Throughout the Tanakh, the Old Testament, God, speaks through people who called out to Him and recognised Him, like Abraham and Moses and the prophets. He was revealing Himself to let us know who He is. The words we call The Ten Commandments were given to Moses when God was working out His purposes by covenanting with Israel to make them His special people. The Ten Commandments were the basics of how to live in accord with Him.

After all, God is Creator of the universe. He made mankind in His own image. It stands to reason therefore that living in accord with Him could bring us to perfection, could bring blessing, peace and prosperity in every area of life, including physical and mental health, and equip us for the eternal place with Him that is promised (Jn 14:3).

The third Commandment essentially declares the loving jealousy of God towards His people, His longing for us to remain true to Him. It says, “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.” (Ex 20:7, NKJV.)

Love and respect

In loving kindness God has been developing throughout the centuries a personal relationship with all His people, both Jews and Gentiles. He urgently desires us to know Him personally. He even sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to live here as one of us so that we might know Him more intimately. Jesus told us, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (Jn 14:9-10.) So knowing Jesus reveals Father God. He brings us to the Father. God will respond with loving kindness to those of us who come to Him through Jesus, and who thereafter go along with Him as disciples.

... living in accord with Him could bring us to perfection, could bring blessing, peace and prosperity in every area of life, including physical and mental health, and equip us for the eternal place with Him that is promised

If you can love and respect the person to whom interesting things are attributed, your heart will be in it. When your heart is warmed by Jesus you will receive Holy Spirit. We know Him through His Spirit. That is why Paul says in Romans 10:8, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart - that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.”

Those who don’t go along with God like this will actually be taking His name in vain, for His name represents the living person not His factual attributes. No one can really know Jesus through objectifying Him in any way or simply taking Him for granted. Just seeing the goodness of the man, or just being obedient to a set of what may appear to be commandments and rules from the Bible without your heart being moved to love Him personally is lifeless and actually somewhat stressful.

Thus the judgement of God falls upon people who do not have Holy Spirit and whose knowledge of God is therefore flawed – which sadly describes much of the Church. Without repentance, those who take His name in vain like this should expect His judgement, for God really is in charge, and working out His purposes. We see this from the signs of the times.

What’s in a name?

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.” (2 Sam 22:31, Ps 18:30.)

As for me, my name is John. With me, as with any other human being, you may be able to see hidden issues and faults in my person. That might present no problem provided you don’t use it against me. If you use my name when referring personally to me without truly knowing me, you will probably misrepresent me. If you do not care really to know me, but talk about me, you will objectify me and probably make presumptions which will cause you to take my name in vain. If you derive your knowledge of me by making an objective assessment of me simply by facts you deduce about me, I shall defend myself against your assessment and shall not easily relax with you into allowing myself to be known by you.

If you use my name when referring personally to me without truly knowing me, you will probably misrepresent me.

So it will be with God, too. Presumptive attitudes about Him will be taking His name in vain. But He will nevertheless allow us to discuss our perceptions with Him if we ask Him to put us right.

In fact, we could discuss my apparent failings, if we were so inclined. I might even accept some of your criticism and lay the matter before God, and make the matter right with Him thanking Him for Jesus my Saviour. This way, truth about me would bring real physical and mental healing and peace. Because I can know God, it is possible to perceive godly truth – not entire truth, of course, for there are secret things that belong to God alone but sufficient truth for God’s purposes (Deut 29:29).

Retreating

Yet people these days generally do not trust other people enough to behave like that. In a society where all faiths are legally deemed equal you never know where the other person is ‘coming from.’ Consequently, people have become reserved and have accepted the apparent anodyne of objectifying cognitive psychological science, retreating into themselves with their smartphones and becoming narcissistic and non-committal. This obviously hinders open, honest personal relationship and becomes a habit which seriously inhibits open relationship with God. If such folk call themselves Christian, they are taking the name of the Lord in vain.

... people have become reserved and have accepted the apparent anodyne of objectifying cognitive psychological science, retreating into themselves with their smartphones and becoming narcissistic and non-committal.

If I were to accept another person’s criticism of me and adjust my thoughts and behaviour accordingly, without listening to God, I should not only stress myself into being socially acceptable to that other person, but I should also be giving that person effective political power over me. I might get quite accustomed to being politically correct and spiritually dead like that, but the hidden stress could contribute, in the course of time, towards making me ill.

Consciously changing my attitudes and behaviour to appease woke criticism could create a frustration in me that might be hidden for a while. But eventually it could result in physical or mental illness, or even erupt in rebellion. If I called myself a Christian, I would be taking the name of the Lord in vain.

God is merciful

Although the number of people taking God’s name in vain seems to be increasing, and judgement is upon us, those who open their hearts to meet Jesus in repentance will find forgiveness and new life, for God is merciful. They will receive Holy Spirit, and increase the number coming into Jesus’ kingdom in these last days by loving their neighbours as themselves.

John Gordon was formerly a GP, a psychiatrist and a psychoanalyst. He is now a licensed minister in The Order of Jacob’s Well.