How to Speak the Truth Plainly

In James 5:12 I read, “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Otherwise you will be condemned.” (NIV)

When James tells me not to swear, he’s not talking about profanity. He’s talking about making an oath by referring to something else, as if I don’t have enough integrity in myself to keep my own word.

Swearing “to God” is taking his name in vain. But I should also never say, “I swear on a stack of Bibles” or “I swear on my mother’s grave.” I cheapen my integrity when I have to appeal to something besides my own character.

As a follower of Jesus, my word should stand on its own. Just speak the truth plainly! Don’t embellish it. Don’t shade it. Don’t twist it. If I mean yes, say “yes.” If I mean no, say “no.” Do this even when it feels like very few people in politics, the media, or even in my own circle are doing it.

James was not the first person to say that speaking the truth plainly is the foundation of all integrity. In fact, his half-brother, Jesus Christ, said it, and Paul said it too. (Anytime God says something three times in Scripture, you better believe it’s important to him.)

Paul says, “Do you think I am like the people of the world who say ‘Yes’ when they really mean ‘No’? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’” (2 Corinthians 1:17-19 NLT).

When so many people seem to be speaking lies or half-truths, then speaking plainly, with integrity, will make me counter-cultural. It will also make me more like Jesus; he never wavered between yes and no. Being more Christlike should be my motivation for having integrity.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:34-37 NIV).

If I’m going to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, I need to have integrity. I can start building integrity today by speaking the truth plainly.

In summary, do not swear, not by heaven, earth or by anything else. All I need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ When James tells me not to swear, he’s talking about making an oath by referring to something else, as if I don’t have enough integrity in myself to keep my own word. I cheapen my integrity when I have to appeal to something besides my own character. As a follower of Jesus, my word should stand on its own. Just speak the truth plainly! Don’t embellish, shade, or twist it. Yes means ‘yes’ and no means ‘no.”  Do this even when it feels like others around me are doing it. While many may seem to be speaking lies or half-truths, I am to speak plainly, with integrity. It will also make me more like Jesus; he never wavered between yes and no. Being more Christlike should be my motivation for having integrity. If I’m going to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, I need to have integrity. I can start building integrity today by speaking the truth plainly.

I am to always be honest so that others will believe my simple yes or no. By avoiding lies, half-truths, and omissions of the truth, I will become known as a trustworthy person. Father thank you for this reminder today. I pray that with the help of your Holy Spirit in my life, that I’m reminded of this form of integrity. I ask you Father for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I also put my trust in you for my future job role and for guiding others in a weekly bible study group. I pray these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.