When studying the ten commandments, one of the commandments which is often misconstrued is the third commandment. Many people have told me a person is to not take God’s name in vain. When asked what God’s name is, I will receive the response, “God.” If you look at the actual commandment, the wording does not say: “Do not take God’s name in vain” rather it states “not to take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
When reading the text, a few questions should jump out. What is the name of the LORD? Furthermore, what does the word LORD mean? Scripture says the LORD will not leave him guiltless. Is the LORD God or is God God? Through this study, I hope to answer these questions.
God vs. LORD. What is the difference?
When reading through Scripture, it can be easy to gloss over terminology such as God and LORD. Was it God who created the earth or was it the LORD or was it the LORD God? Many people feel these word variations do not matter, but to actually understand the text, words are essential.
God
The word God is first mentioned in Genesis 1:1.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
For the rest of Genesis chapter 1, the word God alone is used to describe the creation story. The word God is used 28 times from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3. When reading the text, the entire creation story is given in these verses. Oddly, starting in Genesis 2:4. the creation story is told again for a second time. However, now, the creation story states it was the LORD God who created everything.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. (Genesis 2:4)
Examining the words, one could wonder why did the phrasing change from God creating everything to the LORD God creating everything? One theory is that starting in Genesis 2:4, we have more details about the creation story. Adam is given the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A more intimate relationship seems to be given between Adam and his Creator. As we will see later in the study, the word LORD is God’s more personal name.
Meaning of the word God
God is a formal and informal name. In English, God can be capitalized to indicate a specific god or lower case to indicate god as non-specific or multiple gods.
Each monotheistic religion refers to its god using different names, some referring to cultural ideas about the god's identity and attributes. In ancient Egyptian Atenism, this deity was called Aten and proclaimed to be the one "true" Supreme Being and creator of the universe. When referencing the God of the Egyptians, the “g” in god is capitalized.
In the Hebrew Bible, the titles of God include Elohim (God), Adonai (Lord) and others, and the name YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה).
In Islam, the title God ("Allah" in the Arabic language) is often used as a name, while Muslims also use a multitude of other titles for God. Allāh (Arabic: الله) is the Arabic term with no plural used by Muslims and Arabic speaking Christians and Jews meaning "The God”.
In Hinduism, Brahman is often considered a monistic concept of God.
In Chinese religion, Shangdi is conceived as the progenitor (first ancestor) of the universe, intrinsic to it and constantly bringing order to it.
Other names for God include Baha in the Baháʼí Faith, Waheguru in Sikhism, and Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in Balinese Hinduism.
Some gods have made their way into the English language. Have you heard of the car brand called Mazda? Mazda is the shortened form of Ahura Mazda “Mazda” the main God in Zoroastrianism.
In the English language, capitalization is used when the word is used as a proper noun, as well as for other names by which a god is known. For example, the God of Sikhism is Waheguru. This name is proper and is capitalized.
Consequently, the capitalized form of god is not used for multiple gods or when used to refer to the generic idea of a deity. The English word God and its counterparts in other languages are normally used for any and all conceptions and, in spite of significant differences between religions, the term remains an English translation common to all.
The generic English word “god” or “God” has little meaning in the language as it can refer to any number of gods.
As in most religions, the word god is not specific to any one deity. Instead, like its counterpart in Hebrew El (god) or elohim (gods), the term can be used for any multitude of thoughts or ideas.
Below is a breakdown of the religions in the USA.
Religion in the USA
Protestant (42%)
Catholic (21%)
Mormon (2%)
Unaffiliated (18%)
Atheist (5%)
Agnostic (6%)
Jewish (2%)
Muslim (1%)
Hindu (1%)
Buddhist (1%)
Other religion (2%)
Unanswered (1%)
You can see, a large percentage of the USA does not believe in any Supreme Being, and many do not believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For these people, using the word “god” can have any connotation including none at all.
Religions of the World:
Atheism/Agnosticism
Bahá’í-Persian/Iran; teaches the value of all religions
Buddhism-reaching nirvana; zen practices-self control & meditation
Christianity
Confucianism-Ancient China
Druze-Descendants from Jetrho. N Syria
Gnosticism
Hinduism
Islam
Jainism-India: non-attachment, absence of pleasure
Judaism
Rastafarianism-Caribbean
Shinto-Japan; spirits & public shrines; Mulan
Sikhism-Punjabi region: E Pakistan & N India; monotheist
Zoroastrianism-Daniel & Babylon
Traditional African Religions
African Diaspora Religions
Indigenous American Religions
Atheists do not believe in the existence of a god.
An atheist does not believe in God. Not just the capital G god but any gods at all. Atheists do not believe in the concept of God, and they reject the proposition that a god exists in our universe or any other.
Agnostics do not make a conclusive statement on the existence of a god.
Agnostics are generally not committed to the existence or non-existence of a god due to the lack of conclusive knowledge available to them.
Some agnostics are genuinely on the fence, or indifferent. Some agnostics do believe that a god may exist, but they do not have the observational knowledge available to them to make an accurate statement or to inform an unwavering belief.
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