What Are Oaths and Vows?

What Are Oaths and Vows? offers a concise introduction to the biblical and confessional teaching on oaths and vows, exploring why these commitments carry such weight in Scripture and in the Christian life. Part of the Crucial Questions series, this booklet by Dr. R.C. Sproul addresses a subject that may seem unfamiliar to modern readers but occupies a prominent place in both the Old and New Testaments.

Sproul examines Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and the Apostle James’ admonition against swearing, showing that these passages are best understood not as absolute prohibitions but as warnings against swearing by anything other than God—a practice rooted in idolatry. Applying the principle that Scripture interprets Scripture, he demonstrates that God Himself confirmed His promises by sacred oath and that the people of God have rightly entered into covenant vows throughout redemptive history.

Drawing on the Westminster Confession of Faith, Sproul distinguishes between lawful and unlawful oaths and vows, addressing the Reformation-era debates that prompted Reformed theologians to articulate careful principles on this subject. He explains the connection between oaths and multiple commandments of the Decalogue, offers guidance on when vows must be kept and when they must be broken, and calls Christians to be people whose words can be trusted.

Key Themes

• The biblical basis for lawful oaths and vows and their connection to God’s covenant promises
• Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount as a correction of rabbinic tradition, not of Old Testament law
• The relationship between false oaths, idolatry, and the Ten Commandments
• Principles for making, keeping, and—when necessary—breaking vows

Featured Quotes

“Vowing to do evil was the first sin, and keeping the vow compounds the felony.”

“Be careful before you make a pledge because once you make the pledge, it’s your duty to fulfill that self-imposed obligation, even if it is to your own hurt.”