The Big Ten -- What's in a Name

Remember that when we look at the Ten Commandments, we have to start with God, Yahweh, the all-powerful Lord of Hosts, our Provider, our Healer, our leader, the One who gives us life, who is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. The fact that He is the One who gives us the Ten Commandments is what gives the Ten Commandments their context, their power, and their reason for existence. We also pointed out that God gives us the Ten Commandments for our protection — as God wants the very best for us.

In the play, Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s character Juliet asks the question: “what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” The idea is that we are all the same; a name is just what we call something or someone.

But God obviously has some different ideas. The third of the Ten Commandments is this: 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.

I grew up with an idea that this meant “don’t say ‘Oh my God’ unless you are praying.” While this is part of it, it is only a small part.

So what is the big deal with taking God’s name in vain? And what does it mean to take God’s name in vain? To answer this, we have to understand why names are so important. Names have meaning and power.

When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3:13-15)

In biblical times, people believed that names had power and that something or someone’s name expressed its real nature. So God’s name is expressive of his true nature and power. 

What this means is that using God’s name means operating under the power and authority of the name. To be sure, God gives his children the authority to use his name. In John 14:13, Jesus says, And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

To take God’s name in vain is to misuse God’s name. Misusing God’s name is using His authority where He has not authorized that use. We often try to use God’s name for our own interest. We try to manipulate God, using His name to work in our own self-interests. We take Jesus’ words and think that asking in Jesus’ name means as long as we say “in Jesus’ Name” at the end of a prayer, God is forced to do our will. Why is this wrong, since Jesus told us to ask in his name? Shouldn’t we be able to ask for whatever we want?

The problem is that we often say we are asking in Jesus’ name, but in reality we have our own selfish motives in mind. When preachers say “Sow a seed,” or “name it and claim it,” they are really saying that we can manipulate God. That God is nothing more than magic. If you do the hex right, you can force God to act. There is nothing further from the truth! We do not force God to act.

Another way we misuse God’s name is when we say “God said” when God did not speak. When we claim a divine revelation where there has been no such revelation. To say “God says” we must be certain that this is what God really said. There is a strong faction in the church who is always claiming new revelation. There are entire denominations who claim that a living prophet always supersedes a dead prophet — so even if the claimed “word” contradicts something God supposedly said before. These are the same denominations who do not want their members reading the Bible for themselves, as they might just read the Truth.

There is one more way that we take God’s Name in vain, that we misuse the name of God. This one is much more subtle than the other two, but I believe it is also much more common. Sadly we see this all over the world. When we call ourselves “Christian” we are literally calling ourselves “Little Christs.” There is no problem with that, as Christians are always to be growing in our likeness of Christ. However, there are many, many people who call themselves Christian, who even congregate on Sunday mornings, who do not behave like “little Christs.” They have no interest in growing in Christlikeness. They do not spend time in prayer or in the Bible. They neither love God nor serve Him in their daily lives. There are so-called Christian men who abuse their wives or engage in drunkenness and promiscuity. There are so-called Christian women who spend their time in gossip and slander. When there is no difference between Christians and non-Christians in word, thought, and deed.

So what should we do? We must take God’s name seriously. If we spend time with Him and allow Him to transform us, naturally we will begin to work in His Name, according to His will. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what God’s will is for your life, in this situation. Get to know Him, and He will lead you. Then you will act according to His name, in His power and authority — giving Him glory and acting according to His purpose.