God's Name Is Not to Be Misused

Standing up for the third commandment

The third commandment instructs that God's name is not to be misused. To take His name in vain is to make it empty, void, foolish, and frivolous. It's to use the name of God in a profane fashion. The word "profane" is a contraction of two words -- pro, which means "out of," and fanum, which means "temple." In other words, to use the Lord's name in a profane way is to take it out of the temple, out of its holy context, and drag it through the gutter of the secular streets.
If Christians bear the name of Christ, then it must be consistent with their own names. What self-respecting person would passively allow the abuse of his family name? What believer who respects that marvelous name which heals, saves, and delivers can ignore it, when that name is used as a by-word?
In this article Mark Creech argues that it's time for Christians to actively promote respect for His Name.