God's Last Name
This is a topic that gets to me. I do not like to hear God’s name used in vain. When I hear it, I cringe and it echoes in my head. Saying His name in vain is blasphemy. It is against God, His Ten
Commandments and overall, it does harm to us and those around us. I do not have to list the ways we misuse God’s name, we all know the ways we use it and most of the times it is not out of
praise, it is done in vain. Even in thought it is in vain. So we do not have to say it, we can think it. Remember God looks at our heart. This includes using His Son’s name in vain. Remember they
are three in one, the trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit (1 Jn 5:7 and Phil 2:9).
God’s name is Holy (Matthew 6:9). It is the most Holiest name there is. We shouldn’t be using His name out of context, as a cuss word, etc. In ancient Bible times only the High
Priest and only in the temple, could the High Priest say the most Holiest name of God. When Jesus died on the cross the veil was torn down (rent from top to bottom) in the temple that separated
the Holy place and the Most Holy Place (only the High Priest could enter). Making it where we can go directly to Jesus as our personal living Savior. Jesus became our High Priest, interceding on
our behalf to the Father (1 Jn 2:1).
Why isn’t any other name used? Have you ever wondered why other people of other religions don't use their (as they claim is their god) god's name in vain?
Ever notice atheists and agnostics (those who don't believe in anything) and other religions never swear to Allah, Mohammad, Buddha, earth or even a tree; etc. It is only God's name they use. You
may say that you do not believe in the God of the Bible- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ the Son of God as I do, but that is disrespectful
and disobedient to God by doing so (Rom. 1:20). Why don’t you say your own gods name in vain? Easy, because deep down inside you know that the God of this universe, the Creator
of everything, the God who sent His Son (Jesus) to die for us, is truly God; you just don’t want to come out of the darkness. And what about atheists? Why do you use His name like that and then
claim that you don’t believe in Him?
The devil and even unbelievers understand God's power, and the power in His name. It's for this cause that people use God's name in vain, to curse in anger against a person, thing or situation.
Some however, just don't realize the power that is behind the name of Jesus; but the devil does realize that power (Jas 2:19) ; he hates Jesus and wants to desensitize the world
to His name and His Word. This use or misuse of God's name is but one way the devil tries to get us desensitized to Jesus (Phil 2:10).
Again I ask you, have you ever wondered why the only names used in vain are Jesus Christ and God Almighty (i.e. G.D.)? I've never heard someone lose his/her temper and yell, "Ah Buddha damn!"
Have you? I've also never heard about a movie called "The Last Temptations of Muhammad." Have you ever wondered why people use God's name when they want to damn something (G.D.)? It's
actually very simple. It is because His name is the only One that holds any power. When a person is angry and feels powerless, it's their natural reaction to lash out at the One who has the power
(wondering why God did not stop or damn something) - and that would be God and His Son Jesus Christ. Those names represent power.
Believe me if Buddha had power, they'd be cussing his name too. If Muhammad had it, they'd scream obscenities behind his name as well. But nobody's yelling their names because Buddha's dead,
Muhammad's dead and Hari Krishna is dead and gone too! Only God (our eternal Father) and Jesus Christ are alive and well and the devil is doing his best to try to desensitize people to the power
behind those names.
Jesus is alive! He lived as a mix of Mary's flesh and God's Spirit, the biological Son of God, and even the demons know it! Realize that there are always people who will try and
negate the truth about Jesus. They'll try and dismiss Him and get you to doubt that He's really the Son of God. Don't listen to them talk nonsense.
When people try and dismiss that Jesus is the Son of God, they are simply reasoning with their natural mind and we know that, according to 1 Corinthians 2:14, the natural mind
cant receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. Don't let them convince you that Jesus was just a great teacher or a great prophet and nothing more. Jesus was more than a
great teacher, prophet. He is the only begotten Son of the Living God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
My short story
Let's go back to my youth. I was raised mostly by my mother. I had one of those mother's who enjoyed taking the name of God in vain daily and frequently. It was like a part of her vocabulary.
What about my Dad? I never spent much time with my Dad when I was a lad, when I got older then I spent time with him. From what I hear though, he never spoke a lot of curse words and that was
amazing because he is a Marine. He never spoke any blasphemies when I was around. Needless to say that was one of the many dividing lines (Lk 12:51 with Mt
10:35) that separated me and my mother. I continued to cuss like a sailor all the way to adulthood. The truth is, it became such a natural part of my lifestyle that I actually had to
think about when not to use profanity. Hanging with other "sailors" (all those other vile-speaking talking people) didn't help either. Frankly, I could have done without a lot of those people in
my life.
As time went by, I still hung with the wrong crowd so to speak. Will not get into particulars. Anyway, when I got born again, when I found Jesus (I believe He found me:), In fact, one of the most
visible signs of the change in me was that I didn’t try to stop using profanity. It just supernaturally happened from one moment to the next. Things about me began to change; my desires, my life,
my choices, and most of all- the people I seemed to be drawn to....and that vile filth that came out of my mouth began to change.
God not only cleansed my tongue, He also cleansed my heart. Today, I can’t stand to hear anyone use profanity, including me. That’s right, I said me. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been known
to let a word slip out when I get angry and forget the one to whom I belong. I can get carnal once in a while. But when I hear it, I get a check from my Spirit immediately. I admit, in recent
years, I've grabbed once again a few expletives for my verbs but, one cuss word I don't use nor care to hear and that's my Father's name in vain.
The check I get from the Spirit is important to me because it’s a continuing reminder of God’s presence in my life. The Apostle Paul tells us at 1 Corinthians 3:16 that when we
become Christians, God’s Spirit lives in us so that we can have guidance in all that we do. But he later warns us at Ephesians 4:30 that we should never “grieve” the Spirit and
I'm sure we do that with our use of offensive language. In other words, that caution light that goes off in me whenever I hear or use profanity is a supernatural experience. God is speaking to me
and. God does not want us to sow foul language nor keep company with such that speak such curses. I think that’s a signal that every Christian should sense when he or she is within earshot of
profanity.
“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) (Jud 1:10) "But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those
things they corrupt themselves." If we are brought in this world to show God’s glory in our lives, then we have no right to associate Him with the failures that show up. (i.e. God's
name in vain, damning things in anger)
In Closing...
I've had neighbors who enjoyed taking God's name in vain. I can't stand it! Of course me and my wife jump right in and counter their cuss words with- "God's last name is not damn!" I'm
sure you've heard this before - "God does not need a dam, He walks on water." I suppose we try to make light of it, yet attempting to alter (stopped-Tit 1:10-11) other
people's language. They have since curved off from the nasty words and actually began to speak a lot about God and even encouraging others to believe and trust God. Amazing what a little seed can
do;)
Sometimes people will catch themselves knowing that you don't care for their blasphemy and then saying:"Ooops! I'm sorry," "Oh, I'm sorry Lord, forgive me" and various other
apologies, but at the end of the day, when you're not around, sometimes their tongue goes back to "vile mode." It's not their respect we want- it's
respect for God's name. It's not our forgiveness that they need. It's God's. So how do we fix it? It starts in the heart. It starts by being born again! It starts by asking Jesus to come into
your heart and change you!!
If others truly had a close relationship with God, respecting Him, loving Him...trusting Him, even when things go wrong, they certainly would not be using His name is such a blasphemous way. When
people curse as such, it tells me, they don't care about what God thinks. It tells me they don't care what their listeners think. And quite possibly, it tells me they don't know the Lord. They
may know some things about God, but they don't "know" Him.
So why is it so important as to what we say? Mt 5:37 "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these
cometh of evil." 1 Cor 15:33 "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." Can you imagine what we are
saying in front of our children? Did you know, like me, they are always listening. And they will do (mock) what we say, as they see no bad affects as we are saying in front of them. But we are
setting them up for many falls, and corrupting them with our words. Among many other things, they will learn that bad words are "just the way we talk," that it's normal. And teaching
them that it's ok to sin this way. It's sad, and you know God is not happy. Mt 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of
Heaven."
Do we want to be considered least in the Kingdom? What about our children? Evil begets evil. What our children see us do, what they hear us say; they too will be acceptable of this kind of talk
and other "people" that do the same and thereby keep company with those also those who blaspheme the name of God. (Prov 28:7 with Prov 29:15). I've personally
heard children say things that little children should not say. Evil speaking begets evil speaking....for generations! 2 Cor 6:14 "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"
I'm not a fan of Billy Graham but he told a story about traveling on a plane next to a salesman. Mr. Graham asked him, “Are you paid anything for all the swearing you do?” “No,”
was the startled reply. “I do it for nothing.” “Nothing,” cried out Graham. “You work cheap! "You throw aside your character as a gentleman, inflict pain on your friends,
break the Lord’s commandments, and endanger your own soul–all for nothing!"
Mt 12:37 "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
Mt 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment."
Jas 3:2 "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole
body."
