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The Name of the Lord
By Watchman | August 22, 2010
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”—The Third Commandment, Exodus 20:7
What part of “You shall not” do we as Christians not quite understand when it comes to the third of the Ten Commandments? The word God has given this particular sin is blasphemy. Blasphemy, as the word is used in the Scriptures, is speaking evilly of our Lord; defaming His name either by word or deed. It is to deliberately demean what is the holiest name in all of the universe. That unbelievers take the name of the Lord in vain constantly is not all that surprising; that Christians often do so without compunction is both inexplicable and inexcusable.
Some of the blame for the casual use of God’s name as a swear word may rest upon those in charge of many of our churches. Even some preachers and priests use God’s name irreverently with frequency, and it is a subject rarely addressed from the pulpit although it is probably the most commonly-broken commandment. To many, nowadays, I suspect the pervasiveness of violence, anger and mean-spiritedness has thrust the misuse of God’s name into a background of sins they consider to be of lesser importance. God tells us clearly, however, that He “will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Doubtless also is the fact that the use of the names of God or Jesus merely as swear words in movies and on television has blunted our sensitivity toward blasphemy. It is the rare television show indeed that avoids the phrases, “My God!” or “Christ!” although many shows carefully avoid the depiction of good Christians praying earnestly or any mention of Jesus in a worshipful manner. When I was a child (right after we stepped off the ark), even the liberally-inclined Hollywood producers hesitated to allow even the bad guys to swear using God’s name. Now it is so common that Christians rarely notice it unless the blasphemy against God is so egregious it is impossible to ignore, like comedienne Kathy Griffon’s offensive shout of “Screw you, Jesus! This is my idol now!” as she accepted her cable award. The rationale behind this Christian acceptance of blasphemy seems to be a philosophical, “Well, it could be worse words they’re saying.” I am not convinced that that is true. While I know that we are to reject all uncleanness of language, blasphemy against God was considered by the Father to be of such importance that He placed it high upon the list of “You shall nots.”
When we first come to the Lord, it can take a very long time for the Holy Spirit to convict us of all those bad habits and sins that we continue to commit. It may take years of work on the part of God to teach us what we need to change, and an extraordinary amount of self-discipline. Sadly, since blasphemy is no longer considered taboo, many Christians may never even consider that each time they yell “Oh my God!” or forget to teach their children not to use the “OMG!” when texting they are abusing the name of God (taking it in vain) and are hurting the One who has granted us our salvation. Will we be sent to hell if we slip up and break the third commandment? No. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take this sin along with all others upon Himself on the cross so that we might be saved, but we can still wound the One who loves us and whom we love in return. Surely putting a watch upon our mouths and our hearts is an appropriate response to His great gift of mercy and grace.
Maranatha!
Topics: According to Scripture, Kingdom Living | No Comments »