I’m preaching through a series on the 10 commandments and so I thought I’d list the 8 ways people take the name of the Lord in vain:

1. Lying with God’s Name (Oaths)

The first way we use God’s name in vain is by lying with God’s name in oaths. In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus tells us that it is better not to take an oath at all than to swear in God’s name and not keep that oath. When we say, “You don’t believe me? I swear to God it’s the truth,” we are saying that because our yes and no are insufficient in itself, we must swear to show that truth is being told. But sadly, our word, which should be more valuable and more trustworthy than a signature on contract, today has become a mere trifle. If I tell my wife that I promise to fix the lights and then do not do it, then my word has meant nothing. And then if she asks me again, I then need to say, “I promise I will do it” or “I swear I will do it.” We promise and swear because we have proven ourselves in the past to be untrustworthy with our word.

But if we are in a position to swear in God’s name, we are essentially saying that as a believer of God, my word will be true as if God Himself were making this promise. To break this vow would be as if God Himself were not true to His Word. Thus, making a vow or an oath in God’s name and then breaking it would be tantamount to calling God a liar.

2. Hypocrisy with God’s Name

The second way we use God’s name in vain is by exhibiting hypocrisy with His name. Paul writes to Titus: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (1:16) Every time we say we trust in Christ, and yet our lives live contrary to this statement, we take God’s name in vain. Paul noted also in Romans 2:24: “For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” We must be willing to live in light of the Gospel, with humility, with grace, and with truth. We do not take part in ogling at the porn on the work computer, or the gossip about the boss, or the filthy language at the coffee machine because of our love for Christ. And sometimes this isolates us. But we are quick to show mercy and grace even to those who might isolate us because of our love for Christ as well. This two-pronged approach, holiness because of the Gospel and grace because of the Gospel, guards us against hypocrisy and taking God’s name in vain. Notice what happens when a televangelist falls to sin such as Jim Baker. Remember what happened when Ted Haggard fell to sexual sin. Non-Christians ridicule the name of God. As Christians, because of the great Gospel and its treasure of hope and joy, we live out what we say and we do so with grace and in this way, not only will we be kept from hypocrisy, but according to Jesus in Matthew 5:16, “that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

3. Levity with God’s Name

The third way we use God’s name in vain is through levity with God’s name. Literally, Exodus 20:7 says: “You shall not take up the name of Yahweh for no purpose (nothingness).” And when I think of this literal meaning, I think of such the lightheartedness in which God’s name is used. Moses tells Israel in Deut. 28:58 how God’s name is supposed to be utilized: “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God…” Jesus also tells us in His teaching on prayer, “Hallowed be your name.” God’s name is meant to be revered, not to be taken lightly.

And so when we are so flippant with God’s name with statements like, “Oh my God,” or “Oh God,” or “For God’s sake,” we might think this is harmless, but it simply goes against everything God says about His name. Also, another example might be when someone sneezes, we tend to respond, “God bless you.” But do we really mean it or are we simply taking light of God’s name? These might seem like inconsequential examples, but they magnify a heart and a culture that does not revere God’s name.

4. Cursing with God’s Name

The fourth way we use God’s name in vain is by cursing with God’s name. Sometimes curse words are also called “swear words.” And people call these words swear words because vulgarities and words that use God’s name as an expletive are meant to emphasize truth concerning one’s disgust, anger, lewdness, dissatisfaction, pain, or even joys, and passions. It’s not, “Ow, that hurts,” but “Ow” and then the curse word. It’s not, “That is a nice car,” but a curse word will be joined with the praise to emphasize veracity and truth. The world needs to swear with curse words because their words alone are insufficient to project truth. Also, cursing with God’s name assumes that God has no power, no care, no concern for His name being used as thus. It is the quintessential fist raised to the heavens at God, because there is no faith in such God. To this person, God is a lie and his curses and swear words accentuate this point.

To illustrate this, the Puritan Thomas Watson tells the story of a woman who told her dying husband that only one of their three sons was his. So the man told the executors of his estate that he wanted them to find out which was his true son in order to give his whole estate only to him. After the man died, the executors of the estate set up the father’s corpse against a tree. They gave each of the three sons a bow and arrow and told them that whoever could shoot nearest to the father’s heart would have the whole estate. Two of the sons shot as near as they could to the heart. The third was so bothered in his conscience to shoot his dead father, that he refused to shoot. The executors then decided that he was the true son and gave him the whole estate. Watson comments on the story: “Such as are the true children of God, fear to shoot at him; but such as are [those who are] not sons, care not though they shoot at him in heaven with their oaths and curses.”

5. Unbelief with God’s Name

The fifth way we use God’s name in vain is when we have unbelief in God’s name. 1 John 5:10 says: “Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.” When Christians fail to believe God will answer prayer, despite the fact that we pray each prayer in Christ’s name, we make God into a liar and therefore, we take His name in vain. Praying in the name of Jesus must be more than window dressing or surely we are breaking of this commandment. God always hears the prayers of His people when they come humbly and with faith in Him. God might not answer a prayer in the way that we think it should be answered. But in faith, we know God always answers it.

6. Cheerleading with God’s Name (Mascotism)

The sixth way we use God’s name in vain is by cheerleading with God’s name, what I would describe as ‘mascotism.’ God becomes our favorite mascot. When an athlete at the end of the Superbowl says, “Thank God for bringing me this win,” that athlete has essentially used God and His name as the team mascot. Politicians end their speeches with the phrase, “God bless America,” because that’s what politicians always say. But does that person really want all the blessings of God for this country, even if that should mean a cleansing through suffering? Author Stephen Carter in his book Taking God’s Name in Vain writes about God’s name in American public life:

In truth, there is probably no country in the Western world where people use God’s name quite as much, or quite publicly, or for quite many purposes, as we Americans do. Everybody who wants to change America, and everybody who wants not to, understands the nations love affair with God’s name, which is why everybody invokes it.

David declares in Psalm 83:18: “That they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.” Such cheerleading is far too often not about making God’s name Most High over all of the earth, but merely to have God standing in the corner of whatever opinion, proposition, position, party, side, or team the professor of God’s name is on.

7. Clichés with God’s Name

The seventh way we use God’s name in vain is when we use clichés with God’s name. For some, saying “praise the Lord” or “thank God” or putting God’s name on Christian t-shirts and bumper stickers is nothing more than a clichés with God’s name. God’s name has become a slogan, a favorite saying, a joke. Perhaps when we sing of God’s name on Sundays or read God’s name in His word, it has become so rote for us that we are singing and reading God’s name continually in vain. David says in Psalm 8:1, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” clichés’s melt away the majesty of God’s name in our hearts.

8. False Prophesy with God’s Name

Finally, we use God’s name in vain with false prophesy. Philip Ryken defines false prophesy using God’s name this way: “An attempt to use God’s special divine name to advance a prophet’s own agenda.” I must be careful when I use God’s name as a means to end. If I wanted someone to serve as a Gospel Train teacher and said, “I really feel as though the Lord would be glorified if you served in this capacity,” and this is not what I truly feel, or have been led to feel, then even this statement is a breaking of the third commandment.