by Ronald Terry Constant © 1993
"That Goddamn jerk!" Did you feel a twinge as you read this opening exclamation? People often feel indignant and react quickly when they hear the Lord's name taken in vain. Why? The answer seems simple and obvious: The ten commandments order us not to take the name of the Lord in vain.
The third commandment says, "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 KJV) Is an exclamation like the opening phrase of this article a violation of the third commandment, or is there more at stake in this commandment than a momentary outburst?
"Jehovah" or "YAHWEH" is God's name--at least, as close as we know in the Judeo-Christian tradition. "God" is not Jehovah's name. The word "god" tells us what kind of being Jehovah is, as the word "human" tells us what kind of beings we are. I know a man named John, and he is not a plant, animal, or god. He is a human. I know a spirit named Jehovah, and he is not a plant, animal, or human. He is a god and indeed is the God.
Since the actual name of God was not used in the opening exclamation, was it indeed a violation of the third commandment having to do with the name of God? Read the commandment in a more literal translation: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7 ASV). Many people who feel indignant follow a literal interpretation which would mean that "Jehovahdamn" would be the violation and not "goddamn".
I don't want to split semantic hairs. There is much more at stake than a simple exclamation, regardless of how you answer the question. My purpose in pointing out the distinction about God's name is to stimulate thinking about how inadequate present understanding of the third commandment often is.
Don't confuse cursing, swearing, and profanity with each other. They are different and taking the name of the Lord in vain is not any of the three. The dictionary definitions of these words are:
The original Hebrew translated "in vain" primarily means: emptiness, vanity, or anything that is unsubstantial, unreal, worthless, useless, or futile. A strong secondary meaning is falsehood or lie.
The meanings of these words are very different from merely saying naughty words. Indeed, when considering the definition of "vain", it is a wonder that people think that using a simple interjection with the word, "god", has anything to do with vanity. It is even more perplexing since people don't use "damn" for a curse any more. They use the word as an expletive--not to invoke supernatural powers to harm someone. Again, I don't want to split hairs. I want to expose imprecise thinking about the third commandment.
To do something in vain is not to say bad words. Two illustrations will show the proper understanding of the phrase.
First, consider a situation in which a detective is about to run warrants on a drug dealer from Columbia. He spends hours of painstaking work doing a good investigation and collecting the information needed for a judge to issue warrants. The detective is especially careful with volumes of paperwork so that the dealer won't escape prosecution because of technicalities. The police coordinate their actions at the site where the warrants are served. When the moment comes, they enter the building, search the premises, and look for the dealer. If the dealer has already left the country, never to return, then the work done to arrest him was in vain. The work accomplished nothing and was useless.
Second, think about a young woman going to college. She pays thousands of dollars for tuition, fees, and living accommodations and spends many hours attending classes. If she doesn't study, do homework, or prepare assignments, she will not pass. She is attending college in vain and is going through useless motions, because she will never graduate.
What does it mean to "take the name of the Lord" or, as in some translations, to "take up the name of the Lord"? Does taking the name of the Lord mean simply to utter the word Jehovah? No! Taking the name of the Lord means much more.
A person in law enforcement who has taken the name, "police officer", can't use the name or do the things that officers do before being commissioned. When a person acts under the name of police officer, she is acting under the name and in the authority of the government agency she represents. When a person acting under the color of her badge is asked, "What is your name", she will answer, "Officer Doe." She has taken the name of officer and has assumed the authority, privileges, obligations, and responsibilities that go with the name.
A police officer who uses his position for crime is not truly a police officer. An officer must not burglarize businesses, extract money for official favors, accept bribes, or do any other criminal acts. If an officer does such things, he has taken the name in vain and the name is meaningless. He has dishonored the agency in which he serves, and the agency hired and trained him in vain. He is a false and useless officer.
Another false police officer is one who does not take her oath and responsibilities seriously. An officer can't be lazy, indifferent, and self-centered. She must answer calls promptly, patrol proactively, deal with the public justly, assure that all people are protected equally by the law, and perform all duties conscientiously. If an officer only looks out for herself, never takes risks, and does the minimum to keep her job, she is unworthy of the name of police officer and has been commissioned in vain.
When a person takes on the name of police officer, we rightly expect more of him. When a criminal burglarizes a business, we condemn his crime. When a police officer burglarizes a business or refuses to go to the aid of a citizen, we condemn and loathe. To falsely and vainly take the name of police officer is despicable.
On the other hand, a police officer who seriously and conscientiously protects the public, apprehends criminals, protects the rights of all citizens, and serves the public through good law enforcement, is truly a police officer. She deserves the name and carries it proudly.
If you say, "I am a Christian", you have taken up the name of the Lord and are a follower of Christ. He is the supervisor, and you are the subordinate. You have accepted all the privileges, responsibilities, authority, and obligations of being a Christian. Expectations for you have been changed to a different standard.
Many people misunderstand what being a Christian means, whether they attend church, say they simply believe in God, or profess no religion at all. There are many misconceptions and false opinions. Being a Christian is not the same as being a religious person. Almost all errors in understanding the nature of Christianity are rooted in the identification of being a Christian with being religious. As Mr. Ten Boom said, "Because a mouse is in the cookie jar, doesn't make him a cookie."
There are many faithful, religious people in churches throughout America. They are trying to do good and to fulfill all the requirements of their religion. The religious urge in them is strong and is often seen in charitable acts, humanitarian deeds, and other things that show how religious they are, but they are not Christians. They would have been faithful to a religion in any country in which they happen to have been born.
The religious urge in people is common, perhaps universal. People want to be good, but intuitively they sense and know their failings. They attach themselves to a religious system that gives them rules to obey. They go to church, give offerings, do acts of charity, learn catechisms, remain faithful to their spouses, don't cuss, don't smoke, don't get drunk, don't get angry, and follow many other regulations. They believe that they will be accepted by God when they do these things. By their own efforts they are trying to show that they are good and to earn their way to God. They are completely mistaken in their approach because people can't earn citizenship in the Kingdom of God.
Religion is people striving to deserve to be with God. Christianity is God reaching to undeserving people. A Christian is a person who realizes that he is morally bankrupt and is unable to be good enough. If a person tries for a million years to deserve to be with God, he will fail.
God doesn't love and accept us if we are good enough. He loves, forgives, and accepts us just as we are, warts and all. God does not deal with us according to our failures. Rather, he remembers our weak, finite frames and extends merciful love to all who accept it through Jesus Christ. Simple trust is the basis of relationship with God--not effort.
If a person calling herself a Christian is simply being religious, she has taken the name of the Lord in vain. If she calls herself a Christian but does not truly trust Jesus as savior or sincerely follow him as master, she has taken the name of the Lord in vain. The third commandment involves issues of life that are infinitely more important than the simple expletive to which people with limited and narrow vision have relegated it. Indeed, a person who is irritated and upset by "god__mn" is reducing the majesty of God and his love to a goody two-shoes rule learned by infants and is closer to violating the third commandment than the person who utters an expletive.
What does it mean to take up the name of the Lord, to be a Christian? Simply, a Christian is a person who has taken up the name of Christ as savior and as master or lord.
A Christian trusts Jesus as savior because he knows his own spiritual poverty and knows that his life is inadequate to stand on its own in the final court when all actions, words, and secret thoughts are exposed and judged by the standard of perfect justice. A Christian trusts that Jesus has saved him from the verdict and corresponding sentence which that final court would otherwise justly decree.
A Christian follows Jesus as lord and master because there is no other adequate model, teacher, or boss. Strip yourself of puny beliefs about following and obeying Jesus. Being a Christian does not mean: "I won't cuss, drink, smoke, or chew--or go with the girls that do." Being a Christian is much, much more.
Since a Christian follows Jesus, it makes sense to see what commands his boss has issued. Jesus only spoke of three commands during his entire life, all having to do with love. His commands were to love God more than anything, love the people of God as he loves them, and love all people as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40, John 13:34)
A Christian is a person who loves. Love is not weak nor is it something relegated to bleeding hearts. Most concepts of love are woefully inadequate. Follow Jesus completely, seek God's wisdom, learn what the Bible really teaches, and strive to love truly. You will begin to understand love a little in this life. After you have sought love for a million years in the Kingdom of God, you will begin to understand how far you still have to go.
Taking the name of the Lord in vain occurs when people take the name of Christian and continue to live like always and like everyone else--a life without true, dynamic, and powerful love. They relegate following the Lord to silly, simple rules and avoid the real issues of life that revolve around living, growing relationships.