Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain, for the lord. Preamble this with a comment about the following examples about being careful to not use gods name even by citing examples. You shall not use the lords name in vain the 10 commandments. Most modern critics regard the phrase used as forbidding false swearing only. The third commandment, you shall not use the lords name in vain is not only about profanity. We are forbidden, therefore, from taking the name of god or taking up the. Most people understandably think that the commandment forbids saying gods name for no good. The specific misuse that god has in mind is speaking about him carelessly, thoughtlessly, or even flippantly, as if he didnt matter or really didnt exist at all. Ironically, because of this practice, no one today knows exactly how god s name is to be properly pronounced today. Ironically, because of this practice, no one today knows exactly how gods name is to be properly pronounced today.
For the lord will not hold guiltless meaning will not forgive whoever takes his name in vain. So on the one hand they were not to use the name of god in vain and, on the other hand, they were commanded to swear by the name of the eternal. Aug 19, 2016 gods people were not forbidden to use gods name. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your god is one of the ten commandments, which are widely understood as moral imperatives by legal scholars, jewish scholars, catholic scholars, and postreformation scholars. Does the command about not taking gods name in vain include. Core christianity taking gods name in vain is so much more. The hebrew is ambiguous, as is to some extent the english translation. Jan 25, 2016 gods people were not forbidden to use gods name.
Politicians take lords name in vain when they use god for personal. Most people understandably think that the commandment forbids saying god s name for no good. When god spoke the commandment, 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 exodus 20. Dec 04, 2018 this worldly use of gods name is condemned in leviticus 19. What does it really mean to take the lords name in vain. Gods name in vain paperback october 25, 2001 by stephen carter author 4. What does it mean when you cant use gods name in vain. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your god.
As a child, i was told it meant not to swear or curse, especially using gods name, or any reference to gods name, in an unholy manner. This is proven by the old testament, where gods sacred divine name is used all over the placealmost. The original intent of the third commandment, you shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain exodus 20. In short, we must use the holy name of god only with fear and. On each card is a question about the 2nd commandment. Mar 06, 2009 how do you define the sin of taking the lord s name in vain. The third commandment also forbids empty or false oaths. Taking the lords name in vain is not the unpardonable sin any more. The third commandment means dont take up god s name wrongly. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for i the lord your god am a. Mark driscoll warns against 4 ways we take gods name in vain. Our lords comment in the sermon on the mount favours the view that false swearing alone was actually forbidden by the. Not only dont speak gods name wrongly, not only dont write gods name wrongly, not only dont use gods name wrongly, but whenever you take up gods name, make sure you take it up aware of his holiness and consistently with his holiness.
Many orthodox jews take this commandment more strictly than god intended, refusing to use gods special divine name at all, for fear of misusing it. May 05, 2008 first you cannot take his name in vain if you dont know his name. We dont actually know gods name, nor jesus for that matter, which makes the text if two or three of you gather in my name a bit problematic jesus was a diminutive, somewhat like junior, since it originated as a diminutive for yeshua josh. Preamble this with a comment about the following examples about being careful to not use god s name even by citing examples. The second half of the verse is not a command but a warning. I pray for them regularly as the book of romans prescribes.
If i make a small mistake and say god bless it is this. When it comes to using gods name in vain, we should constantly be aware that everything that we say and do and the choices we make are an act of worship joshua 24. The children will learn of moses request to see gods glory. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain wikipedia. Dont use gods name flippantly or disrespectfully, as in saying oh, god.
Stephen carter argues that american politics is unimaginable with. If you answer the question correctly, you stay where you are. You shall not take the lords name in vain decision. May 30, 20 when god spoke the commandment, 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 exodus 20. You shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain, for the lord will. To not take gods name in vain means to not take it lightly and to never use gods holy name as a thoughtless, hateful curse. Why its wrong to take gods name in vain crossway articles.
That is blasphemous because it makes god out to be the one who damns others according to our own wishes. The ten commandmentsyou shall not make wrongful use of the. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain hebrew. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain. Most obvious is to blaspheme or curse the name of god, which we saw already in leviticus 24. So it doesnt just refer to a certain tone of voice or a certain use of the word.
If you are not correct, you must move to the urinal for having a potty mouth. You shall not carry the lords name for naught brazos. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this gods name in vain study guide and get instant access to the following summary. You shall not take carry, lift up the name of the lord your god in vain. Using the lords name in a reckless, casual or disrespectful manner, is a sin. Perhaps youve heard unbelievers use gods name in vain.
In joshua 9 we find an example of using god s name as an oath. Mar 10, 2020 but those who do not know god and attempt to use gods name, as a talisman, such as the professional exorcists, the seven sons of sceva, are guilty of using gods name in vain. What does the bible say about not using gods name in vain. How do you define the sin of taking the lords name in vain. The idea in profane is of treating something sacred in a common way, and treating something holy in an unholy way, a way that gives it no importance. Its dealing with god and speaking of god in a way that empties him. You shall not take the lords name in vain decision magazine.
Carmen notes that there are 23 different ways to interpret this command from the original hebrew. To take gods name in vain is about far, far more than avoiding foul language. Do not use my name for evil purposes, for i, the lord your god, will punish. To take gods name in vain is to fail to acknowledge god for who he is. Our lords comment in the sermon on the mount favours the view that false swearing alone was actually.
To understand the severity of taking the lords name in vain, we must first see the lords name from his perspective as outlined in scripture. First, let us look at the complete third commandment that discusses taking gods name in vain. When you make a declaration, swearing by gods name, it must not be a. What god forbids is not the use of his name, then, but its misuse. To be specific, we are not to use it in a vain or empty way. The following is an excerpt from the macarthur new testament commentary on 2 corinthians 6. If you take the name of the lord in vain, the lord will not hold you guiltless. We are to fear god, and to regard his name as sacred. This shocked them, of course, and because they did not believe it, they assumed he was guilty of blasphemythat is. Perhaps you ve heard unbelievers use god s name in vain. Many orthodox jews take this commandment more strictly than god intended, refusing to use gods special divine name at. This shocked them, of course, and because they did not believe it, they assumed he was guilty of blasphemythat is, taking god s name in vain, or testifying with empty words.
This worldly use of gods name is condemned in leviticus 19. Does using text messaging shorthand constitute taking the lords. This is perhaps the most common and lightly treated sin today, as profanity is splashed all over our television and movies. Many orthodox jews take this commandment more strictly than god intended, refusing to use gods special divine name at all, for fear of. I grew up hearing this and it was a warning about language. You shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain exodus 20. Although many people believe taking the lords name in vain refers to using the lords name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of gods name. Do not take the lords name in vain ten commandments pt.
Not only dont speak god s name wrongly, not only dont write god s name wrongly, not only dont use god s name wrongly, but whenever you take up god s name, make sure you take it up aware of his holiness and consistently with his holiness. First you cannot take his name in vain if you dont know his name. Basically it means if you think his name yahweh is unimportant you are in violation of this commandment. Jun 29, 20 you shall not use the lord s name in vain. Talk about god s name the third commandment ill put it up. The idea of vanity and i think the hebrew carries this connotation is dont empty the name. Dec 01, 2014 for the lord will not hold guiltless meaning will not forgive whoever takes his name in vain. Turn away from taking the name of the lord in vain. You shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain. You do not bring the name of yahweh your god to naught, for does not leave the one unpunished who brings his name to naught.
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 exodus 20. So a second understanding is that you should not say goddammit. As she states, the command is telling the israelites not to misrepresent yahweh. When god spoke the commandment, you shall not take the name of. 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.
At that point jesus gave them the whole truth, not only confirming that he was the messiah, but also adding the rest of the truth. The third commandment means dont take up gods name wrongly. Does the command about not taking gods name in vain. He is the author of several books, including just do something. Thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain supposing that, having taken jehovah for their god, they would make mention of his name, this command gives a caution not to mention it in vain, and it is still as needful as ever. But god tells us to stop using blasphemy and filthy language and to bless rather than curse.
You shall not carry the lords name for naught brazos life. 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. Jun 09, 2007 this specifically fits with this commandment that we should not use god s name in vain in a literal sense and this was the application. According to respected jewish rabbis on the subject and who ought to know what their own book says and means, this is what they say on the verse in exodus 20. There are two main ways most bible translations handle the seventh verse of exodus 20. The ten commandmentsyou shall not make wrongful use of. For instructions on how to use this study, see welcome to the ten commandments commandment. We should be careful with the words we choose to use especially when using gods name. Do not take the lords name in vain ten commandments pt 4. Im not quite sure how it happened, but lots of people were taught this commandment was about using foul language, or cussing. You shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain, for the lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain, exodus 20.
Thou shall not use the lords name in vain catholic. When certain of the vagabond jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the lord jesus, saying, we adjure you by jesus whom. The heart of the third commandment is about using god and gods good name. Talk about gods name the third commandment ill put it up. We should avoid even any appearance of evil 1 thessalonians 5. See all 11 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
The lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Is it fair for a religious person to tell an atheist to not. And you shall not swear by my name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your god. But when combined with the understanding of the word vain, when you call for help, it is not in vain, when you praise god, that is not in vain, but when you idly curse, that is a vanity. Is it fair for a religious person to tell an atheist to.
1602 1460 1 880 1114 1459 1617 71 1006 616 1598 1340 365 510 1232 478 1230 413 1107 590 999 1200 96 121 1156 770 855 739 1636 406 1608 155 1458 1200 1260 128 1350 1172 964