Exodus 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
I briefly mentioned, in yesterday’s post, one way in which Christians take the Lord’s name in vain. Unfortunately, too many of us have become very casual about this commandment, and I thought I’d take the time to mention some things we should consider.
Taking God’s Name in Vain
“Vain” means useless, or empty. This verse, one of the Ten Commandments, tells us to not use God’s name in an empty or useless way. God is to be respected as high and holy. This isn’t optional.
“OMG”
I read an article a couple of weeks ago (unfortunately, I forgot to note who gave me the link) which I thought was excellent. I know nothing about the author, but her article (What does the Bible say about OMG?) is excellent. Too many Christians, in moments of excitement, dismay, etc., say, “Oh my God,” — and it isn’t a prayer. Others, more “refined,” say, “Oh my gosh,” which is effectively the same watered down a little bit. When we do this, we are saying God’s name without any real meaning to it — using it vainly.
Text-speak and Internet usage have made this far worse. Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter too often encourage people to speak quickly and mindlessly, and it is so very easy to type in “OMG” without even thinking about it. Is that consistent with reverence for our God? If you see a Christian doing this, perhaps you could send a private note asking him to stop. He’s probably not even thought about it.
No one ever says, “Oh my Satan,” or a watered-down “Oh my Santa.” Or, for that matter, “Oh my spaghetti” or “Oh my desk.” Why do unbelievers always use “Oh my God”? We know why — the god of this world is influencing them to use words that diminish reverence for the Almighty God. Why should Christians even mimic that with a watered-down “Oh my gosh”?
Read more:
http://mindrenewers.com/2012/03/13/omg-and-other-ways-christians-take-gods-name-in-vain/
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