"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7)
It’s so disappointing to hear people use the name of God flippantly.
God is not our “homeboy.” He is not the “man upstairs.” His name should not be used to express our stress level.
Isaiah 6:3 describes God as “holy, holy, holy.” The word "holy" means set apart or sacred. Our Triune Lord is Holy God the Father, Holy God the Son, and Holy God the Spirit. Instead of being taken in vain, Isaiah 9:6 says that "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." When teaching His disciples how to pray, Jesus said that God’s name should be "hallowed" by us, His creation (Matthew 6:9).
How can we avoid taking God's name in vain? We should avoid abbreviations like “omg” in texting and social media. We should avoid using the name "God," "Lord," "Jesus Christ," or any derivative as a throw-away word. When we casually insert God's name into our conversation, we are reducing Him to nothing. We are verbally emptying God of His glory.
May I suggest thinking twice before devaluing the name of the One who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell"(Matthew 10:28)? Instead, I urge you to reverence His precious and wonderful name. He is worthy.
The above article was written by James C. Johnson. He is the Pastor of Northstone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email him at pastor@northstonebaptist.org
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