Taking It In Vain
The third commandment - "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" (Exodus 20:7) - is not simply or even primarily about what you mutter under your breath when you stub your toe. "Lifting up the Lord's name for vanity" - a more literal translation - is a warning against co-opting God to serve human agendas. Or to put it more bluntly - using Jesus to serve any worldly end is a violation of God's moral law.
That's what I found so concerning about these revelations. Not that Russia would specifically target evangelical Christians - that is on their heads come judgment day. But that hundreds of thousands of evangelicals would happily like and share such content, not recognizing it for what it is. Using Jesus as a pawn in political and cultural battles is blasphemy. It doesn't matter whether the cause is right or wrong - you've still treated Jesus like a pawn. We should oppose these things on principle, not because of the politics of it but because this is demeaning the Lord. And as that commandment reminds us, God will not hold people guiltless if they use His name in vain. Even if the ends are righteous, the means matter to God.
That's what I found so concerning about these revelations. Not that Russia would specifically target evangelical Christians - that is on their heads come judgment day. But that hundreds of thousands of evangelicals would happily like and share such content, not recognizing it for what it is. Using Jesus as a pawn in political and cultural battles is blasphemy. It doesn't matter whether the cause is right or wrong - you've still treated Jesus like a pawn. We should oppose these things on principle, not because of the politics of it but because this is demeaning the Lord. And as that commandment reminds us, God will not hold people guiltless if they use His name in vain. Even if the ends are righteous, the means matter to God.
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