The name of God represents his character, his person. It was regarded as so holy in Israel that it was rarely to be directly pronounced for fear of being irreverent. When it was used it was meant to carry with it the power of God. When the LORD gave Moses the blessing Aaron and the priests were to use he said, "Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they will put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."(Numbers 6:22-27)

To put God's name upon people meant, "Put the knowledge of me, put my divine blessing, put the strength of my presence, upon your people." It is a summons of power. That is why misusing the name of the Lord: to usurp the name of God, to play God in the lives of others, to seek to control others in the name of God, to enlist the name of God in your cause, to use God for your own purposes, is such a serious matter.

This is what Jesus said about it: "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles.' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers." (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus exposes the terrible danger of misusing the name of the Lord through Christian profession and Christian activity. It is the danger of self-deception and self-delusion. He is saying, first of all, that it is insufficient to rely only upon your intellectual belief to enter the kingdom of heaven. To affirm one's belief in the articles of the creed, for instance (saying "Lord, Lord"), does not mean that it affects your life. St. James tells us that "the devils also believe and tremble." (James 2:19) In Jesus' ministry evil spirits cried out acknowledging Jesus as Lord, but remained opposed to him. It is possible to take a philosophical attitude to Christianity as abstract truth, and to take the name of the Lord in vain. We can empty the truth of Christ of its personal power, and make it futile. A man can accept the evidence of the Bible, and subscribe to the truth of Christianity, and still not be a Christian in this sense. We can trust in our reason and our belief without being transformed by Christ. There are people who have been brought up in a Christian home and atmosphere, who have always heard the Gospel, and in a sense have always accepted it, and have always believed and said the right thing; but they still may not be Christians.

It is possible for us to be enthusiastic about Christian ministries, and zealous about Christianity, and yet misuse the name of the Lord. Our enthusiasm and energy may be our natural temperament. We throw themselves into every endeavor we are associated with, and we are considered invaluable in our contribution. We help to make things happen. But that does not guarantee that we are motivated by the Spirit. Our involvement may be for our own honor, to fulfill our own need, to achieve affirmation, and to be valued by the peers whose opinion matter to us. We are doing it for ourselves, and not for Christ.

It is possible for us to prophesy in Christ's name -- to proclaim his message -- to preach his Word, and yet be misusing the name of the Lord. St. Paul reminds us that "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1,2) If I am
eloquent, and considered by people to be a great speaker, and I speak about the things of God; and yet I am motivated solely by my own need to be honored, I am misusing the name of God.

We must always examine our motives for what we are doing. We must ask ourselves honestly, 'Why am I doing this, what is the real drive behind it all?' It is possible to do the right things for the wrong motive. It is possible to preach the gospel, and to work for the church, and yet do it for our own self-interest, and our own glory, and self-satisfaction. We have to face ourselves squarely and ask: 'Why am I doing it? What is the thing that, in my heart of hearts, I am really out for?' If we don't do that from time to time, we are exposing ourselves to the terrible danger of self-delusion and self-deception.

It is possible to say the right things, to be very busy and active, to achieve apparently wonderful results, and yet not to give ourselves to the Lord. I may be doing it all for myself, and I may be resisting the Lord in the most vital place of all. What can be a greater insult than to say, 'Lord, Lord,' fervently, to be busy and active, and yet to withhold my heart's allegiance from him, to insist on retaining control of my own life, and to allow my own opinions and arguments, rather than those of his Word, to control what I do and how I do it?

There is a self-assurance about one's spirituality which is self-deceptive. St. Paul had much to say about those who bragged about their relationship to God. He wrote, "As it is written: 'God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.'" (Romans 2:24) How many people have been put off from the joining the church because of the lives of the Christians they have known, and their experience of preachers and priests? They have misused the name of the Lord.

I have known too many people who were spiritual charlatans, who claimed the power of God. It is possible for a person to drive out demons, and to perform miracles in Christ's name, but be outside the kingdom of heaven. Jesus prophesied that false Christs and false prophets would arise who would do great signs and wonders to deceive the faithful. (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8) The way to test the authenticity of the ministry of a person is to look below the surface. Look to the character of the person. Does he exemplify the spirit of Christ as expressed in the Beatitudes? Is he humble, is he meek, is he loving? We must look not to appearances only, not to what people profess, or what they accomplish, but the reality of their lives. "By their fruit you will recognize them" (Matt.7:20).

This commandment challenges each one of us to repent of our sanctimoniousness and to search our motives. Much harm has been done to the cause of Christ by hypocrisy and false prophets who come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. We have all been guilty of misusing God's name at one time or another. We all need to come to the foot of the Cross and seek the forgiveness Christ died that we might have. We need to take his name upon us. Ask him to write on us his new name so that we are his, body, soul and spirit, for evermore.

(I am indebted to Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, for some material.)

The Rev. Ted Schroder is pastor of Amelia Chapel on Amelia Island Plantation, Florida