I Swear

The Ten Commandments includes the "biggies" - murder, lying, adultery, idolatry. And ... not taking the Lord's name in vain. Most commonly, people take this to mean to not use God's name as part of a swear phrase, or even to not make a vow using God's name. Have you ever wondered why that one made the list of "biggies"? It seems so much less crucial than the others.

First, let's challenge the idea of what it means. Is the main idea really "don't use God's name when you swear"? Certainly, that doesn't please God, but is that it? Is it about not making vows using His name? That's also something we know is displeasing to Him. And I think that both of these ideas are part of what is meant. But also consider that at the time the commandment was given, the people of Israel, for the first time, were taking God's name for themselves - a nation called by His name. It would be greatly displeasing to God if they were to do that in vain - to be a nation called by God's name, but lived in a way that was drastically contrary to the character of God.

Second, this raises the question about swearing. If this commandment is not primarily about swearing, what should a Christian do about using swear words? Certainly, there's no evil in a certain sequence of vocal sounds. We cannot be made unclean by forming certain words, can we?

Given that we know some people will be offended by words we use, to then still use those words is to choose to knowingly offend others. It is true that offending others is sometimes necessary for a greater good, but that's rarely the case. To choose offensive words is often showing disrespect to another person, and doing so knowingly.

On the other hand, choosing to avoid commonly offensive words is an easy way to stand out against the crowd, to attach the name of Christ to something better than the common. When we have the freedom to use questionable words, but choose not to, we can distinguish ourselves from the commonness that surrounds us. Without being judgmental, we can easily display something better. Some words are "uglier" than others - we can choose to "beautify" our surroundings, or add to the ugliness.

More importantly, the idea of holiness means that we're shooting for the bull's eye. We should not be content with just being inside the lines, but we should persistently pursue the center of the target. The words we choose can either be those that keep us just inside the lines, or words that drive toward the center. Only Christ can make us holy, but pursuing holiness means pursuing the best and purest - even in the words we choose.

Finally, consider Eph 5:4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. Without the legalism of listing which words are allowed and which are not, clearly the principle here is to adopt habits of language that edify, not words and phrases that are coarse or vulgar. This also includes "substitute" swear words we tend to use (I know I do).

Do we have freedom in Christ? Of course. But this freedom includes the freedom to find ways to reflect the character of Christ. I am by no means a great example of this, but the words we choose are tools we have to either reflect Christ's character more, or to reflect the common and vulgar around us. Let us not use our words in vain.