Thank you for the Bible question, “Why do people swear on a Bible when the Bible itself tells us not to swear by anything in Heaven or on Earth?”
Here are some thoughts of why a person swear on a Bible:
A. A person swears on the Bible in acknowledgement that s/he is under the authority of God and that God will hold him/her accountable for his/her actions.
B. A person swears on the Bible to call upon God to be his witness or the “second” witness in the absence of another person.
C. A person swears on the Bible to reflect the most sacred belief and value in one’s life.
D. A person swears on the Bible to give the other person the assurance or comfort that the oath giver will fulfill one’s word.
E. A person swears on the Bible on a Bible out of a family or national tradition.
F. A person swears on the Bible for a historical photo record.
In our modern culture today, the swearing on the Bible is more of a historical photo record than a recognition of being under the authority of God and being accountable to God.
The Scripture discourages swearing or giving an oath for no person knows whether one can actually fulfill that promise. That person is not in control of his life or his circumstances, but one presumes that one can reasonably fulfill what one promises. To use God’s name is to make God a party of that promise. Since one doesn’t know the will of God, it is presumptuous to think that God will enable that person to fulfill one’s promise. God may have other plans for each person.
SUMMARY: A person may swear on the Bible because of tradition, not that s/he believes in the Bible.
For more perspectives: