Bible Study Notes for James 5:12

Let Your Yes be Yes
Self-love vs. Self Sacrifice
(James 5:12)

QUESTION: When you “adjusted” the truth a little or didn’t give all of the information needed, what caused you to justify that action? What motivated you to know to tell the truth or keep a promise?

James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation

Ever wonder why the little boy who cried wolf decided to lie? Lying is the result of selfishness, and selfishness results from self-love. We usually think of the little boy who cried wolf as a moral story of always telling the truth. The story's real moral should be that when you love yourself more than you love others, you will put them and yourself in danger and never achieve what you selfishly pursued.

James is bringing his letter to a conclusion stating, “above all,” because it is the capstone of the issue within the church. Self-love and self-preservation. James is using the same wording and understanding that Jesus had taught his disciples.

Matt. 5:37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Jesus cuts to the very heart of the matter. To not hold to a promise is evil. To use your words to manipulate someone or something comes from not a pure heart of love but a heart of evil. If Christians do not speak the truth, always, no matter what, how can we be trusted to be the proclaimers of the ultimate truth, the gospel? We may think it is loving to withhold the truth, but are we truly doing this for their benefit or ours? Is it just easier not to deal with the fallout?

When we think of love, we think of kind words spoken gently. But love is not simply a feeling or words spoken with a certain tone. Love requires self-sacrifice. Love is suffering for the benefit of another. Jesus’s description of love:

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.

This is the ultimate display of love, to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of another. James’s conclusion is that our words should match our motivations. What is hard for us to see, and why Jesus and James speak in this way, is that the world has convinced us that self-love and self-preservation is the only way we will ever be happy in this life. The natural motivation behind all human action is happiness and comfort. And we will often take whatever necessary actions to achieve that goal.

We blame the problem of our marriage on our spouse. See the way our children act, and we don’t like what we see.

Why is that? Because they are acting just like us, selfishly. Relationships developed on selfish premises are bound for destruction. We will lie, cheat, break promises, or take advantage of anyone who will help us accomplish our ultimate goal, happiness. The sad reality is that these actions never achieve happiness.

QUESTION: How have you seen selfishness and dishonesty hurt the relationships in your life?

These types of attitudes and actions only bring judgment and not joy to one another. They will be condemned as worthless and of no value for the praise of the Father and the advancement of the kingdom. James has already given us the reason why self-sacrifice is the only true way to show love and find real satisfaction in this life. We are not simply suffering during this life waiting for death, but we are providing hope in anticipation of what is to come.

James 1:9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

In Christ, we have been promised life, a new body, a new home, and every blessing possible from the Father. When we forget these truths, James points out what happens:

James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
James 4:2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

How does James motivate them to return to true happiness and joy within this relationship with God?

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We can’t see how submitting to God, and His Word is going to bring us joy because our hearts are blinded by the sin of selfishness. What does James use to open our eyes to our selfishness? We have all heard parents use guilt to change a child’s actions, “do you know how many kids go hungry each day?” Does that guilt then create gratitude within the child’s heart? No, it only gets them to finish a few bites on their plate, wondering how starving kids are benefited from eating the last few peas.

What does James say to those fighting with each other?

James 4:6 But he gives more grace.

James uses grace to draw their attention back to God. Not fear. Not Law. He doesn’t question their salvation. He doesn’t give them an ultimatum. He says, for that sin, there is still a way to return.
And how is it that we return? “Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

In humility, we run back to the father’s loving arms and admit we have nothing. Humility means to admit one has nothing of value. God gives grace to those who come to him, offering nothing, holding up empty hands. What does selfishness do? It grasps tightly to what it values. And what is it that it values? Self. This is why James writes:

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.


Question: How can we use grace to motivate each other to love sacrificially?

Question: Why is it hard to see grace as the motivation for our change of heart instead of fear or guilt?

Question: How can we help each other when we give in to our selfishness and hurt those around us by lying or breaking a promise?


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