Ask Us

Return to Answers List

Answers

I have a question about an article I read on keeping vows. I don't know if you answer such questions. If you do not, that's fine. Please do not respond if you are too busy. The passages I looked at or briefly reviewed are Lev 27, Num 30:2, Judges 11, Ecc 5:4-6, Matt 5:33, Matt 23:16 and Acts 5. The Old Testament seems to be very clear about the seriousness of vows - Jephthah's daughter didn't even make the vow herself, for example. Ananias and Saphira in the New Testament broke a vow too and God took their lives (but they also lied). First of all, I am going through an absolutely HORRIBLE TIME!!! I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and struggle almost constantly with Scrupulosity. I have a strong tendency toward legalism, and I feel so locked up in bondage right now I am in deep despair and depression. I feel like my Christian life is to much to bear - the first love - the joy seems to be almost completely gone. I think part of this is that I fear I have made countless vows - many ridiculous. I'm sure there are dozens - maybe dozens upon dozens that I don't remember. I read in the article that if a vow causes me to do something God says is wrong, it is evil and can be repented of. However, none of my vows cause me to do anything evil, just to do things that feel like bondage to me (but this may just be a bad attitude - I'm sure Jephthah felt some bondage!!!) Here are some examples: - Telling God I would always wipe the individual hairs off the sink with a cloth and not ever wash them down the drain - clearly weird - Telling God I will read a chapter of the Bible every day (not inherently weird) - Telling God I will wear makeup every day (to look and be my best)- maybe a little weird The other problem is that I'M NOT EVEN SURE I actually vowed the things above!!! I am SO CONFUSED!!! I was taught that when I pray for forgiveness, the intent should never be to do that thing again. So I pray something like, "God please forgive me for not putting on my makeup. I won't do it again". It would seem insincere to just ask for forgiveness without an intent to change (I could be wrong here though.) Anyway, the problem with that is that after I've asked for forgiveness I often later realize that the thing wasn't wrong to begin with and then am stuck with a promise that does not seem beneficial (or at least to me - which may simply be selfish disobedience). I know the principle of let your yes be yes and no be no, so even if I didn't say outright "I'm vowing or I'm promising", it's still a promise, right? Or maybe a vow is a more purposeful thing - but Jephthah said his pretty hastily. I don't know. So...sorry for the ramblings... 1.) How do I know if I've made a vow? How should I pray when I ask for forgiveness to avoid making vows that are not wise? 2.) Do I need to keep vows such as these? How do they compare to the kinds of vows people made in the Old Testament? I know I shouldn't keep a vow that actually causes me to disobey God's word, but I don't think any of these things would cause me to sin. I do feel miserable though - but again, so did Jephthah. I know I can receive forgiveness for not keeping them, but my question is am I obligated to try to keep them now? 3.) If there are vows I've made and can't remember, am I under a curse? 4.) If I do disobey them, am I under a curse? Am I in danger of losing my salvation? I have received responses from others that say I'm forgiven. I know I'm forgiven for not keeping the vows like I said I would. My main issue now is whether I need to KEEP trying to keep them to avoid WILLFUL SIN. My understanding of repentance is that you don't just say sorry and keep doing it. Thank you so very much, if you do have time to answer.

Most of the references to vows in the Bible are referring to a type of offering to God. A person might vow to give $1000 to the building program and it would be similar to making the vow that is mentioned in the Bible. The vow of Jephthah falls within this category. Even though the offering ended up being his daughter, his intent was to give something to the Lord. There is also another type of vow in the Bible. This is a vow of a dedicated life. The nazirite vow was of this nature. A person who took a nazirite vow promised to separate himself as an act of worship by abstaining from alcohol, by not cutting his hair and by not touching a dead body. A person might choose to do this for a specific period of time or for the rest of his life. This appears to be the case with Samson, but if you may recall, he violated every one of these conditions.

It can be said that in all cases when a vow was made, the people who made the vow intended for it to be taken as a vow and that it be binding upon them. While there were some vows that were ill advised, the people who made the vows saw it as more than just an expression of intent to do something.

As we look at the vows we might make today, if it is a vow to God it will either be something that we agree to give to God or something that improves our relationship with God. The vows we make to God show our desire to benefit him in some way.

Many times, we may express a desire to God that we will do something that is actually for our own benefit. The intent to clean the sink is actually for your own benefit. The intent to put on makeup everyday, is also for your own benefit. Probably the best way to understand these vows is that they are vows that you have made to yourself rather than to God, even though you have expressed the desire to God.

While we should not take a vow to God lightly and we should try to keep every vow that we make, there are some vows that we find it impossible to keep. If we have forgotten that we vowed a vow or we no longer have the financial ability to cover our vow, we do not need to fear that God will strike us dead. God would much rather have a good relationship with us than for us to be fretting over vows that we have failed to keep. In your case, the best thing to do is to ask God to forgive you for making any vows that you are unable to keep and to enable you to keep any of the other vows that he wants you to keep. When God forgives, he forgives completely, so if you ask him to forgive you, you can move forward as if the slate is clean. That is not to say that you should make a vow with the intent that you will come back later and ask God to forgive you that vow.

Certainly, it is better not to vow than to fail to pay that vow, but God does not want you worried about things you cannot control. You asked if you are in danger of losing your salvation because you are unable to keep vows that you cannot remember. I can assure you that you are not. The same Jesus that has the power to save us has the power to keep us. While sin can harm the Christian many ways, even to death, there is no need for a Christian to worry about losing salvation.