I want to look at now the third commandment: You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. I think this is one of the most misunderstood of the commandments, and it’s probably one of the most easily broken commandments because it’s so misunderstood.
Why should I not take the Lord’s name in vain? Because “the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This is no idle threat. It’s simply a statement of fact.
What are some ways that we take the Lord’s name in vain?
Practical Principles
- A lot of people will use the Lord’s name to punctuate their sentences, because there is power in the name of Jesus.
- Swearing to God. Why would you have to ever say, “I swear to God, it’s true”? Probably because you’re not known to be a truthful person. But Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”
- Not mentioning it at all. Give God the glory He deserves.
- Using the Lord’s name in an empty, idle, insincere, or frivolous way. Some people will say the Lord’s name over and over without any awareness that they’re saying it.
- Just saying, “Oh my God!” all the time. It’s a default expression. But do you really mean to invoke the name of the most high God for something superficial?
- For personal gain. Sometimes people will use the name of the Lord to get a sale.
- Claiming to speak for God when you aren’t speaking for God. If you say that the Lord told you something, you’d better be sure it was really God.
- Using His name in a way that’s insincere or phony. You may be singing at the top of your lungs, but your heart and your mind are not engaged. You’re drawing near to Him with your lips, but your heart is far from Him.
Relevant Reminders
- C. S. Lewis said, “Even atheists have moments of doubt.”
- Philippians 2:9 says of Jesus, “God has exalted him to the highest place and given him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- There’s healing in the name of Jesus.
- Christians should be the hardest workers. They should have the most integrity. They should be the most honest people—putting in the extra work, and going the extra mile.
Applicable Actions
The Ten Commandments were given to show us that we need Jesus, He’s the only one who ever lived by all of the Ten Commandments. Because we have broken them, we need to be forgiven. That’s why Jesus died for us on the cross and shed His blood for us. He took the penalty of the Ten Commandments upon Himself and faced the full wrath of God so you don’t have to. If you’ll turn from your sin and believe in Jesus, you can be forgiven.
