What's in a Name?

The Bibe Belt is a tough place to be. It's hard to tell who is really a Christ-follower and who just grew up reading the catechism. Who loves Jesus with their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who just loves knowing a lot of theology. Who wants to give their life away to their Creater and Savior, and who wants to spend their retirement collecting sea shells. I know because I used to be the catechism thumping, legalistic snot that thought she was all that until Jesus revealed the depths of sin in her own heart.


In the Bible Belt it's also tough knowing where to draw the line when it comes to cultural norms. "How short is too short?" "What kind of movies can I 'handle'?" "When and whom should I date?" and "Is it okay to drink?" are questions I have heard from the mouths of many Christians. While the answers to these questions can vary depending on the person, there is one issue that the Bible is black and white about-taking the Lord's name in vain. Sadly, I haven't even heard Christians asking about whether or not it's okay, unlike many of the above issues. Many Christians are simply doing it without thinking twice. Personally, I would be less offended hearing a string of cuss words, watching an inappropriate movie, or seeing too much skin than hearing someone say "Oh my G**." It diminishes the very God of the universe-the One Whom we claim to love and glorify.
Please hear me when I say that He cares more about His name than your obedience. The Bible itself says,

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, 

the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 

-Hosea 6:6

and

For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it

for how should my name be profaned?

My glory I will not give to another.

-Isaiah 48:11

Nothing we can do can save us-as my pastor said today, your identity is not produced by your obedience to God. Your obedience flows out of your identity! So if life is not about a set of do's and don't, and it is all about magnifying our Lord and Savoir, then why in the world would we care more about rules and "how far is too far" instead of honoring the name of God Himself? It seems to reflect an underlying legalism that pervades throughout the Bible Belt. We care more about what is socially acceptable than the clear-cut command of God Himself to honor His name-after all, He is the center of our faith and the reason we have life! It's really all about Him and in no way about us, which, again, is why I believe we should not even question the morality of taking His name in vain even if we disagree about whether or not it's okay to have a beer this St. Patrick's Day.


I don't in any way intend to sound judgmental or condemning (which I'm pretty sure mean the exact same thing but I'll say both for emphasis!), I simply want to admonish those of us whose hearts have been changed forever by Christ to care more about honoring His glorious name as we claim to on Sunday mornings, than sweating the little things that don't have any eternal consequence.

O Yahweh, our Adonai,
    how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

-Psalm 8:9