71 誓言和许愿——基督徒必须诚实Oaths and Vows - Christiansmust be truthful
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to
Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
71 誓言和许愿——基督徒必须诚实
Oaths and Vows - Christians must be truthful
众人说：[我们必归还，不再向他们索要，必照你的话行。] 我就召了祭司来，叫众人起誓，必照着所应许的而行。 我也抖着胸前的衣襟说：[凡不成就这应许的，愿 神照样抖他离开家产和他劳碌得来的，直到抖空了。] 会众都说：“阿们！”又赞美耶和华。百姓就照着所应许的去行。（尼5:12-13）
神命令基督徒在人际关系中要持守诚实，尤其是在基督徒与基督徒之间（弗4:25；西3:9），神视诚实话为真敬虔不可或缺的一部分（诗15:1-3）。神禁止说谎、欺骗和恶意造假（出20:16；利19:11）。耶稣追溯谎言的源头为撒旦（约8:44），那些像撒旦一样撒谎欺骗、破坏别人的人，圣经用厌恶可憎的词句，定罪他们为不敬虔之人（诗5:9；12:1-4；52:2-5；耶9:3-6；启22:15）。我们如何承认具有神形象之邻居是有尊严的？方法无他，就是认定他有权知道实情。讲实话表达出我们对事实、对邻居、对神合宜的尊敬，因此，它成了真宗教、真正爱邻舍的基本要素。
《西敏斯特大要理问答》第一一四问，根据负面可用来暗示正面的原则（就是要人按诫命的要求去行，以免行了诫命所禁止者），诠释第九戒——神禁止人作假见证——的意义（出20:16）。其诠释如下：
[第九诫]所要求的责任是，人应保守并推崇人与人之间的诚实话，以及邻舍与你自己的名誉；神要人为诚实话现身并守住立场；且要在审判、法理和所有其他的事物上，从心里真诚地、自由地、清楚地并完整地说诚实话，而且只说诚实话。
誓言是神圣的宣告，呼求神为这人所叙述之事和应许之事作见证；他若说谎，就求神惩罚他。圣经认为人在严肃的场合起誓是合宜的（创24:1-9；拉10:5；尼5:12；另参林后1:23；来6:13-17），虽然在宗教改革期间，重洗派（anabaptist）以拒绝这样行作为反对参与俗世生活的部分表现。他们以耶稣定罪存心骗人的誓言为由，以为那是祂真正的目的，殊不知耶稣是呼吁人说实话，并警告人不要落入试探去说一些话，予人以一种假象，玩弄人、圌利人（太5:33-37；另参雅5:12）。
向神许愿和虔诚的誓言都是对等的，应当以同样严肃的心视之（申21:23；传5:4-6）。一个人起誓或许原要做的事，就必须付上一切代价完成它（诗15:4；另参书9:15-18）。神不但要求我们把祂的话当真，祂也要求我们把自己的话当真。虽然如此，[人却不可许愿行神的话所禁止的事，或防碍其中所命令的……]《西敏斯特信仰告白》XXII.7
OATHS AND VOWS
CHRISTIANS MUST BE TRUTHFUL
“We
will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them.
We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and
officials take an oath to do what they had promised. I also shook out the folds
of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of his house and
possessions every man who does not keep this promise.” So may such a man be
shaken out and emptied!” At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised
the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. NEHEMIAH 5:12-13
Truth
in relationships, especially between Christians, is divinely commanded (Eph.
4:25; Col. 3:9), and truth-telling is specified as integral to authentic
godliness (Ps. 15:1-3). God forbids lying, deception, and malicious
misrepresentation (Exod. 20:16; Lev. 19:11). Jesus traces lying back to Satan
(John 8:44), and those who, like Satan, lie in order to deceive and damage
others are condemned in Scripture as being ungodly in a hateful and horrible
way (Pss. 5:9; 12:1-4; 52:2-5; Jer. 9:3-6; Rev. 22:15). One way of
acknowledging the dignity of our neighbor, who is God’s image-bearer, is to
recognize that he or she has a right to the truth. Truth-telling, which shows
proper respect for facts, for our neighbor, and for God, thus becomes a
fundamental element in true religion and in true love of one’s neighbor.
Expounding
the ninth commandment, God’s prohibition of false witness (Exod. 20:16), in
terms of the principle that the negative implies the positive (i.e., the
commandment requires whatever is needed to avoid what it forbids), the
Westminster Larger Catechism (Q.144) says:
The
duties required are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man,
and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing
for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully,
speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and
in all other things whatsoever.
Oaths
are solemn declarations that invoke God as a witness of one’s statements and
promises, inviting him to punish should one be lying. Scripture approves
oath-taking as appropriate on solemn occasions (Gen. 24:1-9; Ezra 10:5; Neh.
5:12; cf. 2 Cor. 1:23; Heb. 6:13-17), though at the time of the Reformation the
Anabaptists declined the practice as part of their rejection of involvement in
the life of the secular world. They appealed to Jesus’ condemnation of oaths
devised and designed to deceive as if it were a rejection of oath-taking as
such rather than a call for honest speech and a warning against the temptation
to use words that give a false impression, with manipulation and exploitation
as one’s real purpose (Matt. 5:33-37; cf. James 5:12).
Vows
to God are the devotional equivalent of oaths and must be treated with equal
seriousness (Deut. 21:23; Eccles. 5:4-6). What one swears or vows to do must at
all costs be done (Ps. 15:4; cf. Josh. 9:15-18). God requires us to take
seriously not only his words but our own as well. However, “no man may vow to
do anything forbidden in the Word of God, or what would hinder any duty therein
commanded” (Westminster Confession XXII.7).