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Second Commandment Treasure God's Name The Catechism uses the words “curse” and “swear” in speaking about what is prohibited by this commandment. In popular usage these words refer to using foul language, but this is not what the second commandment is about. Using hurtful words is covered by other commandments (the fifth and the eighth). The second commandment is about using God’s name. When a person brings God into the picture to support any evil, he is violating this commandment. When the Bible tells us not to curse, this means we are not to call upon God to harm someone. Asking God to get even with someone for you is a misuse of God’s name (See Luke 9:52-56 and James 3:9-10). Swearing is calling upon God to be a witness to what we have said and then to punish us if we are lying or do not keep our word. If someone in authority asks you to swear, it is proper to do so. Christians can and should, for example, swear to tell the truth in a courtroom. But if you decide on your own to swear, simply because you are trying to get people to believe you, then you are misusing God’s name (see Matthew 5:33-37, 26:63-64). Another example of someone swearing properly is a pastor when he is installed as the pastor of a particular congregation. He takes an oath to teach God’s word faithfully. The greatest violation of this commandment is when pastors or lay people pass off their own ideas as God’s word. Proclaiming false doctrine is a terrible sin because believing it can have eternal consequences. The phrase “practice magic” means that we are not to try to practice “white magic” or “good magic.” People sometimes use God’s name superstitiously thinking that if they use the right words and say them in the right way then they will automatically get what they want. This kind of magical thinking is very popular today. It treats God like a machine, but God is a person and He decides what is best for us. He hears us for Christ’s sake and He will always answer, but His answer may not be in the manner or time that we requested. He may give us something very different from what we expect (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). With all the commandments, there is more to keeping them than simply avoiding some sin. Each commandment has a positive aspect to it. God has given His name to us because He wants us to use it. We are to call upon His name “in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.” We have a tendency to forget about using God’s name or to use it thoughtlessly. On our own we do not treat His name as a precious gift. In the first petition to the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that God would come among us and help us to use His name in a proper way. We need God’s help, and He graciously provides us with the help we need. God has not only given us names that we can use to call upon Him, He has shown us what He is like. Because He acted in history and kept His promises, we know that He loves us and that He is faithful. Most importantly God the Father sent His Son to us. Through the actions and words of Jesus Christ, we see that God is a loving heavenly Father. We can go to God in confidence because Jesus has taken away our sins. He has saved us from the consequences of failing to keep God’s name holy. We have nothing to fear from God when we trust in our Savior who has done such marvelous things for us. Therefore, we can call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. Noting that God has given a gift (His name) and that He wants us to treasure this gift is a helpful insight, but it is still Law. We should not imagine that we will ever keep this commandment perfectly. No Christian treasures God’s name as he should. Therefore our faithfulness in clinging to God’s name and using it properly is not what gives us hope. It is the faithfulness of our Savior that gives us hope and strength. The forgiveness He has won also covers our failures to treasure God’s name. |
