Honoring God’s Name
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and do we take God’s name in vain?
I recently asked that on this program, and I received so many emails asking me to repeat my response to that question, you know, what does it mean to take God’s name in vain? Well, we all know, you know the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Now, when you hear it, most people think of the blatant cursing you might hear in busy traffic, or in a cocktail lounge, or in an R-rated movie. But, it’s more subtle than that. Remember, the devil loves to get Christians thinking, “Oh, unbelievers do that stuff, not me!” Well, is that so?
Forgive me for repeating something that sounds crass, but not long ago at a party, I overheard a Christian friend say under her breath, “God, I can’t believe what my husband did the other day!” Now, I know this person. She works in a ministry as a supervisor. And so, I just had to wheel up and quietly pull her aside, and say, “Look, I know you mean well; I know you love the Lord and would never want to disparage Him, but when you throw around that word “God” like that, it is disparaging.” She was so embarrassed and a little shocked and, at that point, I can’t even say she agreed with me. She was thinking of “God” in a generic sense. But the truth is, there is only one God, and He is the God of the Bible. In fact, the actual word “God” in Hebrew means Elohim. And that is one of the names of the Holy One of Israel.
And so when we say, “God, he makes me angry,” it’s His name we are disrespecting, so, come on friends, please, can we bring it up a level? And I will say one more thing here. I received a text from a Christian friend the other day, all excited about a dinner party she went to. She was describing the venue, and she texted me, “OMG, it was so cool!” She was basically texting, “Oh, my God, it was just so cool.” Now you can disagree with me; call me prudish; you may insist that’s acceptable because everyone uses that term OMG. But you and I are not “like” everyone. We are a royal priesthood, the Bible says. We are to be holy as Christ is holy. In James chapter 3, it says that blessing and cursing should not come out of the same mouth. Ephesians underscores this when it says, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth.”
Now, I realize this is a topic I do not normally address. But it’s been hurting my spirit when I hear my brothers and sisters in Christ use God’s name, Elohim; it hurts to hear it used so carelessly or flippantly. And David says in Psalm 139:20, “Your adversaries [O Lord] misuse your name.” Look, no Christian wants to be the Lord’s adversary, so do not buy into our culture with its idioms and popular phrases. Others may, but you should not. Train yourself to use God’s name carefully and respectfully and worshipfully.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. If you disagree with me, fine, but when you write me, please support your view with Scripture. Because on an issue this critical, all of us should look to the Word of God for His counsel. What would the Holy Spirit say? What would Elohim say? Tell me your thoughts on this today either on my Facebook page or at joniradio.org. And I think it’s fitting to close our time together by simply repeating Psalm 113, “Let the name of the Lord be praised!” Oh, friend, may the God of the Bible bless you; may Elohim shine His favor on you today and thanks for listening to this perspective on Joni and Friends.
