Lesson 32: Doing Right when Wronged (part 3)
Read James 5:7-12 – www.bible.com/bible/59/jas.5.esv

James 5:12 – Now we come to the last passage which says ‘do not swear.’ The word for swear as used in the Bible means to grasp something sacred firmly, for the purpose of supporting what you’re saying or doing. Christians should not have to rely on this because our words should be so riveted to truth that swearing or using oaths is unnecessary.

In the middle of suffering it is easy to make oaths you can’t keep. This is because we are caught up in the heat of the moment, with our eyes only focused on the present. Instead we should wait quietly for the outcome, because that is when insight will come. (James 5:11) James seems to be advocating plainness of speech for the believers. Rather than piously invoking a sacred presence upon all that we say, we should avoid appearing super-spiritual and endure trials with humility and simplicity.

In conclusion:

We started this passage a few days ago by looking at the ability to walk away when we would really like to fight back or seek revenge. Let’s look one more time at the four things God gives us to help us walk away rather than fight:
1. Patience – wait for God, for His timing. His time is always perfect, and vengeance is His (Romans 12:19).
2. Strengthen your heart – when you are discouraged, remember the 50:20 Principle (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28).
3. Do not complain – patience is not passive acceptance, but frees our hearts to struggle with God’s help to grow our faith stronger (Job 19:25 and 42:12).
4. Do not swear – we do not need to make promises to God that we can’t keep, just to get Him to help us through our struggle (Romans 12:1-2).


Walking away when wronged is not a walk of ease. It is tough, so tough that it requires super-natural empowering. That’s why these 4 characteristics are gifts. God wishes to give you these traits so that they can be a comfortable part of your attitude wardrobe. Try one on, one size fits all.

*Thought question: If God has said He has given us the victory over evil, why does He sometimes ask us to walk away from that evil?