What do you think about making promises to God? Moses said when a man makes a vow to God he must keep it (Numbers 30:1). Also in Ecclesiastes it says when you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. Is it wise to make a vow to God? What can be the outcome if you do not fulfill your vow to God? -- Janice (New York)
It all begins with a promise, doesn't it? When we become Christians in the first place, we pledge "Jesus is Lord." A promise, of course, is not a prediction. Daily reality often contradicts our initial pledge, of which we need continual reminders. (Especially in our weekly observance of the Lord's Supper.) I say this because the New Testament does not specifically forbid making promises to God. I would not want to encourage any of my readers to renege on their promises to the Lord or to man (unless they were ill-advised and harmful to begin with -- see Proverbs 6:1-5).
Jesus, on the other hand, seems to discourage vows and oaths (Matthew 5:33ff). Perhaps not because they are wrong, but rather because our word should be our bond; if we say we will do something, nothing further should be required as evidence of our commitment to do what we said we would do. Many Christians, however, do make vows, or set goals that have quasi-vow status. I think we need to be careful about what we promise, as Solomon warned (Ecclesiastes 5:4). Since we will be judged by our words (Matthew 12:37), we all need to watch what we say.
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