About Oaths

³³ “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’ ³⁴ But I tell you don’t swear an oath at all. Don’t swear an oath by heaven, which is God’s throne, ³⁵ or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. ³⁶ And don’t swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. ³⁷ Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. ⁴⁵ In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! ⁴⁷ Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! ⁴⁸ That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

God’s Anger against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ God’s anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living. ¹⁹ What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them. ²⁰ From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. ²¹ They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness. ²² While claiming to be wise, they became fools. ²³ They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.

²⁴ For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other. ²⁵ These people have exchanged God’s truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!

²⁶ For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.

²⁸ And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things. ²⁹ Their lives are filled with all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don’t obey their parents, ³¹ don’t have any sense, don’t keep promises, and don’t show love to their own families or mercy to others. ³² Although they know God’s judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.

Love One Another

⁸ Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings. ⁹ The commandments, “Never commit adultery; never murder; never steal; never have wrong desires,” and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ¹⁰ Love never does anything that is harmful to a neighbor. Therefore, love fulfills Moses’ Teachings.

¹³ You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love. ¹⁴ All of Moses’ Teachings are summarized in a single statement, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you criticize and attack each other, be careful that you don’t destroy each other.

¹⁶ Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. ¹⁷ What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants, and what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other. As a result, you don’t always do what you intend to do. ¹⁸ If your spiritual nature is your guide, you are not subject to Moses’ laws.

¹⁹ Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, drug use, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambition, conflict, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do these kinds of things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Yeshua have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by our spiritual nature, then our lives need to conform to our spiritual nature. ²⁶ We can’t allow ourselves to act arrogantly and to provoke or envy each other.