Making, Keeping, and Breaking Promises (1)

(The following is an edited email correspondence.)

I have a question regarding what the Bible says about promises, such as what we should do with promises that we made before we became Christians, etc.

Here are several biblical principles:

1. Do not make rash or unnecessary promises.

2. If you have made a promise, keep it.

3. If the promise that you’ve made turns out to be disadvantageous to you, you should still keep it (Psalm 15:4).

The above are sufficient to cover many cases, if not most. But there are other biblical principles that cover additional situations and conditions:

4. There may be a person who is above you in authority that has the right to prevent you from making a given promise, or to annul it even after it has been made.

5. If a promise violates the Word of God (so that you should not have made it in the first place), then, depending on the nature of the promise and other relevant factors, there are times when you still have to keep it, while at other times, you are strictly forbidden to keep it.

Many people already know principles 1–3 and their biblical basis, so I will elaborate on only principles 4 and 5.

(to be continued)

Recommended:

Vincent Cheung, The Sermon on the Mount

Vincent Cheung, Commentary on Ephesians

Gordon Clark, Essays on Ethics and Politics

John Murray, Principles of Conduct