Profanity

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who taketh His name in vain.

Exodus 20:7

How does man today relate to the holy principles of God’s eternal law? Have we fallen victim to a casual attitude of indifference that can be seen by the image we project to those around us? When God thundered forth the law from Mt. Sinai, it was not for His benefit, but as a hedge about His people to protect them against sin and Satan and the penalty that comes with our disobedience.

Man has become complacent, defiant and indifferent to the demands of the law and a holy God. Our self-absorbed desires can be seen in movies, TV. and magazines that flood our life with the most vile words, deeds and actions, leaving us desensitized to the will of God in our life. How God must hang His head in pity as He surveys the sinfulness of a polluted people. How His heart must ache as He sees those for whom He died giving credence to such obscenities. Where is the holiness of those who are called by His name, those who profess to walk even as He walked (1 John 2:6)? Would such shameful behavior be seen in Christ as our example? Where is our responsibility as God’s people to abhor sin and flee from its working in our life (Romans 12:9)? How can we present to an unsaved world the power of the gospel when we ourselves show the spirit of the world, partaking readily of its wickedness?

Placed within God’s holy law is the commandment to honor Him, to reverence Him as our creator, never taking His name in a course, flippant or insincere manner. With little or no conscience an unsaved world, and even those who profess “Christianity”, profane and defile God’s holiness, punctuating their daily conversation carelessly with G _ _ D_ _ _ or J_ _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _, and the ever-popular f _ _ _ as an adjective before every word. Oh, how all heaven must wonder how a world that has been given so much blessing could return such half-hearted reverence to a merciful God. We choose rather to shun His mercy preferring to wallow in the mire of sin, dwelling comfortably under the dominion of Satan.

God has in scripture given us words of instruction to guard our mouth, to keep our tongue from professing evil (Psalm 34:13, Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 15:2,4, James 3). Have we become so deadened by our carnal nature that our conscience is no longer pricked with the danger of sin, allowing Satan to glory in our indulgence? If we are to be separate from the world, laying a foundation of steadfastness and conformity to the will of God, we must purge from our life that which defiles our daily walk with Him. Ephesians 4:29 states, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. What do others hear in our daily conversation...cursing or blessing? Do we consider what flows from our mouth, and from which fountain it flows? Matthew 12:36 says that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. As we look into the mirror of God’s holy law, what do we see? Is our heart truly sanctified by the merits of Jesus covering us with His rob of righteousness or saturated with the filthiness of Satan and his cloak of eternal damnation?

Our eternal destiny is daily at stake, and Satan works feverishly to weaken our profession of faith. In subtle whispers of deception has he worked in your life to deaden your spiritual fervor and lock you into a cherished sin? Hear the voice of God as He calls His people out of their spiritual adultery, out of their sense of false security, that they may show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Only then will Satan be defeated. Only then will we have victory.

God has created us for His pleasure, and therefore deserves all honor and glory. Do we reject God’s mercy and trample upon His holy law, risking the judgment that will come to every unrepentant, unconverted soul in that final day of God’s wrath? Nothing Satan can offer is worth the price of our eternal salvation. In the glorious day of our Lord’s return, will the words of our mouth call out in cursing and anger as we realize our foolish rejection of His righteousness or will the sweet sounds of joyful singing fill the air as we rejoice that our redeemer has finally come? It’s a matter of choice. Dare we delay any longer?

Have you been deluded by Satan's lies regarding the wages of sin (Romans 6:23)? God will bring every work into judgment in that fearful day of reckoning (Ecclesiastes 12:14). What then does the Lord require of us in this our day of salvation... but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Therefore, with a broken spirit and a contrite heart we must turn away from the sins that so easily beset us and separate us from the love and forgiveness of a merciful God. We must guard our heart with all diligence, for out of it flow all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).