The Nature of Our Vow
Covenanted Christian Relationships require a voluntary vow.
What is that nature of that vow? And what is it’s Christian (i.e. biblical and theological) justification if it is to remain truly “Christian”?
In our antinomian age, those who have no faith will ask out loud with all seriousness what difference a “piece of paper” or a “church service” mean in order to make a series of sexual liaisons and cohabitation into a “marriage”? Christians may sneer at this and consider themselves to hold higher views of living in God’s World, but, when pressed, today’s lukewarm Christians are programmed to consider voluntary vows and too much talk of obedience as “legalism”. “We’re under grace” they chime as if those words make the cross Jesus’ calls us to bear vanish into thin air! Obedience to any holy norm, so the thinking goes, is “Old Testament” and passe – unbefitting the “New Testament Christian”.
But consider for a moment this “New Testament” truth: In the sacrament of Baptism, Christians are “raised to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4). That reality of which Baptism is the sign and seal – the resurrection of Jesus Christ Himself which imparts new life to us – implicitly requires all the recipients of Baptism to live by certain holy standards. That implicit requirement is made explicit in the Baptismal vows most Christians affirm – belief in the cardinal doctrines of the Christian Faith (The Apostle’s Creed) and the pledge to walk in a morally upright way (i.e. Observe the Scriptures overall and, in particular, the Ten Commandments).
The voluntary vow(s) connected to Covenanted Christian Relationships are nothing other than voluntary pledges, with God’s help, to walk in newness of life in the fellowship of other Christian Brothers in a way distinctively different than evident in the lax and lukewarm Christianity of our age. Such vows are an extension and amplification of our baptismal vows as they relate to others who pledge themselves to the same standards.
For example, many groups these days call themselves “____________ Anonymous” to emphasize the ordinary confidentiality of their conversations (except of course when the intent to participate in serious crimes is revealed and confidentiality would involve the hurt of another) . But this is only common Christian courtesy for those who recognize the scriptural admonition not to gossip (Proverbs 11:13). Like common sense, common Christian courtesy isn’t so common! A vow of confidentiality (conditioned on the innocent intent and Christ following intent of the speaker) allows Christian men to escape the natural isolation and friendlessness plaguing our culture, and enter more fully into Christian friendship, fellowship, and mission. By including such language in the form of a vow, the expectation of confidentiality is expressed openly and upfront. Men then recognize their obligation to maintain confidences and nobody can say “I didn’t know” as they can in most “Bible Study” and “Fellowship” groups they come to in the average church.Through a vow they are reminded, in the words of our Lord (Matthew 7:12) to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
When we are betrayed and confidence is broken, then trust is shattered. In the taking of a vow we call ourselves in advance to understand the shame of betrayal, it’s steep cost terms of broken trust, and to pledge ourselves to Christian self-control lest the damage we may wreak on others come back to haunt us. In this way the vow restates our Baptismal Covenant and applies it’s dictates to the particular life we share in fellowship with our “Band of Brothers”. In the practice of such Christian diligence among God’s household, we trust that similar faithfulness will overflow to all we encounter (Galatians 6:10).
Learn more at: Protestant – Of Course!