1689 23.5
1689 London Baptist Confession
23.5. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
A Vow which is not to be made to any Creature, but to God alone, is to be made and performed with all Religious care, and faithfulness: But Popish Monastical Vows, of perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, are so far from being degrees of higher perfection, that they are superstitious, and sinful snares, in which no Christian may intangle himself.
Proof texts
- Psalms 76:11 — [11] Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,
- Genesis 28:20-22 — [20] Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, [21] so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, [22] and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:2, 9 — [2] But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. [9] But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
- Ephesians 4:28 — [28] Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
- Matthew 19:11 — [11] But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
For discussion
- The Assembly cited Psalms 76:11 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
- 5 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
- WCF 22.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
- BC 9.1 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?