OMG: Is it appropriate?

I've really noticed an exponential violation of the The Third Suggestion... I mean Commandment!  People use any one of God's many names as exclamation points and expressions of surprise. Aren't they going to be surprised when their life is flashed before them at the Great White Throne Judgment! Everything we do is seen and heard by our majestic God. He is without name because as he says "I AM"!  No name would do him justice. What we call God are mere feeble attempts at expressing who he is. For the most part, his names are titles and descriptions, but those words are endearing to God and are our display of adoration! (Even in the use of his titles we can't seem to honor him.)

God accepts those titles. He was called by the Hebrews the tetragrammaton, "JHWH" which has been transliterated much later into what some say is God's true name, Jehovah.  That's not God's name either, but it is a good attempt. Jews take The Third Commandment so seriously that they neither speak nor write God's name. Christians don't seem to have the same standards. We believe that we don't have to because of the New Covenant. However, the Covenant of Grace is not a ticket to disrespect and irreverence!

First off, The Greatest Commandment is to love god and one like unto it is to love others. Loving God is a summary of the First Commandment through the Fourth. Loving others is summarized by the Fifth Commandment through the Tenth. Also, Jesus said he didn't come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. That means that Jesus provides the physical means allowing us to love the spirit of God and a Spirit which indwells within us such that we can love others. The Ten Commandments are all about love and reverence for God which is an indicator of our love!

With that said, how do we show love to God? How are we reverent to Him? We obey! Jesus told us that if we love him we are to obey his commandments. The Covenant of Grace provided by the advent of Jesus isn't a ticket to disobey, but a call to love. Loving is obedience, not because we're forced to, but because that's our hearts desire.  That's Jesus fulfilling the law! We still obey God, but it's not out of coercion or threat, but out of reverence for God who died for our sins on the Cross! That's fulfilling!

With commands, love and reverence in mind; with Jesus in mind, let's look closely at The Third Commandment:

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."

First off, this is a commandment! "Thou shalt not" was spoken by God! He also wrote it in stone... twice, because all the Commandments were already broken as Moses was reading them! God wrote them again and they're still preserved. This is not a "Suggestion". It's not just "A Good Idea" or "Make Me Feel Good". This is a commandment! A commandment written by God to whom Moses took off his sandals because he was standing on Holy Ground! Moses was reverent to the Writer, by yet we're not reverent to the Savior!

A person used God's name as an exclamation. When I commented on that, she said "I didn't mean anything by it!"  That's an innocent excuse and many use God's name in vain out of ignorance or carelessness. Those days are over if you're reading this! "In vain" means lacking any worth or just plain foolishness.. Using God's name without reverence is "in vain" and the foolish have little regard for respect! Taking the Lord's name in vain is using his name when you're not truly worshiping him. I venture to say that the average Christian uses God's name in vain more in foolishness than in awe!

You say "I never use God's name in vain. I never use g.d. or anything like that!" Well, lets look at just a few of God's names:

Biblical Names of God (From about.com Christianity):
Advocate - 1 John 2:1
Almighty - Revelation 1:8
Alpha - Revelation 1:8
Amen - Revelation 3:14
Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7
Anointed One - Psalm 2:2
Apostle - Hebrews 3:1
Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2
Beginning - Revelation 21:6
Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25
Branch - Zechariah 3:8
Bread of Life - John 6:35,48
Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15
Carpenter - Mark 6:3
Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4
The Christ - Matthew 1:16
Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18
Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25
Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20
Dayspring - Luke 1:78
Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19
Deliverer - Romans 11:26
Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7
Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23
End - Revelation 21:6
Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6
Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14
First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23
Foundation - Isaiah 28:16
Fountain - Zechariah 13:1
Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19
Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7
Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15
God - John 1:1
Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1
Good Shepherd - John 10:11
Governor - Matthew 2:6
Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20
Guide - Psalm 48:14
Head of the Church - Colossians 1:18
High Priest - Hebrews 3:1
Holy One of Israel - Isaiah 41:14
Horn of Salvation - Luke 1:69
I Am - Exodus 3:14
Jehovah - Psalm 83:18
Jesus - Matthew 1:21
King of Israel - Matthew 27:42
King of Kings - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
Lamb of God - John 1:29
Last Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45
Life - John 11:25
Light of the World - John 8:12; John 9:5
Lion of the Tribe of Judah - Revelation 5:5
Lord of Lords - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
Master - Matthew 23:8
Mediator - 1 Timothy 2:5
Messiah - John 1:41
Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6
Morning Star - Revelation 22:16
Nazarene - Matthew 2:23
Omega - Revelation 1:8
Passover Lamb - 1 Corinthians 5:7
Physician - Matthew 9:12
Potentate - 1 Timothy 6:15
Priest - Hebrews 4:15
Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
Prophet - Acts 3:22
Propitiation - I John 2:2
Purifier - Malachi 3:3
Rabbi - John 1:49
Ransom - 1 Timothy 2:6
Redeemer - Isaiah 41:14
Refiner - Malachi 3:2
Refuge - Isaiah 25:4
Resurrection - John 11:25
Righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6
Rock - Deuteronomy 32:4
Root of David - Revelation 22:16
Rose of Sharon - Song of Solomon 2:1
Ruler of God's Creation - Revelation 3:14
Sacrifice - Ephesians 5:2
Savior - 2 Samuel 22:47; Luke 1:47
Second Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:47
Seed of Abraham - Galatians 3:16
Seed of David - 2 Timothy 2:8
Seed of the Woman - Genesis 3:15
Servant - Isaiah 42:1
Shepherd - 1 Peter 2:25
Shiloh - Genesis 49:10
Son of David - Matthew 15:22
Son of God - Luke 1:35
Son of Man - Matthew 18:11
Son of Mary - Mark 6:3
Son of the Most High - Luke 1:32
Stone - Isaiah 28:16
Sun of Righteousness - Malachi 4:2
Teacher - Matthew 26:18
Truth - John 14:6
Way - John 14:6
Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:6
Word - John 1:1
Vine - John 15:1

Normally, one of these names are used along with a modifier. Normally, the modifier is "My ________!" , "Oh, my ______!" or "_________ damn". Likewise using the name Lord, God or Jesus without worshiping, denigrating or irreverently is using it in vain. Some Christians come up with substitute vanities: "My Word", "My Gosh", "My Stars" and so forth. What are we supposed to say:

Matthew 5:37 "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

You have no need to say "Oh, my anything!"  Just say nothing unless it needs to be "yes" or "no". Matthew 5:37 is an indirect method of saying The Third Commandment. God is always the same! Reverence for The Old Testament God and the Son of God, Jesus, is the same!  "What if I hit my thumb with a hammer?" There's no need to bring God into the situation unless you're praying for relief, but if you have to say something try "Ouch!" It's very fitting. As for myself, I say when I'm surprised "Yipes, Stripes!" which I heard in a gum commercial when I was a kid. It's corny, but it's not disrespectful. Likewise, if you're surprised or joyful for trivial things, just say "Wow!" God will appreciate that! It leaves his name out of an irreverent situation. Our goal shouldn't be to obey so that we're not damned to hell, but to obey because we love Jesus!  That's evidence of salvation:

1 John 2:3 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

So you're a Christian, but make no attempt to keep his commandments? Read this passage again! Do you truly love him? Do you love him enough to obey? Do you respect the Lord who died in your place? Think about that when you use his name so casually. God's gracious! You don't "Go Straight to Hell" when you disobey, because you have Christian liberty, but that liberty should be expressed with reverence and with love!

The last part of The Third Commandment is that God "won't hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain". You aren't innocent if you meant nothing in saying it. You're guilty. It's not that you disobeyed God because that's what he has come to expect out of us! It's that you sin, by not loving him enough to obey. On the other hand, if you love God as much as he desires, using his name in vain would be a moot point. Our love would be so sincere that our minds would be on pleasing and by pleasing, we don't disappoint!

Our casual "OMG" (even the acronym because the thought is still there) or using Jesus' name without sincerity is wrong. It's a sin. It's rebellion. It's apathy toward our God who we pledge to love!

John 21:17 "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

Jesus asked Peter three times: "lovest thou me?" I ask you one time, "Lovest thou Jesus?"  If "thou knowest" that you love him, do what pleases him. What are you feeding the sheep? Are you serving the Word or are you serving the excitements of the world?