Every year since 1937, January 20th of the year is a special day. AMENDMENT XX, section 1, passed by Congress March 2, 1932 and ratified January 23, 1933, reads, “The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3rd day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.” This was first acted upon in 1937 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office for his second term.
Article II, Section I of the Constitution says, “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:–“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The only presidents since 1937 to be sworn in on a date other than which was stipulated by the Constitution was Harry S. Trueman (4/12/45), Lyndon B. Johnson (11/22/63), and Gerald Ford (8/9/74). This was due to the death of Roosevelt, the assassination of Kennedy, and the resignation of Nixon.
Is it a sin to take an oath? Some would cite Matthew 5:33-37 as evidence that reciting an oath is wrong. “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: (34) But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: (35) Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. (36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. (37) But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
Should someone being sworn into office not pledge an oath? What about the person taking the witness stand in court?
First, verse 33 as well as other passages of Scripture forbid swearing falsely. This is perjury and it is sin. Verses 34-36 are explained very well in the Believer’s Bible Commentary. It says, “To swear by God’s Name meant that He was your witness that you were telling the truth. The Jews sought to avoid the impropriety of swearing falsely by God’s Name by substituting heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or their head as that by which they swore.
“Jesus condemns such circumvention of the law as sheer hypocrisy and forbids any form of swearing or oaths in ordinary conversation. Not only was it hypocritical, it was useless to try to avoid swearing by God’s Name by merely substituting another noun for His Name. To swear by heaven is to swear by God’s throne. To swear by the earth is to swear by His footstool. To swear by Jerusalem is to swear by the royal capital. Even to swear by one’s own head involves God because He is the Creator of all.”
As Christians, verse 37 is extremely important. Swearing an oath should be unnecessary to get us to tell the truth. We are never to shade the truth or deceive. Honesty should always come out of our mouths.
So, is it wrong to swear an oath? When I became chaplain for the fire department, my “swearing in” ceremony included the mayor asking me to raise my right hand and take an oath of service to the city. Did I do wrong? Do you do wrong if you must do this and give testimony in court or if you serve in public office?
NO! Again, the Believer’s Bible Commentary says, “Jesus Himself testified under oath before the High Priest (Matthew 26:63). Paul also used an oath to call God as his witness that what he was writing was true (Romans 1:9; 2Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20).” Even God gave oaths (Luke 1:73; Hebrews 6:13).
When we take an oath, we need to be sure that it is merely the reinforcement of an already truthful individual, not something that is making us be truthful. And, by taking that oath, we need to realize that our responsibility lies higher than a court, city, state, or nation. It is before God.
