It Starts Small

⁷ Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7

I have read and heard many sermons on the topic of the third commandment. I believe that because God is so good and holy and because He has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His name, we should only be using His names in ways that reflect His character.

There are several ways to be careful with the name of God. The most popular is to not use His name in a curse or cuss word. As a christian, that should make 100% sense to us. God’s name is holy. To use it as a cuss word would not be treating His name with the respect it deserves.

The original Hebrew reads: You shall not bear/carry My name emptily. We call ourselves CHRISTians. We literally carry the name of Christ with us when we identify as a CHRISTian. Our lives are to live in reflect of Christ. God’s name is holy and He calls His people to live up to that holiness.

When we think about that, it is sobering. How many times do we hear, I do not want anything to do with christians because they do not walk the talk? They like to talk a big game, but then you look at their lives and its hypocrisy. If we are going to wear the name of Christ Jesus, we need to be very careful our lives are reflecting Him. Most people will encounter God before they ever set foot in a church. Does your life reflect your talk?

This makes us really slow down and think through our words and actions. It asks the question:

AM I being holy as God is holy?

²³ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

None of us are as holy as God is, but the good news is if we know Jesus, He is living inside of us, giving us His Holiness in God’s eyes. Through the Holy Spirit, He lives up to the name that we carry so we do not have to be. Since none of us can live up to the name, His grace covers us when we fall short.

What does it mean that God is Holy?

⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10

⁸ But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. ⁹ We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 1 Timothy 1:8-9

Why is it so important to understand we can not be holy without putting our faith is Jesus?

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

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Part 1: God’s Holiness Revealed
Part 2: Depending on God
Part 3: Image of God
Part 4: What is in a Name?
Part 5: Resting in God
Part 6: Lifelong Honor
Part 7: Living in Unity
Part 8: Following a Faithful God
Part 9: Work and Generosity
Part 10 Honest Justice
Part 11: Transformed Hearts