This article is part of a series titled The Ten Commandments in Parenting. In it, parents explore how each of the Ten Commandments shapes them, their parenting, and their families.
When Moses gave the Third Commandment of God’s covenant with Israel, he said, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exo. 20:7). What is commanded here? That we are to honor the name of God. God’s name is to be treated differently in our hearts, minds, and vocabulary because God is different. To explain the uniqueness of God’s name to your children, you can begin by showing them the simple difference between yourself and God.
For example, my name is Joey. I’m finite. I have a beginning. I was created. I will die.
The God of the universe has a name too. He is infinite. He has no beginning. He is uncreated. He is, was, and will always be.
A Name Unlike Any Other
Yes, you have a name, and God has a name. Actually, the Bible ascribes many names to him, but that is as far as the comparison goes. We both have names. But our names are qualitatively different—they are of a different kind—because we are qualitatively different. We are as similar as the taste of chocolate is to the sound of a bell.
These are two different things and thus are to be treated according to what they are. Don’t take this uniquely different name, signifying the one true God, and treat it as if it were nothing different from any other name.
Look at how the Psalms described the name of the Lord. “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8:1). “He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!” (Ps. 119:9)
The Blessing of Teaching the Third Commandment to Your Children
Teaching your kids the Law of God is one of the best things you can do for them. But watch out! Because as you teach them the Law, God will form you.
The first time you teach this commandment, your child might ask, “What does ‘vain’ mean?” So, you Google the original meaning of the word vain (because you’re not a biblical scholar). You say, “It means vapor, breath, or empty.” And then they say, “What does that mean?” And you say, “We do not treat God’s name as if it is nothing, empty of value. God’s name is not something that we use whenever and however we want. We treat God’s name with honor, because he is God and we are not.”
That’s it. Children get it. It helps to repeat it, but kids get it.
A World That Uses God’s Name Flippantly
But a little kid in America who hears that we shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain will experience the disconnect between what God commands and what society does. You want little Johnny hearing God’s Word from you, informing him about how we should treat God’s name before he hears it used in the world. It is a huge blessing when your little one comes home from a friend’s house shocked that their friend’s parent used God’s name as an expletive. It should be shocking to hear the name above all names thrown around like it is nothing!
God uses the Third Commandment to teach the world that he is set apart. He teaches us that we are different from him in kind. We do not honor his name as we ought, not only in what we say, but also in how we live.
It’s More Than What We Don’t Say
Those same little kids who knew as toddlers that it was bad to say the Lord’s name flippantly will find the Holy Spirit convicting their hearts when they sin as they mature. That conviction may grow into recognition that while they may not “say” God’s name in vain, at times they live indifferently to his name. The Law becomes the great rule of life for the believer to know what we are turning from and what we are turning to: Reverence of the name above all names, Jesus.
As parents, once we’ve taught our children the Third Commandment at a young age, our lives will teach them what it means to honor God’s name. How we treat others, how we trust in God, and how we value his Word, his people, and his weekly gathering all inform our children about how we set God apart in our lives.
Upholding God’s Name In Your Home
One of the most practical ways to honor God’s name is to pray to him. There is no other name worthy of our faith, and no other name through which we approach the throne of grace. Jesus himself taught his disciples to pray, “Hallowed be your name.”
All throughout Scripture, God’s name is directly linked to his acts. A praying parent reveres God’s name. Another practical way is by loving those around you, as Christ commands. As you seek to love your neighbor as yourself, cherish your spouse, and be patient with your kids, you honor the name of the Lord.
God’s Grace In Our Failure
Teaching your kids to honor God’s name teaches you to beg for God’s grace as you try to do the same. Augustine wrote, “The law commands that we may try to do what is commanded, and, being weary under our infirmity, may learn to ask the help of grace.” This is a great mercy. The truth is, all parents fail. We command our kids to honor God’s name by not using it flippantly, but then we live lives that do not bring honor to the name of Christ, and thus implicitly take his name in vain.
I remember one week I was easily angered with my kids. After teaching the Bible that Sunday morning at church, my wife gently said to me that afternoon, “You know, it’s difficult for the kids to hear your teaching on Sunday if it is contradicted by your attitude at home.” Ouch. Nothing dishonors the name of God more than a prideful father. I’ve insisted my children respect my name through their behavior too many times to count, all while living just like them in relation to my Heavenly Father, who has the Name Above All Names.
When you do this, start by apologizing to your children: “Guys, Dad’s blown it. God commands that we treat his name with honor, and I’ve not led you to do this. This is wrong and neglectful on my part. Will you please forgive me? I promise from here on, we will treat the name of the Lord with honor in this house. I will expect you to do the same.” This is how God continues to use his Law to even form us.
One of the best ways for you to train your kids not to treat the Lord’s name as nothing is to revere it by repenting when you fail and by seeking to revere his name in secret, not just in public. Nothing hinders the training of our children like the hypocrisy of their parents.
Jesus Did It Perfectly For You
When you struggle to give God’s name the honor it’s due as a parent, remember this: There is one child who never took his Father’s name in vain: Jesus. He always honored God’s name as he should. He knew that to dishonor God’s name was to dishonor God himself. God the Father exalted God the Son with the name that is above every name.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
Christ has honored God’s name on our behalf. He suffered the consequences of our sin when we don’t honor God’s name before our children as we should. We rest in Christ, who perfectly honored the Lord’s name, as we seek to honor the Lord’s name through Christ, by the Holy Spirit’s power, for the Father’s glory
Rooted’s Basic Parenting Principles curriculum helps you lay a foundation for gospel-centered parenting in the home. It unpacks the distinction between the Law and the Gospel to help you parent with grace as your child develops.
