tians but who deny the divinity of Christ and the effi cacy of His sacrifice. These include hypocrites and false cultists generally: their claims being spurious, they have taken Christ’s name in vain. “God be merciful to me a sinner” is the only prayer of the unsaved that God will hear. The Christian takes God’s name in vain on occasion: 1. WHEN NOT ON PRAYING GROUND. “If I re gard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me”
T h e i n i q u i t o u s h a b i t of name-dropping, to impress associates with one’s social or business prominence, by casually mentioning in the most intimate manner the names of important people, is rightly looked upon with disdain even by worldly people. In a manner of speaking, it is taking these names “in vain.” Yet Christians are often equally guilty with others of taking liberties with the most sacred name of God. A Direct Prohibition Exodus 20:7, familiar to anyone with the remotest connection with the things of God as a child in Sunday school, commands, “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.” Just what is involved? Generally speaking, it is put ting to improper use, directly or by implication, God’s holy name, which is the embodiment of His personality. No real Christian would be knowingly guilty of pro fanity, yet anything which detracts from, or reflects upon the all-worthy name of the Most High God is just that. This includes irreverence, contempt, desecration, vulgar ity, debasement, impurity, defilement — in fact, any thing short of a complete reverence and adoration. Referring to the need for a vital ministry in every part of the world today, a minister recently arrived in Canada stated, “I have come from America which is notorious for its wickedness and crime, yet in all my years there I have never heard so much profanity in public places -s- on the streets, in the stores and other places of business — as in these few days in Victoria.” Both are taking God’s name in vain: The first when some citizens of a country which proudly claims to be Chris tian do violence to the behavior that would naturally follow a genuine Christian profession; the second, a vocal and derisive making of the sacred name of God a blasphemous byword in the community. Useless and Silly What could be more useless, silly, or more profane than using God’s name as an expletive — a mere addi tion — for the sake of emphasis or force? The angry ejaculation of the sinner, that God will damn his enemy, is vain because God does not condemn anyone. Condem nation comes as a freewill determination, or because of a failure to exercise this divinely-given prerogative con structively: “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). What About Slang? The Christian should not be deceived by a careless use of so-called slang, in reality, a watered-down, pro fane use of holy names, such as “Golly, Gee, Gosh, Gad or Godfrey” for God: “By Christopher” for Christ; “Jehos- hophat, Jeepers, Jeez,” etc. for Jesus Christ. Well does the Apostle James warn, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation” (5?12). Note carefully that this is addressed to believers. God's Name Vainly Used In Prayer Strangely enough, God’s name is most often used vainly in prayer. The non-Christian who does not be lieve fervently enough in the saving ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ to apply it to his own great need, even if he prays regularly, cannot be heard because access to the presence of God is through the Son: “Through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Heb. 2:18). So it is with those who claim to be Chris- 14
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