What does it mean to you to ‘take the Lord’s name in vain?" For many, it means simply to use any number of four-lettered words. To others, it means to invoke the name of God as part of those vulgar words. Let’s look to the third commandment to see how the Lord wants us to look at the subject.

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The Amplified Bible states in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” We see right from the Word of God that to use the Lord’s name in vain is to use it in any context that is not worshipful or reverent. The Psalms are full of praise for God’s name. "Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His name YAH, and rejoice before Him." (Psalm 68:4). "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; his glory is above the earth and heaven" (Psalm 148:13). "Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious" (Psalm 66:1–2). If we casually use God’s name, to express shock, surprise, or even profanity, we are actually showing contempt for the Creator of the Universe.

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In the move entitled, “Time Changers” the main character (who is a chaste and godly man) gets into a time machine that transports him from the late 1800’s into the present age. He joins a “modern” church and attends an outing to a movie theatre with the church members. At the end of that scene, he rushes out of the main theatre and demands that the movie be shut down. In a panicked tone, he explains to theatre staff that one of the characters had used the Lord’s name in vain. The staff simply laughed at him. What disturbed me is that I and many in the audience at the church of nearly 1000 watching this film, also laughed as if we were all saying to that character, “lighten up… it’s no big deal… don’t be so rigid”. Conviction fell on me immediately. I realized then how far our culture had fallen in this area. Even now, many of you reading his may be thinking, “what’s the big deal? Aren’t you taking things a little extreme?” We have to look at the things of God from His perspective, not our own. He said Himself that we will be held guilty if we use His name irreverently.

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One way that we continually transgress the third commandment in the English-speaking world is by the use of the phrase seen peppered throughout every online chat message as “OMG”. Sadly, this sin is a matter of daily life for most teenage girls. Even if a person takes that to mean, "Oh My Gosh", there is still a problem. About 60-70 years ago, people knew it was wrong to use the Lord’s name irreverently, so to satisfy the flesh, they created altered versions of some of the more popular phrases. Have you ever wondered where the phrases, “Gee” or “Gosh” or “Dog Gonnit” came from? Don’t they sound a lot like, “Jesus”, “God” and… well you can figure that last one out for yourself. They are euphemisms… substitutions of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensively blunt or harsh.

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Scripture makes it clear that God places great importance on His name. In Isaiah 9:6, He is called "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"… all terms of honor and reverence. Through the prophet Malachi, God said, "But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2).

In what ways should we use God’s name? In the New Testament, Christ instructed His disciples to pray to God the Father through His name. "And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). And when we pray, we should give honor to God’s name. "In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name" (Matthew 6:9). The disciples healed the sick through the name of Jesus Christ. "Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk’" (Acts 3:6). James instructed the church to continue to follow that example. He said, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). Paul told the church at Ephesus, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29).

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The words we use are important to God. We should ensure that our speaking reflects our honor and reverence for Him. All things considered, what have you got to lose by working those phrases out of your vocabulary? On the contrary, you have much to gain by honoring God with your speech.