"Oh My God!" 
 

by R. J. Evans

There is an expression, involving the name of God, which is used extensively today— “Oh my God!”  We hear it on TV, at work, at school, in the home---just about everywhere!  One of the most commonly used texting expressions today is “OMG”— “Oh my God!”  How close do we pay attention to the words that we use?  The words we choose to express ourselves are very important.  Our Lord tells how important it is to use proper speech in Matthew 12:36-37: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Thus, we should be very selective in choosing our words.  

Since God is our Creator and Lord, we ought to speak of Him respectfully.  In Matthew 6:9, Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer.  He begins with “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”  “Hallowed” means “to hold as holy, sacred or revered.”  Under the Old Law, God told the Israelites “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”  (Deut. 5:11).  Taking God’s name in vain is to treat it lightly, as if it is useless, a part of idle speech, which manifests disrespect for His name.  The Hebrew word for “vain” comes from a word that means “to rush over something or to be careless with it.”  Some of the Jews were so concerned about not committing  this  sin that they went so far as to  totally avoid using certain names of God (such as Yahweh/Jehovah) in their normal conversations.  
In Leviticus 19:12, there was a warning not to profane the name of God.  To profane the name of God is a serious matter.  The term “profane” means “to treat something sacred with abuse, irreverence or contempt.” Let it be understood that we are not saying, nor are we implying, that the various names of God cannot be used in conversation.  They can and should be used, but, always in a reverent and respectful manner.  His name should never be used as an exclamation, “filler” or slang word, as is the case in today’s use of the phrase “Oh my God!” At times we hear people using other expressions as slang such as “My Lord!,” “Good Lord!,” “Lordy, Lordy!,” or “Oh Lord!.”  And, again, the most commonly used expression in texting today is “OMG”— “Oh my God!”  As Christians we have the responsibility of keeping our speech pure and above reproach.  We must constantly guard against using the Lord’s name as a “filler” in a light, flippant, vain or derogatory manner.  
We are reminded of the words of the Psalmist: “Holy and reverend is His name” (Psa. 111:9)

 

 

 Other Articles by R. J. Evans

The Blight of Bitterness
Murmurers and Complainers
Responding to Our Enemies
Envy and Jealousy
I Am Praying For You
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire