“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NASB)
Due to my racking up birthdays, and depending on how one looks at it, I possess either the advantage or the burden of a longer view of life. What I observe in my long view is that much of Christendom is picking up speed in conforming to the ever-declining “values” of this world. It is my conviction that Christianity is being appropriated by unredeemed lives, naturally void of spiritual discernment. The result is a pagan collective now identifying as the “new and improved” Christians. Not only is the Church waning in its impact upon the world for Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life—but it has willingly bent the knee to embrace the many gods of this world, and most ignobly, the rebranded, redacted “christ” of their vain imaginings.
You can read this in the Word of God: “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.” (Ex. 20:7)
This third command seems simple at a casual glance. Don’t cuss using any of God’s names. That’s not too restrictive, because it leaves open a huge pile of other curse words we can throw around without consequence…right? That’s poor exegesis, because the emphasis is not about cursing at all. It is about flippantly invoking God’s Name to shore up your speech or a stance you have taken. Don’t imply that God is your nodding character witness, for what you are attempting to do or promote “in His Name.”
Look at the principle underlying this command. Yes, our words matter. Yet our heart attitudes, motives, thoughts, and actions speak as well. God is not manipulated by using His Name, or our spouting rote phrases of worship while our heart is darkened toward Him. A better picture of the third commandment: Don’t let our lives take His name in vain, let alone our words.
God’s principles and precepts are timeless. Being in His Word should find us humbly receiving it, with a thirst for Spirit-led meaning and resolve to obey its practical application in our life. God’s Word reveals truths about Him that will, to the one who listens, continually sharpen and challenge us.
God’s Word is not given to erect arbitrary hurdles for our discomfort and His amusement. His chosen people under the Law were commanded to live above the cultures of the pagans. They were in every situation to shun the debasing practices rife around them. Logically, they could not point the nations to the One True God, if they themselves were simultaneously prostituting themselves before local idols.
To develop that “bigger picture” thinking into our reading of the Old Testament, we should connect the story to God’s call for our distinctiveness as Christians here in the church age (1 Pe. 2:9-12). No, we are not a refined and better Judaism. We are children of the New Covenant through the finished work of Christ, and we are to shine in this darkened world for Him. It is an inescapable truth that we are not here for our ease. We are called to labor as His ambassadors. We are to point the way to the One True God for the pagans in our midst. We pray and witness, that some would receive eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus, before they enter eternity.
But from within Christendom, the pointing has instead turned to paganizing the church. As if watching much of Romans chapter one being acted out, the cast and crew today without fear push openly to take God’s Name in vain with a spirit of prideful rebellion. The Word of God is rejected joyfully. God’s precepts and principles are grossly twisted for the “new understanding” of unregenerate congregants. “Worship” devolves into the creatures worshiping themselves worshiping. Attractive image and self-focus are the standard currency of the industry. Theology that congratulates cutting-edge apostasy is spewed by the ministers. Confident declarations are aired that that the “church” is ready for change, and god is too. Their god is on the leash, toothless and trained to heel.
Their god.
The LORD my God that I serve does not change. You cannot teach Him. You cannot reason Him away. He is omniscient, omnipotent, eternal and omnipresent. He is awesome in power and does not share His Glory with another. He is the Creator and Sustainer, and He is the One to whom we all will give account (Heb. 4:13). There is salvation only through His Son, and sanctification only through the indwelling Spirit and the immutable Word of God.
And He will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Cornerstone Community Church 