Myths Concerning Blasphemy and Taking the Name of the LORD in Vain

Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain

The modern concept of what it means to take the Name of the LORD in vain is completely wrong, and it’s quite an open and shut case, so let’s dive right in and find out what it really means.

Most people would say that using the word ‘God’ in any way other than speaking to or about God is taking the Name of God in vain, i.e. saying GD or OMG. Well that logic falls apart with one simple statement: God is not God’s name; God’s name is Yahweh.

Exodus 6:3 “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH (Yahweh) was I not known to them."

God’s Name is Yahweh. His Name is not God. You may be tempted to say, “Hey, but He just said ‘by the name of God Almighty” but that isn’t actually true. Anytime you see italicized words the King James Version of the Bible, you need to remember that the translators added those words in order to make the passages flow more naturally for modern audiences; they were printed in italics so that there would never be any question as to what was added. A lot of people blast the KJV for its additions, but they are completely unaware that these additions are flagged. The phrase “the name of” doesn’t actually appear in the Hebrew text. However, the second appearance of the word ‘name’ is in the original text; it is the Hebrew word shem (Strong’s concordance #8034), and it means the traditional understanding of the word ‘name’. God is not God’s name; Yahweh is God’s name.

Now let’s read from the Ten Commandments passage.

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."

In the passage above, the word LORD in all caps. When you see this in the Old Testament it is always in place of the name Jehovah, or the more accurate Hebrew translation of Yahweh (YHWH). The Exodus passage should be read as follows, “Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy God in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” The word God is a title it is not a name. Saying GD or OMG cannot be taking the name of God in vain, because God is not God’s name.

And finally I bring you to the book of Proverbs. Pay close attention to verse 9; I have highlighted the portion that pertains to this study.

Proverbs 30:7-9 “7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD (YHWH)? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

Taking the name of the Lord in vain actually depends on which covenant you are under. If you are under the covenant of the Old Testament law (i.e. if you are a Jew), then calling yourself a Jew and breaking the commands of that law, constitutes the act of taking the name of Yahweh in vain. In the example above the act of stealing is referenced specifically, but basic logic implies that breaking any commandment while calling yourself a Jew constitutes the act of taking the Name of Yahweh in vain. This is evidenced by the fact that taking the name of the LORD in vain (Exodus 20:7) and stealing (Exodus 20:15) are both commandments. If taking the name of the Lord in Vain could only be done when stealing, then why are they two separate commands? Obviously breaking any other commandment constitutes taking the name of the LORD (YHWH) in vain. And to clarify things a bit more, ‘taking the name of the LORD’ actually means to take on his mantle, or to stand under his banner, if you will; it means to take on his name in a familial sense, the way a bride takes the last name of her groom.

As for the Christian, if you are under the covenant of Grace by the Blood of Jesus then breaking the law of that New Covenant could possibly be taking the name of the Lord Jesus in vain. The commandment of Christ is that we love one another John 13:34, and in I John 3:23 we read “And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” Therefore, by calling yourself a Christian without truly believing on Jesus Christ according to the Scriptural account, or if you do not have love for others, then you could possibly be taking the name of the Lord Jesus in vain, but there is also no special command for us on the matter. I’ll touch more on that in a bit.

Blasphemy

And because it will likely be rebutted that saying GD and OMG is blasphemy, let’s take a look at what that actually means as well.

In Mark 3:22-30 Jesus was casting out demons, which the Pharisees said He was doing so by an evil spirit, at which point Jesus said that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is unforgivable, "because they said He had an evil spirit". Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is calling him an evil spirit; therefore, blasphemy against the Father or the Son is calling them evil. Saying GD or OMG isn’t calling God evil.

There's no Scriptural evidence that I know of for the concept of blasphemy or taking God's Name in vain to mean anything specific other than the Scriptures I've shown. The modern interpretations of those concepts are nothing more than the traditions of men, in as much as they deviate from, or add on to the Scriptural account.

I’m Not Advocating The Use of These Terms

I hope it is obvious that I am not condoning or endorsing the usage of the word God in the manner that is considered to be offensive today. And the reason I don’t suggest using it is simply because it offends some people; not because the current interpretation is right, because I feel it is pretty clear that the modern interpretation is very wrong. But, there is no profit in offending others, especially in offending fellow Christians. After all, in Proverbs 6:16-19 we read the true list of the seven deadly sins (not the well known list suggested by the Catholic church), and the final item in that list of things God hates is “he that soweth discord among the brethren”. It is good to educate your fellow Christians on this matter, but it is not good to offend them by using these terms unapologetically, since they may believe that this breaks one of God’s commandments.

The Reason For This Study

The main motivation for this endeavor is to keep Christians from being hypercritical when they hear the phrase GD or OMG, and to help you realize that even under the old covenant law, only those who called themselves by Yahweh’s name (the Jews) could even commit this sin. A non-Jewish person isn’t even capable of breaking this commandment, because they are not under the old covenant law. Only Jews can commit this sin, and God is not God’s name. If a non-Jewish person says GD or OMG, they are doubly UN-qualified for candidacy of this sin. There is therefore no reason for anyone to get upset when they hear these terms.

The concept behind this command implies it to refer only to a person that calls himself or herself a Jew, simply for convenience sake, or for some reason other than true worship, having no real love for God. As for the equivalent of this among Christians, Jesus talked about true and false converts among His followers many times, and there will come a day when the wheat and the chaff, the sheep and the goats will be separated by the holy angels. So technically there are some who call themselves Christians who don’t actually believe Jesus to be the Son of God, or who have no love for others and this could certainly be considered the Christian equivalent of taking the Name of the LORD in vain, but they will be dealt with. There is no special commandment forbidding this for us, because there doesn’t need to be. And if this sin is even possible for Christians to commit, it certainly doesn’t pertain to non-believers. There is, therefore no need for Christians to be offended when they hear a non-Christian say GD or OMG. Add on top of that the fact that God is not God’s name, and there should really be no reason to take offense to these terms at all.

Summary

So to recap the two most important points of this study; God is not God’s name, and a non-Jewish person isn’t even capable of committing this sin. The Christian equivalent of taking the name of the LORD in vain, although it is not a special command for us, would be to call oneself a Christian but not believe on Christ according to the Scriptural account, or to have no love for others. Instead of being offended when you hear non-Christians say GD or OMG, try considering whether or not you love others, because you may actually be the one taking the name of the Lord in vain (because of your lack of love).