HarvestInsider

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”.  Exodus 20:7

The third commandment has been greatly misunderstood by the majority of people.  For most, they take it as a warning about using God’s name as a swear word.  But if you study the Hebrew word that is translated “take” in Exodus 20:7, you will find that the word actually means “to take in hand, to grab hold of, to take possession of.”  In fact, this word has nothing at all to do with what comes out of your mouth, but rather what you take unto yourself.

When we call ourselves “Christians” we are taking the name of Christ as our identity.  When you made the decision to follow Christ, you were entering into a covenant relationship with Him… which included taking His Name as an identifying feature of your life.  Your identity is no longer wrapped up in an earthly name, but rather you became a new creation, in a new family, with a new Master, and a new name.

The Bible uses the picture of marriage to illustrate the relationship that we have with God.  We enter into a relationship with God, not because we have to, but because we choose to.  When we enter into this union, we then take His name.  The name that we used to bear is gone, and the name of Christ now becomes our identity.  This is the picture of salvation.  This is the picture of being a disciple.

As a disciple, everything you do reflects on the name of Christ, your Master.  This is why God has made it very clear that taking Christ’s name as your own should be done with the full understanding of its implications.  Discipleship is only for those willing to fully surrender to the Mastery of Jesus Christ.