Blasphemy
By Richard P. Joseph
I have heard many people warn others to never say godd&%n because that is using God’s name in vain. While that is certainly good advice, it is actually theologically incorrect. You see, "God", isn’t God’s name.
So, what is God’s real name? Actually God does not have a “name”, he has a character description as a name. The general Hebrew name for god is Elohiym (Elohim). This can refer to the one true God as well as any other created spiritual being. In other words it can be used for any being that resides in the spiritual realm such as watchers or possibly even angels. It was even used to describe Samuel when he was called up by the witch of EnDor. So if we use the word “God” in the general sense, it is more of a place locator (the location of the being), not a name. The name is a little more complicated.
To understand how taking God’s name in vain when He really doesn’t have one takes a little digging. It all started in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam that everything he names, he has dominion over. Fast forward to the time when Moses asked God what his name was and God said “I Am who Am” or in some versions “I Am who I Am”. God simply was not going to allow Moses to name him because then man would have dominion over God such that the idol worshipers gave names to their gods. But the name really wasn’t a name after all, it was a character description. God was telling Moses that he is the one “who exists’. In other words he is the Eternal Existent One. He has no beginning and has no end, just like Jesus claimed for himself because he was God. He said “I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end”. Jesus was the eternal. That is where the tetragrammaton comes into play. The Scripture writers used the tetragrammaton YHWH to denote the Eternal Existent God. The Eternal One is holy (separate from this sinful world). So how do you blaspheme in this case?
Blasphemy isn’t about using a cuss word, it is about associating the Eternal Holy God with sin. This occurred recently at a public library meeting that I recently attended. People were there protesting the use of homosexual cartoon pornography books aimed at children. While decent Christians showed up to protest this filth, the filthy homosexual groups showed up obviously in favor of it. While it is expected that sexual perverts are going to promote the book, one lady (or whatever it identifies as) stood up and claimed that she was a born again Christian and that she is all for the lude pornography for children. That, my friend is first class blasphemy! She coupled Jesus Christ, the eternal YHWH, with what God calls an abomination. She outright slandered the “name” of God, not by using a cuss word, but by associating God with sin. She claimed to be a follower of Jesus Christ while at the same time promoting homosexual pornography for children. She will have a heavy price to pay for that one as this type of blasphemy is unforgivable. The millstone will be the easy part, hell will be her permanent lot.
So hopefully you understand better now how not to break the third commandment which says “ 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.”
Jesus himself referred to this commandment in Matthew 12:31-2 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
