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PINKY PROMISE

When I was a kid there were varying levels of seriousness when it came to commitments.

It often times went like this:

"Will you do this?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

In other words, depending on how series something was, you needed multiple layers of "Yes" from the committing party.

When Paul talks about being filled with the Spirit, he talks about it in such a way that this ought not to be the case.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:17

Paul is recounting some of his words to the Corinthians when he says:

17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?

Now in this scenario, Paul is actually having the cancel his plans.

He had told them he was going to be there, but some things came up in which he is not able to make them.

However, he wants to reinforce to the Corinthians that he is not speaking or living in a fickle way, but that everything he says is intentional and carries weight.

This is a core teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:34-37:

34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

YES AND NO.

In other words, Paul (and Jesus!) assume that the life marked by the Spirit is a life in which our words carry weight.

Our singular yes is to be understood as a "Yes."

Our singular no is to be understood as a "No."

This is the community of the Spirit.

A community in which words matter, they carry weight, are powerful and effective.

Even further, let's not forget the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 12:36:

36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty/idle/lazy word they have spoken.

The community marked by the Spirit is to be a community that:

  • Speaks often words of wisdom, knowledge, encouragement
  • Refrains from words that are empty, idle, and lazy
  • Ensures their "Yes" is yes and their "No" is no.

Speak knowing your words carry weight.