As much as I am ashamed to admit it, there have been times when I have failed to keep my word. There have been times when I have forgotten, though that does not excuse; and, unfortunately, there have been times in the past where simply chose not to do what I said that I would. In this I sinned. “A man’s word is his bond” is absolutely a biblical principle. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:37? “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” In other words, if you tell someone that you are going to do a thing, do it!

However, why would the Lord say that anything more than this is from the evil one? I believe that the answer is found in John 8:44, where Jesus says to some unbelieving Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

To tell someone that you are going to do something and then not do it is a lie, plain and simple. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among the brethren.”

I believe that this has become a very serious problem among Christians. Let us think of some biblical principles that apply when it comes to keeping our word to our brethren. First of all, when we become Christians we have entered into an agreement with God that we would love Him and be obedient to Him. Thus, to break a command, including not keeping our word, is a sin against God (Genesis 39:9; Acts 5:4). Second, every attribute and characteristic of love is against breaking a promise to a brother or sister in Christ (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Third, respect and honor toward my brethren demands that I be honest with them (Romans 12:10). Fourth, what would Jesus do? I suppose that this is the first and last question that we need to ask, isn’t it?

Let’s consider some of the most often expressed reasons given by Christians for failures in keeping their word. The one that preachers seem to enjoy offering the most is that “things just got too busy.” Sometimes preachers have a tendency to talk and act as though they are the only people whose plate stays full. We don’t really believe that we are the only one’s who get busy, but we do like for others to know how busy we are from time to time! I understand that occasionally unforeseen circumstances arise, but as preachers we are generally able to plan out our own schedules. Usually we know exactly how busy we will be when we make a promise. If I know when I make it that I will probably not be able to keep it, I had better not make it to begin with.

You also hear many Christians simply saying “I forgot.” This happens from time to time. I have done this from time to time. Yet is not part of loving, respecting, honoring, and preferring my brethren over myself making sure that I keep my promises to them? If I am unable to remember promises, particularly ones made a long period of time before their required fulfillment, can I not write them down somewhere so as to remind myself?

If the problem is that I simply do not love and honor my brethren enough to keep my promises to them then I have a problem that requires much more space then is available here. I certainly pray that this is not the case for any of us here at Evendale.

The fact is that if I love my brethren and prefer them over and above myself, then I am going to keep my word to them simply because I am a Christian and as such have no other option. If things are too busy for the fulfilling of the promise then why would I ever make it to begin with? At the very least I could qualify the promise by letting them know immediately that circumstances may reach the point where I will be unable to keep my promise. Few things can cause a loss of trust among brethren as does lying to them. At the end of the day, our brethren are the ones trying to help us make it to heaven. If there was ever a group of people to whom we owed our upmost honesty and faithfulness, would it not be them? Think about these things.

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