The Words of Your Heart - part VI

As we bring our mini-series to a close this morning, we will be tying everything together with the truth of the 3rd Commandment. Exodus 20:7 → “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.”

As a reminder from a few months ago, when Jesus said that He did not come to abolish The Law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-20), He was broadly speaking about every law in the Old Testament, and specifically about The Moral Law; the 10 Commandments. These are the guiding principles for every area of human life. There is no jurisdiction under the sun that exists independent of God’s moral law, and for the past 5 Sundays we have been discussing the ramifications of this in regards to the way we speak.

When we make promises; regardless of who we are making them with, or what they are about; every promise is ‘in the name of God’...because He is sovereign over everything. So much so is God sovereign over everything, that every word we speak as well as the motivation why, must be in-line with His character and nature. No matter what we are talking about, all of our words must reflect the truth of who God is. If they don’t; if either our mouth runs on auto-pilot or if we are being intentionally malicious; the truth of Matt. 12:36 still applies → “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

The words we choose in this life, every single one, will be used as evidence at our day in His holy court, and nothing but the precious red of Jesus Christ can declare us innocent. And if, here and now, your hearts have been made new, the way you communicate will prove it because: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

Reading → Matthew 5:33-37 & Opening Prayer

What’s the problem?

If you can remember the beginning of this Series, Jesus has been confronting the heretical teaching of the Pharisees in regards to the “Oath taking system” they developed. They taught that solemn vows could be sworn; and as long as you didn't invoke the name of God; you would be without fault for violating the 3rd Commandment. 

They would swear by heaven, or earth, or Jerusalem, or even their own life, in an attempt to convince other people that they were trustworthy. And for the most part…it worked. The people held them up as exemplars of holiness and virtue, all the while believing they themselves would never reach such heights. However, it must be said that their self-degradation did hold a kernel of truth within its center. 

It is true that we aren't good enough for God. Every book of Scripture teaches as much. The false teaching that surrounds this teaching, thereby hiding the truth, however, is that we, ourselves, can do something about it. And that is precisely where The Pharisees stepped in. 

Exploiting the deepest desire of fallen man, they taught that we really can be like God… if we try hard enough. Do the right things, at the right time, all of the time; say the right things, at the right time, all of the time…then the clouds will part, the sun will shine on you, and everything in your life will fall into place. 

And how did Jesus confront this false teaching? Not by heaping more and more laws upon them; the original was sufficient, and they would have used any new law to try and earn His praise anyways. He confronted it by showing what every law truly is. Do you remember? Every law in Scripture is an “inter-actable” manifestation of the character and nature of God. They teach us about Him and about us. They point out our need to be saved, and show us how to live and speak in ways that represent Him to the watching world.

So when we encounter a law about how we communicate, we can understand it to mean that all of our communication really is…“in the name of God.”

If the Pharisee made a vow with heaven as their witness…it is in the name of God because that’s His throne. If they swore by the entire earth, they would be swearing in the name of God, because it is His footstool. If they were to invoke the holy city as evidence of their truthfulness, they would be invoking the name of God because that’s His city. And were that not enough; Jesus taught that even swearing by your own body, your life, your self-autonomy, is swearing in the name of God because He is sovereign over every human… down to the level of individual hairs.

All of which joins together in His words in v.37 → “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

If you need to add layer upon layer of promises to your words to ensure that someone believes you, it means that the way you have been living up until that point…tells people you aren’t trustworthy. Your words and actions have spent years carrying little to no value or truth, but now? when you need to rely on them? You are forced to coat your communication with layers of holy promises to convince anyone of anything. You have been crying wolf for so long, no one believes you. You have been deceitful, and as such, your words are from ‘the evil one’.

If that is you this morning, or it reminds you of the direction you sin in (though you hate it!)…take heart! Not because “saying the right thing” atones for your sin and causes God to smile upon you, not at all. That would be using yourself as the starting point. Take heart because the neon King of the cosmos; Him who is ‘truth itself’; lives even now braided about the very fibers of your soul, never to be undone, and has promised to never give up on you. To never leave or forsake you. And in fact, the sovereign God of the entire Universe; Him who spoke to create that Universe, and directs the paths of planets with as much ease as those of peoples and nations; has ordained everything in your life to unfold in such a way to ensure that you join Him at the end of unending time.

It is this truth; the unquestionable rule and reign of God and His sovereign ordination of whatsoever may come to pass; that must be acknowledged when considering how we communicate. Plainly stated: All of our communication, be it spoken, written, or acted out with our behaviors, must…at all times…reflect His border-less sovereignty. 

From Solar Systems to Souls, and everything in between, Jesus Christ has direct, involved, operational control over all of it. From the interaction between every molecule in the nucleus of every cell, to the relationships between countries; He keeps them in place, or dissolves them as He sees fit. He “holds all things together” Col. 1:17 teaches.

Do you believe it?

In Is. 46:9 & 10 when God says → “Remember this, and show yourselves men; recall to mind, O you transgressors. [9] Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure”; when God says this…do you shirk back in anger, or press in for comfort?

Because both are a result of believing it to be true.

Do you believe that the path of every falling snowflake falling is as ordained as the falling of every nation? If you do, then speak that way. Do you believe (to quote Spurgeon) that every particle of dancing dust floating through a sunbeam, doesn't move an atom more or less that God wishes? Do you believe (to quote Sproul) that there isn't a single rogue molecule in the entire universe? If you do, then speak that way. Do you believe (to quote Kuyper) that there isn't a single square inch in the whole domain of human existence, over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: “mine”?

If you believe these things…then no matter what your communication is about; be it friends, finances, families, or the future; speak in such a way that the name of God is being held in the highest regard.

The letter of the law:

Now, with a claim as bold as this, it would be wise to pause for a moment and discuss what we actually mean when we talk about “the name of God.” 

When God first gave the 10 Commandments to Moses that day on the Mount, the inclusion of ‘how to use His name’ might seem somewhat out of place. A little odd. On the surface, we could ask a long list of questions like: what language was He talking about? It obviously wasn’t English. God isn't concerned with vowels and consonants, right? At that time, Hebrew didn't even have vowels in their written language. What about substitutions for His name, are those ok? How about abbreviations?

On and on we can ask these questions, but to do so out of anything besides a concern for His glory…is to play the Pharisee.

As in; if the reason why you are asking such questions is because you want to glorify God more, then go for it. Ask the questions and then compare the answers you get to Scripture. If not…if you are asking to try and prove yourself justified in the way you communicate because the answers you get don’t make sense to you…then don’t feign innocence or act surprised when the audio recording of your voice starts to play aloud on judgement day. 

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So…what are we to do with the 3rd Commandment? 

Do we never say His name…at all, just to be sure? If we were justified by the law and not by faith,  then that would be a safe bet, there's just too many questions, right?

To step into a quick history lesson here:

When God first revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Ex. 3:14 &15) He announced who He is (“I am that I am”) and gave His name as YHWH or YHVH.

Jumping forward a few centuries; when the Israelites returned from their 70 year exile in Babylon, they were hard-pressed to follow God’s law exactly and literally, in every way possible, so when The Scribes set about making copies of the Torah they would write the divine name (YHVH) but speak the word: “Adonai” or: “Lord” in Hebrew.

Moving forward three centuries, the Old Testament was translated into Greek (~200yrs before Jesus) and they continued this tradition of writing the divine name, but then using the Greek word for Lord: “Kurios” whenever they spoke it aloud.

Fast forward a few more centuries, when Scripture was translated in Old Latin (~200yrs after Jesus) they used the word “Dominus” or “Lord” in Latin. This is why, in many translations, you will see “lord” written out with call caps but lower case.

Still with me?

Jump forward again to around 600AD, and a group of Hebrew scribes known as the Masoretes, out of a fear that their language would die off, added ‘vowel points’ to signal the correct pronunciation of Hebrew words (like musical notation marks). So when they got to the divine name, still written: YHVH, they took the vowel points they used for “adonai”, attached them to the consonants of the divine name, resulting in a word that is written (in English): YᵉHōVĀH; but pronounced: “adonai”. Eventually, readers began to treat the consonants with vowel points as single pronounceable letters, and in the late 1200s the divine name was written and spoken: “Yahovah”. When “J” was added to our lexicon (~1500s) it became: “Jehovah”.

All that to say, God said: “Don’t take my name in vain”...and humans responded by inventing century upon century of man-made traditions; answering all the questions about the 3rd Commandment with their own ways instead of God’s…all the while missing the heart of the entire issue.

Well then, what’s in a name?:

To understand what it means to “use a name” we need to understand that a name, anyone’s name for that matter, is far deeper than just an identifier.

This will be hard to see because the modern world has lost what it means to actually be “a person”. We are taught that humans are nothing more than the result of random, undirected chance and probability acting on biological matter. Everything is sheer happenstance. Random, chaotic, molecules floating in a batch of brain chemicals, inside a bag of meat and bone. And the best way to differentiate one meatbag from the next…is your name.

“Work hard, human number 3,000,000,002; you have to pay your bills and keep society going. Yes you’ll die and be replaced to keep the machine of modernity moving forward, so make the most of your life while you're still of use.”

Forcing a Globalistic mindset upon everyone; feeding us all of the interests, hobbies, beliefs, and personality traits that are acceptable to an advanced society; our names have become nothing more than something to tell the clones apart.

Vote this way, not that way. Yes you can worship however you want…just not in that way, it doesn't mesh well with the rest of the world. If you like these hobbies, you fit in this niche, if you don't, that niche over there is where you belong, so go and be a totally unique individual with them. Teach these things, not those things. Eat these kinds of foods, not those kinds. These are all of the expected and acceptable retirement options. If you don’t have any friends or family, we have an AI program specifically tailored to the type of person that you are…for a monthly fee, of course. And oh yeah, make sure to pay your taxes with the money you earned from the personality traits we have exploited and monetized.

The importance of the 3rd Commandment has been lost because “names” are seen as nothing more than words to identify one clone from the next. In fact, you even need to fill out government-regulated paperwork to change your name…how else will they keep track of you?

And that right there hints at the power of a name.

If you do change your name, with governmental permission of course, are you a different person? For some people in our modern world, they will shout out a resounding: “Yes! You are no longer who you used to be, you’ve been made altogether new. The old ‘you’ has died, and you are now a new creation!”

If you can see where we can go with that…hold on to it, we’ll come back.

All that to say: Your name is far more than just an identifier that separates you from someone else. It is a word, of course, chosen by your parents for whatever reason they chose it, yes; but more than that; your name speaks volumes about your personality; your reputation; and the traits that make ‘you’ ‘you’. It tells people about your character. 

Your name is an

audible expression of

the kind of person you are.

Think on this, my friends; when someone’s name is brought up in conversation…what happens? You automatically think things about that person’s character. Sometimes it's true, other times it's not. It might be based on direct, personal experiences with them; or on rumors, hearsay, and the person you built them up to be in your mind. If the name you hear is someone you love, ‘who they are as a person’ is floating right at the surface of your heart. If it’s someone who hurt you, the springloaded feelings from your past are catapulted into your present. 

To go a step further with this; we even think things about a person if they share a name with someone else. If this is hard to see, I’ll just ask what kind of character traits do you think about when you hear the name: “Donald”? I doubt you're thinking about a cartoon duck.

Before moving into the name of God and the moral gravity of the 3rd Commandment; I would be doing you all a disservice this morning if I didn't ask: What kind of a person does your name convey? When your name is brought up in conversations you aren't a part of…what do people think? Is it accurate? Is it based on a sinful life you’ve since repented of? …what about a sinful lifestyle you are currently living? What behaviors and personality traits and characteristics are brought into people’s minds whenever they hear your name? 

What do people think when they hear your name?

Are they thoughts of honor and integrity? Someone that can be relied upon? Someone who is trustworthy and Godly, and never hides their faults and sins but repents of them?

Furthermore, are all of the numerous aspects of your character that are brought to mind at the sound of your name…accurate to the kind of person that you are? Have you been putting on a show? Wearing a mask so you can act and speak this way on Sundays, and then taking it off the rest of the week?

Ask yourself children of Clyde-Savannah, when your name is spoken aloud, do the people who hear it think of someone poor in spirit, mournful over their sin, and meek?

Does your name convey someone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, is merciful to the undeserving, and has a pure heart? Do people know which name to bring up when peace needs to be made? Or when thinking about someone who is persecuted for righteousness’ sake?

I hope so, because that’s what Jesus thinks

when He hears your name.

If that's hard to accept because your sins are ever before you and there's no way such a thing can be true. If your sins have been haunting your waking mind and terrorizing it when it tries to sleep…take heart, because you're the exact kind of person Jesus died for. You're the only kind of person that God loves…someone who hates their sin instead of hiding it.

If the power of a name is still hard to wrap your mind around, even after everything we just talked about; think about the last time you spoke with someone about the meaning of your name, or theirs. It's something that young children love to do, thinking about the meaning of their name, where it came from, and if it has any Biblical or familial history behind it. So…how about you, my friend? What does your name mean?

The spirit of the law:

Now take all of that; everything about the power of a name; and see that the only reason we can accept it to be true, is because of the power God infused into ‘names’ to begin with; which He explained in the 3rd Commandment; and repeated in the Sermon on the Mount.

The name of God, far more than just an identifier used when speaking about Him, is the definition of His character and nature. 

Exodus 3:13 - 15 → “Then Moses said to 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?” [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.’ ” [15] 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.’”

What is God’s name?

YHWH → Adonai → Kurios → Dominus → Yehovha → Lord

What does that word speak about, in terms of His character and nature?

That He is who He is. That He is pure existence in and of itself.

His name speaks about the truth that nothing external has ever shaped or molded Him, in any way. No cultural climate affected His opinions or steered Him in any direction. He has never seen a news broadcast that left Him questioning His safety or influencing His thoughts about anything. No family trauma boiled away behind His heart, turning Him into some amalgam of anger and emptiness. Nothing, my friends, nothing, has pounded against His personality with such force He felt like breaking, only to grit His teeth and muscle through to becoming better or stronger.

He is who He is. He is YHWH, Adonai, Kurios, Dominus, Yehovah Lord.

He is internally self-existent, unaffected by the passage of time. Never experiencing the passing of moments, He exists in the eternal unchanging present. Having no beginning, there was never a time when He didn't exist, and having no end there will never be a time when He ceases to exist. He is always and forevermore, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8). He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. His character and nature is such that He neither needs nor wants anything outside of Himself to continue existing, and is incapable of having to find, fight, or forge, meaning, purpose, or love, to make His existence what He desires it to be. And everything He does is in accordance with His own will, taking neither input nor advice from anyone.

God; Father, Son, and Spirit; Three in person and one in essence; is the creator of reality itself, forging the laws of physics with bare hands while bringing galaxies into existence with His words. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, apart from whom nothing, and no one can exist, act, live, learn, love, hate, or hold together.

And at His name “...every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:10&11)

And the spirit of the 3rd Commandment is that all of our communication must take everything we just said into account. Meaning: When we speak about God; when we audibly use His name or title; are we doing so in such a way that it glorifies Him? Or lowers or lessens Him in the minds of those we speak to?  Just like your own name conveying the kind of person you are to people that hear it… are you accurately representing the kind of person He is with your language? To violate the 3rd Commandment with your words, is to use God’s name in any way that threatens to lessen the dignity, honor, and glory that He deserves. 

Do you use His name as nothing but an audible exclamation point? A way to show someone else “that you really mean it” or how super-special your feelings are? Do you flippantly sprinkle His name into your conversations, because it makes you feel strong and powerful and mature, or use it like a punchline to earn the laughs of sinners?

Furthermore, how tolerant are you of the only real “swear word” being barfed into your heart through your ears? Are the movies and music and books you take in overflowing with His name being used in ways it ought not be? Do you brush it off, thinking that you are far too sanctified to be affected by such filth, thank you very much. I hope not, because no matter how strong you are…you aren't strong enough. 

All of us here this morning, I'm going to assume don’t do such a thing, or at the most do all you can to avoid it, right? But to go deeper with it; Do you say something like: “I pray for help, but nothing is going to change.”...? To do so is to use God’s name in vain, because of who He is: “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Ps. 86:5)

Is your sin stronger than the blood of

Jesus Christ?

If it’s not, then no matter the damage it has done to your heart, mind, body, relationships, or life…use His name knowing His character.

Were that not enough; because the law is the character and nature of God manifested in ways that we can interact with; the jurisdiction of The 3rd Commandment extends beyond the words we use, and regulates our actions as well. Because, and to be sarcastic here for a moment, if you didn't know, your actions communicate things to people.

Rom. 2:21 - 24 → “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? [22] You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? [23] You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? [24] For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.”

Do you communicate with your words, things that are accurate and truthful about God…but then go out and live like the World? Do you attend Church on Sundays and open your Bible every day…but carry out your day to day life in contrast to the sermons you listen to or the words you read? If you do, then the name of God is blasphemed among the unbelievers because of you. 

Do you mold and shape the laws of God; bending them beyond what they mean, or ignoring the spirit while adhering to the letter; to ensure that you can live however you want? If you do, then Christ Himself has some very sharp words for you.

Matt. 15:7-9 → “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: [8]‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. [9]And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

How many people have violated the 3rd Commandment by exploiting the cultural capital that the name “Christian” still carries? Who foolishly think they can self-identify as a Christian…just because… and then live however they want while white- knuckling the name of God to feel good about themselves.

Do you want to impress the world (I speak as a fool!) then tell people: “Of course I’m a Christian…just, you know, not like that…I'm a real Christian. Loving and kind to everyone, never upsetting anyone about anything. Look at how holy I am.”

When someone brings you a correction, about something of vast importance in your life, do you violate the 3rd Commandment by using Scripture to justify your sins? 

When the idol of your career is wiggled loose by the words of another Christian, do you point to all those Scriptures that tell you to work? Conversely, when the idol of your laziness is threatened, do you appeal to the Scriptures that tell you to rest? 

To use Scripture in an attempt to support your sinning, is taking the name of God in vain, because it is to use His character and nature for things that are contrary to Him.

Extending even further; when false teachers like Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyers, Kenneth Copland, Steven Furtick, or Bethel School of Witchcraft and Wizardry vomit forth their vile health and wealth bile, they do it all by using the name of God. Such people have prostituted the name of God for personal gain, and are “...wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (2 Pet. 2:17)

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All of our words and our actions communicate something about the “Christ” in the name “Christian” that we wear…is it true to what Scripture teaches? If it doesn't, what are you going to do about it?

Closing:

At this point, we can move into the exact same conclusion that we reached when we spoke about ‘Lying’. In that; not taking the name of God in vain isn’t what justifies us in His eyes. God does not declare us innocent because we followed the law. The law could never accomplish such a thing. It was always a teacher, pointing out the perfection of God and the fallenness of man. (Gal. 2:11-21)

Does that then mean we have the freedom to go out and use His name in vain as we please? Of course not! Why would you? If you love someone, you put respect upon their name and defend it when those around you refuse to. If you love someone, you will speak their name with honor and dignity, and act in such a way that any association you have to them will tell the people in your life about that love.

“How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:2 & 3)

When viewing the scope of all of The Commandments, not just the 3rd, do you see your total inability to make yourself righteous in the eyes of God? Is helpless-ness falling forth from your feeble hands and mouth, testifying of your weakness in the light of Him? Good! That was the purpose of The Law all along. Do not bend it to suit your thoughts or actions, do not foolishly ignore the spirit behind each law while following the letter the length of inventing words. No. Repent of every time you sinned, of every time you tried to be righteous by your own strength, and be forgiven and made new by the only One capable of saving you.

And if you already have, and your salvation is in your past, but the light of Him beyond the clouds has grown somewhat dim lately; if the storms of your past or present have been boiling away before your eyes, threatening you with ‘who you used to be’; call to mind the name of Him who owns you, and what He did to save you.

My friends, when you first repented and believed, be it a decade ago or even this morning, the wrath reserved for you was poured out in full measure upon Jesus Christ, and His righteousness was given to you without reserve or qualification. Yes! And in doing so, God did something to you that He has done numerous times before.

In Gen. 17:5 when Abram, the “exalted father”, was called out of his homeland, God changed his name to Abraham; “Father of a multitude”.

In Gen. 32:28 when Jacob, the “Deceiver” wrestled with the angel, God changed his name to Israel; “one who wrestles with God”.

In Num. 13:16 right before Hoshea, “salvation” was about to go and spy out the Promised Land; his name was changed to Yehoshua; “YHVH saves”.

In Jn. 1:4 the feisty fisherman known as Simon, “the one who hears”, had his name changed to Peter; “The rock.”

And the One who changed his name; the One who changed the name of Sarai to Sarah; who named James and John the “Sons of Thunder” and split the sky when He killed Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus and brought him back as Paul the Apostle; Him whose personality, reputation, character and identity explode into the hearts and minds of all who hear His name, is Jesus Christ; “YHVH SAVES.”

That man; that God-Man, Jesus Christ is He: who was, and is, and is to come (Rev. 1:8); who is before all things and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:17); who stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20); who will forgive and make new all who repent (Acts 3:19); whose spilled blood can atone for the darkest of sins (Is. 53:5); and has promised to never leave you (Heb. 13:5).

He is YHVH SAVES.

He is Jesus Christ.

And if you have repented of your sins and believed in Him, then your name has been changed…because you have been changed. The old you; the one who loved his sin and fought against God at every turn, was killed that day 2,000yrs ago. You died and were buried, and now you can fill your lungs anew, with the breath of life, as you join your voice with The Apostle: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Cast your cares upon the name of Christ, upon YHVH SAVES, see the unending care and compassion He has for those who hate the sin that broke them; the power He has to forgive; and hold fast to His name. For one day soon, when your heart does sing its final song, and your eyes flutter shut for the last time, they will open again to see His glowing glory for all eternity; and who, here and now, today, at this very moment…says to you: “he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:11)

Rev. Jacob Marchitell

June 14th 2026

Extra Notes:

Ways the 3rd Commandment manifests:

• Profanity - using God’s name as a way to help you vent your evil anger

• Hypocrisy - claiming to be a Christian while living like the World

• Self-glory - Using the title “Christian” for status/praise of men

• Hardening your conscious - “I really am a Christian, these things aren't sins”

• Irreverency - treating God’s character with casualness/disrespect/flippancy/etc (“Profanity” overlaps with this)

• 
  

Westminster Shorter:

54:      Q. What is required in the third commandment?

A. The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, 

attributes, ordinances, word, and works.

55:      Q. What does the third commandment forbid?

A. The third commandment forbids our treating as unholy or abusing anything God 

uses to make Himself known.

Westminster Larger:

112:    Q. What is required in the third commandment?

A. The third commandment requires that the name of God, his titles, attributes,  ordinances, the Word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and whatever else  there is by which he makes himself known, be treated as holy and reverently used in  thought, meditation, word, and writing, by a profession of faith accompanied by holiness and a consistent lifestyle, to the glory of God and the good of ourselves and others.

113:    Q. What are the sins forbidden in the third commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the third commandment are the following:  • not using God’s name as is required and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious or wicked mention;   • using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works in other ways by blasphemy, perjury;  • all sinful curses, oaths, vows, and lots;  • violating our oaths and vows, if those vows are lawful, and fulfilling them, if those vows are of unlawful things;  • murmuring and quarrelling at, curious prying into, or misapplying God’s decrees and providences;  • misinterpreting, misapplying, or perverting the Word in any way or in any part of it;  • profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain disputes, or maintaining false doctrines;  • using the name of God, his creatures, or anything contained under the name of God, for charms or sinful lusts and practices;  • maligning, scorning, reviling, or in any way opposing God’s truth, grace, and ways; • making profession of religion in hypocrisy or for sinister ends;  • being ashamed of God’s name, or becoming a shame to it by inappropriate, unwise, unfruitful, or offensive ways of life, or by turning from God’s name.