Church Membership: Oaths and Vows

July 11, 2021 Series: Church Membership

Scripture: Isaiah 44

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Scripture: Isaiah 44

Review

Last week ended our introduction of the doctrine of covenants by examining 6 common characteristics to be found in a biblical covenant.

We did this so that we could familiarize ourselves with those characteristics and be in a better position to recognize those covenants when we come across them in Scripture.

Today, we are going to take a brief detour and talk about another form of covenant modeled for us in Scripture and which too few in the world today take as seriously as they ought.

That is the covenant of the visible church which is exercised by the taking of vows and oaths publicly and openly before the Lord and the church.

Let’s begin with a quote from Rev. Thomas Boston

Introduction to Vows

Remember, that you are no more your own, but the Lord's by covenant, God has offered his covenant unto you, you have entered into it. So, you are Christ's and Christ is God's. Let this be an answer to the temptations that you will meet with, say to them, as Jephthah did to his daughter, (Judges-11:35), I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, I cannot go back.

If others say, their tongues and themselves are their own, and they have no Lord over them, he cannot say it. For if you have come into the covenant, you have said, as Isaiah 44:5, "I am the Lord's". And if you are His, you must be for Him only holy, and forever.

If you are going to say “I am the Lord’s”, then are desiring to enter into covenant with Him.

If you desire to enter into covenant with the Lord, then must follow the Biblical pattern of vows and oaths and join the visible church.

Biblical Examples of Vows and Oaths – Old Testament

Vows have been acts of religious worship, for as long as the people of God have been the people of God.

The book of Genesis contains examples of vows.

The Lord Himself enters into an oath - a vow –
- with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
The Psalms have many references to the taking of vows
- Ps 61:5 and Ps 65:1
- Here are two places where the psalmist talks about the vows that he has made before the Lord.
- Asking the Lord for strength that he might perform those vows that he might keep them.

The prophet Isaiah
- Isa-65:16, speaking of these days, the days of Messiah, the New Testament Church,
- That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

Biblical Examples of Vows and Oaths – New Testament

Matt-05:18 and Matt-10:15
- There are people that take vows.
- There are people that that profess this public faith.
Jesus
- Himself every time our Lord said "Verily, verily I say to you"
  - that's a kind of vow.
- Over and again, the Lord Jesus affirms what he's saying with a vow.

John 1:51	John 6:26
John 03:3	John-10:110
John 05:19	John-08:34

The apostle Paul
- Romans-9:1, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,”
- 2 Cor-01:23; 2-Cor-11:31; Gal-01:20
- Heb-06:16, the continuing nature of vows
Zechariah, the Priest, the father of John the Baptist
- Luke 1:67ff
- Compare verses 72 and 73
  - An oath and a covenant are mentioned.
  - What is a covenant?
    - It is an oath that is sworn out.
    - It is oath, it is a promise.
    - With bonds and requirements.
The apostle Peter
- Acts-02:37-41, this promise is to you and to your children
- What promise?
  - The promise that you would receive the Holy Ghost.
- That promise is to you and to your children and to them that are far off even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
- It is simply a continuation of the covenant.

Biblical Examples of Vows - Summary

These concepts of covenant and oath they go together in Scripture.

These are promises and Covenants, and oaths.

Other passages to remember.

Heb 6:13-20
Heb 7:17-24
Ps-110:4

In each of these passages we hear that the Lord Himself has used an oath.

God in heaven has spoken an oath as well.

Conflict in Scripture?

The Scripture have been misinterpreted when people say that we aught not to swear an vow or oath at all.

Especially with regards to Matt-05:33 and James-05:12

We have to understand these verses in their proper context.

We know that if one instance of Scripture seems to contradict another that the issue must lie in our understanding and interpretation.
Certainly, God is not going to one thing here and then say something opposed to it somewhere else.

So how do we understand that? Let's look at the proper use of oaths and vows.

Proper Use of Oaths and Vows

We have clearly seen in Scripture that there are times appropriate for an oath and a vow.

So then, what is the proper use of vows and oaths?

For those times of particular weight and moment.
For example,
- with respect to taking vows and oaths for our eternal souls.
- if we are testifying in a court of law, where someone may be deprived of life, liberty, or property.
- when we get married. We did the same thing.
  - Let’s talk about this one a bit more...

Marriage

Why do we take vows when we get married?
- Those same people that say you should not take an oath at all, still make an oath or vow at their wedding.
Can you imagine this conversation going between a prospective husband and wife?
- "Do you want to get married?"
- "Yes".
- "Ok, when we get married, I'm going to obey the command of Jesus and not take marriage vows."
What do you think the response will be?
- "No, thank you.", most likely.

Those same people that say we shouldn't swear

they still make these vows and oaths, don't they?

Why?

Because they understand it naturally.
But what if they were to understand it spiritually?

Scripturally speaking, marriage is also a matter of life and death.

What was the punishment of adultery in the Old Testament?
- It was death
What was the punishment of fornication marriage, or even after engagement?
- It was death.

Marriage is also an advancement of the Image of God.

It is the way that God has given to advance his image in the world.
It is the great gift that God has given not only to procreate his image.
- but also for the advancement of the people of God
Marriage is for the mutual help of husband and wife .
There is a duty for the furnishing of humanity with a legitimate issue.
- for the preservation of wealth and knowledge
for the furnishing of the Church with a godly seed, a holy seed.
for the prevention of uncleanness.

These are weighty matters, and certainly worthy of vows, are they not?

Civil Service

For example, a peace officer or a soldier?
There is a great responsibility.
There is great authority that ought not to be abused.

Entering into covenant with the Lord God.

Ex 34:1-11
Moses has been away from the people for a while.
He gave them the the 10 Commandments and other instructions.
Moses puts them in a book, and it's called the book of the covenant.
Moses opens the book in the presence of the people.

He has offered 12 sacrifices at 12 pillars, each for one of the tribes are the children of Israel, the blood from the offering is gathered.
Moses reads the book in the audience of the people, all the words of the Lord.
They say, “All that the Lord has commanded, we will do and be obedient.
Moses takes a hyssop branch (it's got a lot of leaves on it and it can pick up a lot of the blood)
- he puts it in the basin where that blood is.
- the blood contains some from each pillar and represents the entirety of the people.
- Everybody is entering into this oath.
Moses takes the blood and sprinkles the people, and he sprinkles the book.

This is signifying life and death as related to the oath.

These people have entered into visible, outward covenant with God.

They will be indicted as covenant breakers because they did not keep that which came forth from their lips.
Their little ones, their slaves, their husbands, their wives, their parents will be indicted.

All of this is very, very important brothers and sisters.

So, we come then to understand that we also are to enter into covenant.

We take these vows.
We see the propriety of taking oaths and vows, especially with regard to the disposition of our souls.

The Seriousness of the Oath and Vow

People are certainly willing to take these oaths and vows....

To pay your mortgage
To work for an earthly master
To buy a car

Why would we not also be willing to take an oath to our heavenly master that He has commanded?

In times of great weight and moment
in things that affect our eternal lives,
in things that affect the eternal disposition of our souls

The Lord is directing, imposing, and requiring the visible church

to the receiving of the administration of the covenant, covenant of grace

Church Membership Demonstrated

Acts 2:36ff - On the day of Pentecost > 3000, souls added

To what/ whom were they added?

in verse 47 "praising God, and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved."

They were added to the church

How were they added?

They were added by a profession of faith and baptism, weren't they?
That covenant, that oath, that promise "was to them, to their children and as many who are far off that the Lord shall call"
according to promises of all of the prophets of old,
- that the promise of the Spirit of God,
- the promise of entering into covenant with God,
- the things signified,
would not only be to them would not only continue to their children.
but would be to the world, far beyond Israel, as the Lord promised to Abraham, and those brought in Jesus Christ.

To what were they added and how were they added?

They were added, in a very similar way to they way they were added, at the base of Sinai in Ex-24
- There was a sprinkling.
- There was a profession.
- They received the covenant.
- They were brought under covenant bonds with the Lord.

Church Membership Explained

This is church membership.
- It is not something that men have made up.
- There are ways of administering the covenant.
- There are examples throughout the days of the New Testament for us to follow the validation and verification of people having made those professions and being part of the people of God.

How does one become part of the people of God?

Do you do that in the privacy of your own home and say, now I'm part of the people of God, I never have to go to church?
- Well, no, that is certainly not the Bible's pattern.
- No, these are very public things.
- This is a public religion.
- This is a social religion as well as a closet religion.

Where and For Whom Does Christ Mediate?

We want to understand that mediation of Christ, that Prophethood of Christ, that Priesthood of Christ, and that Kingship of Christ...

It is not exercised upon the whole world.
It is not exercised to everyone.

For whom does Christ mediate?

Remember what Christ will say in John 17:9

I'm not praying for the world but for those whom thou has given me.
In other words, if Christ doesn't pray for everybody in the world, He doesn't offer for everybody, He doesn’t mediate for everybody in the world.

For whom does Christ pray?

Where do we have, visibly speaking, the mediation of Christ?
For those in the visible church............not outside the church.

Where is the mediation of Christ poured out?

It is not poured out outside the Kingdom of Christ.
It is poured out inside His Kingdom?
It is not poured out to those outside the visible church?
It is poured out inside the visible church?

Those outside the visible church are in the same place as those that have been excommunicated.

They are, in effect, under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19).

They are, in effect, turned over to Satan -> ex-communication, being outside the church where Christ is Head and pours out His blessings and graces and mediation. (1 Tim 1, 1 Cor 5)

Conclusion

So, we want to take vows and church membership seriously.

These are not things to be put off lightly if you profess faith in Christ.

In fact, refusal of these things might be an indicator of a seed of rebellion against God and the governance He has instituted for His people.

When we hear the taking of church vows

When we say publicly and openly, in the presence of God and His people...
- The Lord Jesus Christ is my sovereign Lord.
- And I, I affirm, I vow, I confess that I will follow him in all of his commandments
This is just like when God came to Abraham in Genesis 17 and said,
- "I am thy God, walk before me, and be thou perfect."
This is just like when He came to the people of God in Exodus 24, with a book, and a mediator, Moses and they said,
- “All that the Lord has commanded, we will do and be obedient.”

When we hear the taking of church vows

We are participating in the sovereign administration of the covenant of Grace.
We are coming under the bonds of the covenant.
We are participating in the discriminatory nature of the covenant in that we enter into the visible church – the place of the mediatorial reign of Christ – separated from those outside the church.
We are being promised by God that He will administer His graces to us through the visible church..that He will be a God that is near to us.
We are promising, taking vows, that Christ is our King and Lord and “All that He says to do, we will do”
Finally, we are coming under the headship of Christ as He is the Head of the Church.

Outside of this covenant, there is only darkness and misery.