“O Buddha!” “For Mohammed’s Sake!” “O my Cosmic Force!” Not your usual way of swearing, eh? Why is it always the Lord’s name which is taken in vain? The 3rd commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” God forbids us to use His name vainly, emptied of the majesty of His Being, or to associate His name with anything contrary to His will.
Do our words dishonor God’s name? God’s name is violated in prayer by words to God (“do not use vain repetition” Mt 6:7); in preaching by words for God (“preaching another Jesus” II Cor 11:4); and by words spoken about God. “Thine enemies take Thy name in vain.” (Ps 139:20)
God’s name is also violated by hypocritical deeds. “Why do you call Me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Lk 6:46). It is blasphemy when so-called “Christians” who call Jesus “Lord” yet live in anger, sexual sin, dishonesty, thievery, gossip and greed; who rob God of His worship and dishonor His Sabbath. Those who say that Jesus saves from sin, and then willfully practice sin, violate Jesus’ name as “Lord and Savior”. The unsaved do not conclude that the man is a hypocrite, but that Jesus does not save. Thus God’s name is twice violated, by the hypocrite and the unbeliever. “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Rom 2:24). Hypocrites, please, repent of your hypocrisy or disassociate from the name of Jesus.
Jesus is Yahweh, Jehovah, God incarnate acting in covenant faithfulness to save His people. Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification. “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,… and… every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Phil 2:9-11) “For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:13) Whoever confesses that Jesus is Lord and obediently lives by faith in Him, obeys the third commandment.
All rights reserved.