meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

Taking Our Promises Seriously

Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

Ligonier Ministries

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.91.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2026

⏱️ 4 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The world may entice us to play loosely with our promises, but God demands that we be people of our word. Today, R.C. Sproul underscores the gravity of our oaths and vows in the sight of the Lord.

Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/ultimately-with-rc-sproul/taking-our-promises-seriously/

Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/

A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/

Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Now, the Bible cautions us to be very careful about taking vows and oaths and entering into solemn

0:09.8

pacts and agreements.

0:15.6

God takes promises and vows very seriously.

0:31.6

One of the problems that we face in our culture today that has become a very serious issue is the breakdown of our whole system of contracts and covenants that are based upon solemn

0:43.4

promises on sacred vows and holy oaths.

0:51.3

God takes promises and oaths and vows very seriously.

0:58.3

But we live in a culture today that just seems to play loosely with promises.

1:05.3

We've seen the disintegration of the institution of marriage, where there's a willy-nilly violation of vows that take place

1:14.4

all the time. We make promises with our fingers crossed so that if the thing that we hadn't

1:23.1

anticipated comes to pass after we've entered into the agreement, we went out of the agreement.

1:30.2

I read almost every day in the newspaper, in the sporting pages, about some athlete who is now

1:37.5

asking to renegotiate his contract because he's had a better season than he thought he would have. And he realizes now

1:48.8

that his market value has increased significantly from the day he first entered into his agreement.

1:56.6

We don't just see this in the sporting world. We see it in the workplace every day, where somebody

2:02.8

agrees to certain remuneration and employment stipulations. They're not there very long,

2:10.9

and they're demanding changes in the terms of their contract. And this has become acceptable behavior. Now the Bible cautions

2:22.8

us to be very careful about taking vows and oaths and entering into solemn packs and

2:31.3

agreements. For this reason, as the Bible tells us, it is better never to vow than to vow and not pay.

2:48.0

Because if I don't take my vow seriously and you don't take your vow seriously,

2:54.6

God does take it seriously.

3:03.6

Thanks for listening to Ultimately with R.C. Sprole.

3:07.9

To hear more trusted teaching from Dr. Sproill and other gifted teachers,

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 8 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ligonier Ministries, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ligonier Ministries and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.