Careful and Considerate Speaking

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms:

How You Say God's Name Shows What You Think of Him

Good Morning!

It’s always an interesting start to the day when I get to talk about vain janglings. Of the many unique things we come across in the Larger Catechism some of my favorites are the older words and ways used to describe particular violations of the law of God. They provide an opportunity for us to consider first of all, what they might be, and also remind of us of how seriously our forefathers in the faith took everything that they did. Kind of like the long list of names at the opening of 1 Chronicles can move us to boredom, it can be the case that when our WLC gets into the minute examples of the ways we can break the commandment we have a tendency to allow the particularity of it to make us think these guys were at best overly scrupulous and at worst that dreaded of all insults, Pharisees. Yet, their care and love and desire for all of us to be holy as our Lord is holy really shines through at these times. Their peculiarity on these matters actually has the effect of condemning, in my mind, our laxness in taking the totality of Christ’s call to obedience in faith with seriousness. In other words maybe the problem isn’t the Puritans after all.

Noting the fullness of the questions and answers this week on the third portion of the summary of the moral law let us go ahead and strike while the iron is hot.

Here they are:

Q. 113. What are the sins forbidden in the third commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God’s name as is required; and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious, or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works, by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths and vows, if lawful; and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful; murmuring and quarrelling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God’s decrees and providences; misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines; abusing it, the creatures, or any thing contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices; the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any wise opposing of God’s truth, grace, and ways; making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by unconformable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive walking, or backsliding from it.

Continue here.