Do not use God’s name to get your way.  God knew the heart of man.  He knew that man would try to find loopholes to annul the principles of God.  When Jesus arrived, the scribes and Pharisees had been doing this for a long time.

One example would be how they circumvented the commandment to honor one’s father and mother. The Pharisees had figured out how to keep their wealth for themselves even if their parents needed financial support as they grew older.  Jesus saw right through them and explained how their manmade rules nullified God’s Word.  See Matthew 15:1-6 The Pharisees used God’s name as the tool for creating their rules.

Another New Testament example of abusing God’s name may be found in Luke 19:45, 46. In an attempt to make money off Old Testament rules regarding sacrifices, the religious leaders were allowing money changers to charge exorbitant fees of poor people who needed animals for sacrifice.  They were using God’s name for profit.  Jesus made it clear that what they were doing was wrong.

Historically, we see armies during the Crusades using God’s name as justification for war.  We have probably all seen or heard of someone using God’s name to peddle miracle water or blessed handkerchiefs.  Who benefits?  Have we ever been guilty of doing the same thing for perhaps a different reason?  Instead of pointing fingers, perhaps we should become familiar with 1 John 1:9“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God offers us forgiveness not so that we can keep sinning but so that we can turn from our sin.

 “If one tries to dodge the will of God in the name of God, they will miss God.” (Andy Stanley). The Pharisees missed God in the person of Jesus because they were so busy using His name to ignore His principles. 

Do you want to miss God’s will? I do not.  Let us use His name in confessing Him as Savior and Lord and then developing a relationship with Him.