When Jesus taught His disciples the most important subjects to include in our daily prayers, He said to pray for God’s name to be hallowed—for it to be regarded as and guarded as holy (Matthew 6:9). God said in a clear statement, “You shall not profane My holy name” (Leviticus 22:32). To profane in the biblical sense means to treat that which is sacred—holy as something secular or mundane—common!
God deserves and requires our absolute respect and reverence. Whenever we mention God, or a specific name of God, it should always be with respect and reverence. The third commandment is specific; “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 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). “In vain” refers to any worthless or disrespectful way, or in a way that in any way misrepresents God.
Using the name of God and Jesus Christ as exclamations, expletives, interjections, or euphemisms is ungodly and profanes His holy name. Of course, there are other ways of disrespecting—profaning God and His name. When we act disrespectful toward people, we are disrespecting their Creator. When we blame God for the problems we’ve caused, we are wrongly accusing God. We obviously are insulting God if we generally ignore Him except when we ask for His intervention.
Many mistakenly think the third commandment is merely about spoken and written names and or titles. In this commandment, God’s “name” primarily represents His identity, office, reputation, authority, personality, and character. This third Commandment includes a unique and stern warning: “the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” We must understand that this commandment applies especially to religious people who claim to be following and representing the God of the Bible.
The word “take” can be more clearly translated as “carry, hold or bear” the name. So, a question for each of us, Who carries the name of God? It is worth noting that both true Christians and false Christians carry God’s name by claiming to be representatives of God. So, God is warning them all that they must not represent Him in any wrong way. God’s judgment of people is based on their level of understanding. As the people of God—don’t allow yourself to forget this warning. The more knowledge of the Bible a person has, the more accountable and culpable he or she is before God (see Luke 12:47-48; John 9:41; Romans 3:20; 7:7; 14:23; James 4:17). So, when a person knowingly misrepresents God, the sin is great.
Perhaps we can better understand the application of the third commandment by considering it from its opposite side: God wants His people, those who have made the covenant with Him, to express the truth about Him and His way in every thought, word, and behavior (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17). The third commandment has a far deeper meaning than simply forbidding using God's name in a cavalier, degrading or common manner. It requires us to carry or bear God's name in a worthy manner, one that speaks and models the truth about God and His righteousness. (see Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5)
In effect this commandment binds His people to an extremely high standard of conduct in which their every activity brings glory and honor to the Most High God. We as true Christians must do all we can to glorify God’s name and reputation and not tarnish them in any way. If I claim to represent God and my conduct does not reflect the holy character of God, I am profaning His holy name. Remember a “name” is often synonymous with reputation (see Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1).
Disrespect of any of God’s names is disrespect of God. However, it is significant that the Third Commandment says “name” (singular) rather than “names” (plural). In this Commandment, God’s name stands for the fullness of God Himself. This shows that God is much more concerned about His overall identity and people’s reverence for Him than which specific names and titles we use to address Him. People have become sidetracked with the aspect of His names and we must be certain we don’t.
So, let’s now consider that throughout scripture, we see that God is referred to by several different names or titles which express the fullness of the Most High God. He is Everlasting. He is a Healer. He is there for His people. He is jealous. He provides. He gives us peace. He is our Banner, our Righteousness, our Father, and so much more. His names represent the total reality of His identity, nature, character, characteristics, and authority.
In Exodus 3:13-15, Moses asks God what he should do when the Israelites ask who sent him with the message he was bringing. In verse 13, he asks God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God’s response in verse 14: And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover, God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
So, God states to Moses that His name is “I AM WHO I AM,” which is often shortened to, “I AM” in scripture, which in Hebrew is written YHWH. It’s important to note that written Hebrew doesn’t include the spoken vowel sounds, but it is accepted by many today to be pronounced as YAHWEH. (Although there is dispute over that pronunciation due to the lack of vowels.)
Throughout history, the Jews, particularly after the Babylonian captivity and through the inter-testamental period, held this name to be so sacred it was blasphemy to utter it. In some places in the Old Testament, the word YHWH was changed to Adonai, meaning "my Lord," to reflect the importance of preserving the sanctity of the name YHWH and preventing blasphemy in the Jewish people.
There has been a movement over the past century, with a resurgence recently, that has attempted to reverse that. Some (even within the Church of God) believe that you can only (or should primarily) refer to God and Jesus Christ by their Hebrew names, respectively YAHWEH and YESHUA, and that anything else is blasphemy. They insist that the names of God and Jesus Christ should only be expressed in the Hebrew language. However, that doesn't hold up to Scripture since God told Moses He had been called by a different name—El Shaddai, or God Almighty—by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:2-4). Additionally, when Jesus Christ called out to His Father in Aramaic just before His death, He did so in His native language—Aramaic, not in Hebrew.
Would not God have preserved His name down through the ages if He were that concerned about pronunciation? Could the language and pronunciation of the Father's name be that critical if Jesus Christ never instructed us which language to use and how to pronounce it? In John 17:6, 26, Jesus says He came to reveal and declare the name of the Father to His disciples. In John 17:11, Jesus asks the Father to "keep through Your name [the Father's] those whom You have given me." Again, He does not mention Hebrew or how to pronounce the Father's name. It’s worth noting, He never once is recorded to have used the Hebrew YHWH during the entirety of His earthly ministry, though He spoke Hebrew.
The proponents of “sacred names” are in effect belittling God as a Being obsessed with languages, spelling, and sounds! They create a “rule” that is an addition to the Bible, a thing God forbids! (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19). They are profaning His holy name! God does not prefer one language over any other. The names of God or of Christ are as sacred in one language as another, and there is no scripture to the contrary. God wants each person to love and worship Him with understanding and sincerity—with all his heart, mind, and soul —and that is most often best accomplished with one’s own language (Mark 12:30). One biblical example of this is found in Act’s 2:5-11. All these, from "every nation under heaven"—each one—heard the disciples speak of the wonderful works of God in his or her own language. It’s a wonderful blessing that the Bible is being translated into more and more of the world’s many languages!
If God has called you out of this world to be His son or daughter, you are called to “glorify” Him by being the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16). You are called to carry His name and reflect His character with every thought, word, and action. Never misuse or misrepresent His name, never treat His name as common in thought, word, or action.
Our great God is known by His actions and His character, which is in many cases revealed in scripture by the many names and titles He has. Studying and meditating on those names and titles can be helpful.
In the Old Testament in Hebrew some of which are; He is Elohim (Deity, The God Family), EL (The Mighty One), EL Elyon (Lord God Almighty or God Most High), EL Roi (God Who Sees), EL- Elohe - (Israel) (God of Israel), EL Olam (God of Eternity, The Everlasting God), EL Shaddai (The Almighty, All-Sufficient God), Adonai (Lord, Master), YHWH (Self Existent One, He Exists or Causes To Be), YHWH Nissi (The LORD My Banner), YHWH Raah (The LORD My Shepherd), YHWH Rapha (The LORD that Heals), YHWH Shammah (The LORD is There), YHWH Tsidkenu (The LORD Our Righteousness), YHWH Mekoddishkem (The LORD Who Sanctifies You), YHWH Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), YHWH Shalom (The LORD is Peace), YHWH Sabaoth (The LORD of Hosts), Qanna (Jealous), YAH (The Independent One)…
Although many look primarily at the names and titles of God in the Hebrew Old Testament; much of the New Testament contains quotations or citations from the Old Testament. And it is worth noting here that wherever those Old Testament passages contained the names or titles of God, the Holy Spirit inspired them to be written into the New Testament in primarily the Greek language, not the original Hebrew thus setting the precedent for us.
A thought, consider the first place our Saviour's name occurs in the New Testament is Matthew 1:1. Where, by God's inspiration through the Holy Spirit, the Greek words are Iesous Christos, in English "Jesus Christ." Also consider Matthew 1:21-25 as Iesous (in English Jesus) was a commanded name. What is the only name which we may be saved? (Acts 4:7-12).
As I believe it will add to this message, I thought I would include names or titles of the Father and Son found in the New Testament in their original language.
In Aramaic; Elah (The Adorable One), Abba (Father).
And in Greek; Theos (The One Supreme Deity or God), Kurios (Lord or Master of). Pater (Father), Iesous (Jesus) (Savior, Preserver). Christos (Anointed, Christ), Logos (The Word, Spokesman), Archegos (Author, Forerunner, Captain), Huios Theou (Son of God), Basileus Basileon (King of Kings), Basileus Eirenes (King of Peace), Basileus Dikaiosunes (King of Righteousness), Amnos, Arnion (The Lamb).
This is a sampling of the names and titles by which God reveals Himself and refers to Himself throughout scripture. There are many more and it’s good to be reminded of them, even to become more familiar with them.
Again, it is not wrong to address and refer to God in the English language as even the writers of the New Testament under God’s inspiration wrote them primarily in the Greek language. God knows we primarily learn from within our own language (again consider carefully Acts 2:5-11). However, studying about and meditating on all the names, titles, and descriptions of God that we have been given in the Bible helps us better grasp the awesome greatness, power, and holiness of God—both Father and Son.
As I conclude this pastor’s message, no matter what we are doing, as one called and chosen by God; carry His name in the many wonderful ways that honor, exalt, magnify, and glorify God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). God's name and what it represents should be exalted, praised, and loved (Psalm 34:3; 54:6; 69:36). That’s our awesome responsibility!