What does the expression "Taking the name of the Lord in vain" mean exactly?

Question

I hear that a lot when people use profanity, such as GD.

If you direct your comments, positive or negative towards the Lord, why is that using his name in vain, when you really mean to bring him into it, (whether it is to bless him or blame him).

To those of you who say that it should be used to bless him, why?

Should we praise God for having abusive parents and family? Should we praise God for bringing us hurricanes and tornadoes? Should we praise God for losing our jobs or for losing everything and becoming homeless? She we praise God for all the world's hardships and for people's inhumane treatment of one-another?

To Proverbs31woman: Allowing is just as bad as causing, because you have a chance to prevent something and won't. In man's law, you can go to prison if you stand by and allow others to commit a crime and do nothing to prevent it when you could have.

Why should God get a free pass?

In other words, I don't think that using God's name negatively or even in a profane way is always that uncalled for.

Answer 1

Supposedly, if you curse using God's name, you are taking the Lord's name in vain. If you recall, God of the Old Testament was one mean MF. He destroyed all life on earth except for Noah and the Ark. He destroyed Sodom and Gammorah. He laid plagues on Egypt. Using His name as a curse would have angered him greatly.

Answer 2

To take the Lords name in vain is to use His name as a cuss word or in a fit of disgust. It is a sin because it is as if people who do it are disrespecting and belittling God on purpose. He is the creator of all that is and the only one who has power not only to destroy the body but also the soul. People who take Gods name in vain are not operating in a reverential fear of Him, which is an affront to Him. However, taking God's name in vain is forgivable when we confess it to Him, ask forgiveness, and do our very best to never do it again. God sees and knows our hearts. If we are truly sorry for sin and are doing our best to live godly, he has promised to forgive us and cleans us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Answer 3

The Greek word translated to "vain" is the same used for "vanity"

It means, empty,nothing, meaningless

So to take the name of the Lord in vain is to take it lightly and not with the high esteem He deserves.

The most reccognized common way is when some one uses His name (Jesus Christ) as an explitive.

Another very common way is to call one self a "Christian" (which means to be Christ like) yet behave, talk, and participate in events that are not at all like Jesus.

In other words, if I claim to represent Jesus, then I beter know what He was like AND follow his example of life!

As to the 2nd portion...

The things you mentioned are terrible tradgedies that are, sadly, quite common.
Tragadies are also called trials.
These are things that He allows (note I said allows NOT causes) to happen to either strengthen and prepare us OR to bring us to or closer to Him.
They are also circumstances that do not last forever.
They are what is called "tempral".

Blessing and praising God because He deserves it, goes beyond the tragic circumstances of this world.

Those of us who bless and praise Him, Do so for the eternal life He has given us. By eternal life, I am referring to the spirit living on with God in heaven, though the flesh has died.

the book of Romans says it better.
All have sinned and come short of the golory of God.

The penalty for sin is death. By death I mean eternal separation from God, as it is in Hell.

However God came and paid his price for all who are willing to believe and obey!
(For those of you who are wondering why I said "& obey"...
If you truly believe you ill obey. It is inseperable.)

He shed his blood on a hill called Calvary a very long time ago. He did this so that each one of us could spend eternity with Him.


THAT is why He is to be praised and blessed!

Tragadies are also called trials.
These are things that He allows (note I said allows NOT causes) to happen to either strengthen and prepare us OR to bring us to or closer to Him.

Answer 4

Taking God's name in vain means using the name of God in a common way. The name of God represents the person of God. The Israelites were to show respect for the person of God by their use of His name. They were not to use it simply for emphasis or for any unworthy objective in their speech (cf. Matt. 5:33-37; James 5:12).

Answer 5

God's name, like Himself, is holy. When we casually use it in an unholy fashion, without reverence, it is called "taking His name in vain". If you are praying to God, usually you aren't also taking His name in vain, except on the odd chance you are yelling at Him and cursing Him.

Answer 6

It isn' t the language...it is the lifestyle. The command calls us to elevate the name or reputation of God to the highest place. We exist to give honor to his name. Our actions, words, thoughts....when used against his name.... that is the sin.

Answer 7

using his name in vain means to use it not to praise him such as OMG or Gosh darnit (only swearing). It's against the second commandment, and we should only use his name to praise him, not missuse it.

Answer 8

More related to Christianity because Mohammed dammmit or L Ron Hubbard just don't sound right.

Answer 9

My thought on the matter is this:
To call yourself His and not be His~that would be using His Name in vain

Answer 10

I constantly hear people blurting out the phrase "Oh my God" - without any serious invocation of His assistance.
It reminds me of the story of the boy who cried "wolf"
One day he cried it out, and meant it, but no one took him seriously any more.
One day some are going to cry out "Oh my God", and need Him to answer, but He will ignore their cry because every time they did it in the past, they didn't really mean it.