I did learn from how they were laid out.

My own situation doesn't allow me to be more than the small item I am.

Good question. No one is judged more harshly than the christian. If we are to be seen as courageous and honorable it is of the utmost importance that we keep our word. A christian without integrity is a sad thing and invites the question as to whether they are a christian or not..

Have you seen the movie "Courageous"? In my opinion it cuts to the heart of the Christian life.

Oh, I am one of the anal people who says what they mean and mean what they say ever since I was a kid. Furthermore, I find that I expect the same from everyone else, but am often disappointed.

That is my practice, yes (the first option)

Blimey. You have reminded me of a reggae record from my youth.

Yes.

And you? Christian?

1. yes

2. no