Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Focus on the Family

    Strengthening families through biblical principles.

    Focus on the Family addresses the use of biblical principles in parenting and marriage to strengthen the family.

  • Guest, Join Papa Zoom today for some uplifting biblical encouragement! --> Daily Verses
  • The Gospel of Jesus Christ

    Heard of "The Gospel"? Want to know more?

    There is salvation in no other, for there is not another name under heaven having been given among men, by which it behooves us to be saved."

What does it mean to take the Lord's name in vein?

2024 Website Hosting Fees

Total amount
$905.00
Goal
$1,038.00
D

Dave Slayer

Guest
What does it mean to take the Lord's name in vein? I am sure I've done it, but what exactly is taking the Lord's name in vein?

Should we say things like "holy cow"? "oh my God"?

Last I knew, cows aren't holy. :biggrin
 
Vain, a vein carries blood,lol.

I do not allow my kids to say Gods name out of context, but they hear it all the time pretty much everywhere but home.
I don't watch shows that say GD either. :mad

Using the Lords name out of context is taking His name in vain.
 
:waving Heya Dave~

Nope, no holy cows as long as we don't live in India... :biggrin

BTW it's vain. The word vain means empty, or without value. To take the Lord's name in vain means to treat it lightly, without the honor and reverance that is due to the One who created everything and owns everything even our poopy like mouths sometimes when we say things without thinking. :verysad

The Lord knows what we will say before we think of it, He knows everything that happened in eternity past~ He knows everything that will happen in eternity future~ He is present all the time. He is ALL powerful. We get it into our heads that God has all power as if He has all the power we see put together. NOT HARDLY! :lol

But we can only think of power in terms of what we know, and I am afraid the power we have seen is (puny nothing at all) compared to the REAL AWESOME virile power of God Almighty! :chin

God is Sovereign~ He is in CONTROL ~ perfectly ~ of every single atom and molecule in the universe. NOTHING escapes His plan and design. :gavel

God has no beginning and no end~ He is so totally BEYOND our understanding that He equates our minds to His~ like a grasshoppers mind is to ours. :o

God is Good, the benefits He bestows on His creation is unseen for the most part. We often do not walk in the fullness of His grace and favor because we do not ask...we do not think of what to ask, it never enters our minds... we fail to realise the goodness of God all the time! we do not see it, we take it for granted. Out of His goodness He cares for the earth and all the creatures He made on it.

He offered His Son as a SUPREME love gift to the world, because He loves those who are completely unlovable.:heart This is His greatest love, His greatest good, and the angels in heaven look on us and are mystified that He would bother with us! As we should be... :nod

None of these little descriptions even touch the AWESOMENESS of our LORD'S character which is His name... :nono

So when we speak untruthfully about Him, or His deeds, when we fail to praise His Goodness and be thankful to Him for a WHOLE LOT MORE than just our food BTW! When we take His love and mercy for granted, when we sin (after we are saved) especially... when we forget to think about Him, or turn to Him while He waits so lovingly for our attention.... not because He needs us, but because we so desperately NEED HIM.

Then and many many more times each day... we take the name of the Lord in vain. :crying

Praise our God for His merciful blood to cleanse us. :thud: Thank You Lord and goodnight brothers... :sleep

bonnie
 
To me it seems rather silly to think saying something like "oh my god" or "jesus christ!" is the meaning of 'taking the lord's name in vain'.... at least you wouldn't think it is an offense on par with murder or stealing etc.., you know?

To me, I think it means that you do something 'in the name of god' but it is not for god but for yourself. For example, those televangelists who claim to be doing god's work (no names!) but what they're really doing is racking up worldly possessions for themselves by milking their viewers. To me that can be an example of 'taking the lord's name in vain.'

Because if you believe in an afterlife, then anything you do on this Earth to benefit yourself and not others or god can be seen as being 'in vain' because ultimately nothing comes of it.
 
This reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 7:22.."Lord Lord didn't we prophesy in your name, drive out demons, do miracles..."

Afterwhich the Lord Jesus told them to depart because he never knew them.

All their works were in vain, they had taken on His name "in vain" yet they weren't known by Him because they had no living relationship with Him. There are so many religious works being done in Jesus' name only, or in vain.
 
God has no beginning and no end~ He is so totally BEYOND our understanding that He equates our minds to His~ like a grasshoppers mind is to ours.

If God is so different from man, then in what sense was man created in His image?

To me it seems rather silly to think saying something like "oh my god" or "jesus christ!" is the meaning of 'taking the lord's name in vain'

When I hear somone in anger say, "Jesus Christ!" it is like a spiritual attack upon my soul. How would you feel if someone in anger used the name of your wife or mother in a disrespectful way? Let's say your mother's name is "Jane Doe", and you heard someone in anger exclaim, "Jane Doe, that dirty slut!"
To use Christ's name, or Yahweh's name in such a way is more than a milllion times worse. In Judaism, the name of Yahweh was so revered, that in order to avoid the very possibility of taking that name in vain it wasn't uttered. That's the reason the translators of the Septuagint, wrote "ho kurios" (the Lord) whenever they encountered "Yahweh", and New Testament writers did the same thing when quoting from the Old Testament.

.... at least you wouldn't think it is an offense on par with murder or stealing etc.., you know?

Correct. It is not on a par with murder or stealing. It is many times worse! It is an offense directly against God.
 
Paidion said:
When I hear somone in anger say, "Jesus Christ!" it is like a spiritual attack upon my soul. How would you feel if someone in anger used the name of your wife or mother in a disrespectful way? Let's say your mother's name is "Jane Doe", and you heard someone in anger exclaim, "Jane Doe, that dirty slut!"
To use Christ's name, or Yahweh's name in such a way is more than a milllion times worse. In Judaism, the name of Yahweh was so revered, that in order to avoid the very possibility of taking that name in vain it wasn't uttered. That's the reason the translators of the Septuagint, wrote "ho kurios" (the Lord) whenever they encountered "Yahweh", and New Testament writers did the same thing when quoting from the Old Testament.

Correct. It is not on a par with murder or stealing. It is many times worse! It is an offense directly against God.
Sticks and stones.....
 
John said:
I guess you need to be a Christian to understand :chin
Oh no I understand. It's offensive to YOU as a believer, but I hardly think an all powerful, all knowing (etc..) god would be upset that one of his creations says "jesus christ!".

The level of upset caused to the believer should not be a measure of truth, nor does it explain why an all powerful god would make it a rule not to 'insult' him in such a way. However the offence caused to the believers IS an explanation why.

But as I said, it doesn't matter because I do not think that is what "don't take the lord's name in vain" means anyway.
 
Sanitarium said:
John said:
I guess you need to be a Christian to understand :chin
Oh no I understand. It's offensive to YOU as a believer, but I hardly think an all powerful, all knowing (etc..) god would be upset that one of his creations says "jesus christ!".

The level of upset caused to the believer should not be a measure of truth, nor does it explain why an all powerful god would make it a rule not to 'insult' him in such a way. However the offence caused to the believers IS an explanation why.

But as I said, it doesn't matter because I do not think that is what "don't take the lord's name in vain" means anyway.


It is a "stab in the heart" to hear His name used as many do but....I will agree in that "taking the Lord's name in vain" doesn't mean cursing. It means using His name to teach idolatry. Saying it is of God when it is not. It is to use His name uselessly, deceptively....in vain.

That being said....using His name to curse is terrible.
 
Back
Top