AntiChrist RZ 12/02 - Tomorrow's World

The Third Commandment
name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold
him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). In the
Bible, personal names have a meaning. The original Hebrew name
of Abram was changed to Abraham—for Abraham means “a father
of many nations.” And Abraham was destined to become just
that—”a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). So it is with
God’s name.
God’s Name Reveals the Kind of God You Worship
Every name or title of God reveals some attribute of the divine
character. In studying God’s Word, we learn new facts about God’s
nature and character with each new name by which He reveals
Himself. In other words, God names Himself what He is! If men
use the name of God in a way that denies the true meaning and
character of God, they are breaking the third commandment. God
declares through Isaiah: “Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are
called by the name of Israel, and have come forth from the wellsprings
of Judah; who swear by the name of the LORD, and make
mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth or in righteousness”
(Isaiah 48:1).
People to whom this prophecy applies use the name of God,
but fail to obey the revelation of God contained in His name. And
shocking though it may be, many religious people repeat over and
over the name of God in sermons or prayers. They are taking
God’s name in vain—to no good use or purpose! The original
command says: “The LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes
His name in vain.” The Hebrew word here rendered “guiltless”
may also be translated “clean”—“The LORD will not hold him to
be clean who takes His name in vain.” The test of spiritual cleanliness
is our attitude to the name of God! We are clean or unclean
according to whether we take the name of God in truth—or for
vanity. Do you realize what this means? It certainly indicates that
someone is better off who—because of sincere religious doubts—
has dropped the name of God from his vocabulary, than a professing
Christian who talks about God continually, but denies Him in
daily life!
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