Is it morally wrong to commit to do something?

Question: My friend claims that it is morally wrong to commit to do something, but that you always have to say "I'll try to do..." To me when they say "I'll try" it sounds like they are giving a half-hearted attempt to do something. But he says that he fully intends to do it and they just can't say "I'll do..." because if something happens and he can't do it, then it is a lie. In the Bible I found this verse: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." --- Matthew 5:37. From this verse I feel like it is saying that we should say that we will or won't do anything and that our maybe's come from the devil. Am I missing something? Are there any other scriptures that you can lead me to?

Good question. First, let me say that the point of Matthew 5:37 was to preclude the use of oaths or promises as a guarantee that you are telling the truth not to rule out the use of tentative words like maybe, perhaps, and hopefully. Jesus basically says, that we should always be telling the truth. All promises and oaths indicate that honesty is not our normal way of speaking and living. It is also true that the verse in Matthew 5 may be emphasizing caution and commitment. Be careful what you say 'yes' to and what you say 'no' to. It is important to know what God wants you to do (and not to do) and it is important to be a person of your word. If I have a reputation for being a person who does what I say I'll do, then a simple “Yes” or “no” is sufficient. Saying that, I do understand that there are sometimes things that are beyond our control that happen and change our ability to do what we say. For instance, "I'll help at the school tomorrow" and then, you get the flu and cannot help out. You were still sincere when you committed, but were not able due to circumstances beyond your control.

I think the scriptural principle that your friend is alluding to when he warns against definitive statements, is found in James 4:13-17
13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (ESV)

Here it is clear that the purpose is not to forbid being decisive, or committed, but to forbid the arrogance of thinking we can plan our life (either strategically or tactically) while effectively excluding God and his plan for us from the process. The key is not to be legalistic, but to consistently seek God's will and do what you commit to do, in the strength and grace that Jesus provides.

Your friend sounds sincere in his/her concern, but seems to have missed the real intent of this passage. When my son asks me if I will pick him up after practice, I am not going to say, "I'll try." If an earthquake or a car breakdown prevents me from getting him, I am sure it is not sin and I know he is not viewing me as lacking in integrity. When my wife asks me if I will be home for dinner, I don’t hesitate to say yes, though there are times when other things prevent me – and we are not at odds because of it. The Bible doesn’t teach us to avoid commitment, but to keep the commitments that we make; honoring God and loving people in the process.

Is Jeremiah 29:11 a promise for us today?

Ken's full question was: "I often see Jer. 29:11 quoted with the implication that it's a promise for all people. However, since the context is God's promise to the exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon, is this really applicable to you and me?"

What a thoughtful question! It reveals that you are looking at context when considering how to interpret or apply a given passage. Context is very important! It is good to see people thinking about what they are reading the Bereans in Acts 17:11. You are right that Jeremiah 29:11 is frequently quoted as a promise for all people and that it was a specific prophetic promise to those who were going into the Babylonian exile. For those unfamiliar with this passage, here it is …

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV)

Is it any wonder that we would want to apply such an awesome promise to people today? But can we do it with integrity? First we step back and look as you did at the larger context of the paragraph that contains this verse…

10"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

The context can be expanded even wider and we see that the problem for the Jews was that they hadn’t believed God warning of judgment and now that they have been judged they seem to have given in to despair. God here speaks encouragement to them so that they might repent and be eventually restored. To determine if this applies to us today we need to consider what is the same and what is different in our situations. Let’s start with …

What is not the same: We are not ancient Jews in Babylon with a 70 year horizon for returning the land of Israel. Yet Christians have often seen both the bondage of Israel in Egypt and the Babylonian exile of the Jews as typical (a “type” is a precursor, a foreshadowing of something yet to come) of our personal bondage to sin before we have been set free by faith in Christ’s sacrifice.

What is the same? First, God’s character never changes. The OT declares repeatedly that His loving-kindness/steadfast love never fails (e.g., Psalm 136), while the NT affirms the same (e.g., John 3:16-17; Hebrews 13:8). So we can accurately conclude that the beneficent attitude God had towards his OT people is still present in his attitude towards his NT people. Second, man’s need never changes. We all are sinners and need God’ gracious involvement in our lives. Have we mourned over our failures and the sinful things we have done and wondered if God still can use me? We may not be physically deported to modern-day Iraq, but we live in the midst of a very anti-God culture that in many ways is Babylonian…and yes, God still has plans for us! Finally, there are conditions (v.12-13) that were attached to the Jews being able to experience God’s plans for their welfare. Those same conditions would seem to apply to all people today as well. If we are to experience God’s plan for us we must first call on Him (acknowledge our need), coming and praying, seeking God with all our heart and there is the assurance that He will hear us and be found by us (e.g., Matthew 6:31-33; Luke 11:8-10; John 6:35-40; Acts 2:21).

What is better? W e have to ask, “If this was how God dealt with his people under the old covenant, then how much better is his dealing with his people under the new covenant?” Hebrews 8:6 says that we now have a better covenant, mediated by Christ, which is “enacted on better promises.”

In conclusion, the promise found in Jeremiah, may be applied to our lives (because of what is the same and what is better) though we are outside of its immediate context. However, it doesn’t guarantee us a life free from sorrows and hardships. Jesus told us we would have a tough go in this world if we desire to live a godly life (e.g., 2 Tim. 3:12). But though it all we will experience the glory of God’s intimate involvement in our lives… even in the midst of Babylon… if we call to Him, seeking Him and His kingdom with all our hearts! Not only will re experience Christ’s love, peace, and joy in this life, one day He will restore us completely and welcome us into his eternal kingdom thus proving that his ultimate will for us is good.

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