James 5 Footnotes

5:12 Skeptics argue that when James stated, “Above all … do not swear,” he was saying that taking an oath is the worst sin a believer may commit. However, James was instead instructing his readers not to use oaths flippantly to guarantee the truth of their statements (see Mt 5:34-37). James’s readers were being persecuted by the wicked rich (Jms 5:1-6). Consequently, he urged them to be patient until the Lord returned (vv. 7-8) and provided them with three examples of patience to emulate: the farmer (v. 7), the prophets (v. 10), and Job (v. 11). James admonished his readers not to complain about one another while enduring trials (v. 9). Above all, they were not to deny their Lord in the face of persecution. And when asked whether they were Christians by those who would persecute them, James’s readers were not to swear to God, to heaven, or to earth, using oaths to support their claims. Rather, when interrogated, they were simply and sincerely to say yes or no (v. 12). In this way they would not fall under judgment for their sin.

This understanding acts as a climax to James’s statement on endurance in v. 11 and makes good sense of the problematic phrase “above all” that he used initially in v. 12.