Let your 'yes' be 'yes': The final challenge from James

So, we have finally come to the end of our wander through the letter of James, spotting our respectable sins – those insidious ones that reveal our spiritual double-mindedness.

Well – I thought we’d come to an end then I spotted one we’d missed from James 5v12 which is a bit ironic because he starts with the words “Above all else…”.

“Above all else” must mean this is a big deal. James then, nearly word for word, repeats Jesus’ command from Matthew 5v34-37. James says in v12: “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear – not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Otherwise you will be condemned.”