“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

Exodus 20:7

This commandment, found in Exodus 20:7, is often simplified to a rule against cursing. While that is part of it, its true depth is far more profound—and its warning more severe—than many realize. It’s a prohibition not just on what we say, but on how we think, act, and represent the Divine in the world.

To explore this weighty spiritual law, we turn to the critical and illuminating work of Abd-ru-shin, the pen name of Oskar Ernst Bernhardt (1875–1941), author of the foundational Grail Message, In the Light of Truth. His writings dissect this commandment with a startling clarity that remains deeply relevant today.

What Does It Mean to “Misuse God’s Name”?

At its core, the Third Commandment is about integrity and reverence. Misusing the Name isn’t just about uttering it in a moment of anger or frustration (though that is a form of misuse). On a much grander scale, it encompasses:

1. Empty Invocations: Using God’s name to bless endeavors that are selfish, harmful, or unjust. Praying for success in a dishonest business deal or for victory in a war of aggression are stark examples.
2. False Representation: Claiming to speak or act on God’s authority to manipulate others, gain power, or justify one’s own prejudices and hatreds. This is the realm of the false prophet and the zealot.
3. Superstitious Use: Treating God’s name as a magical incantation or good-luck charm, divorced from genuine faith or understanding.
4. Hypocrisy: Living in a way that contradicts the values one professes to hold in God’s name, thereby dragging the concept of the Divine through the mud of one’s own failings.

Abd-ru-shin cuts to the heart of the matter, stating that the gravest misuse is to invoke the Divine for anything that does not align with pure, divine Will. He warns:

“The name of God should never be used for anything that is not in accordance with the Will of God! He who does so nevertheless, and perhaps even with full consciousness, commits a sin which will inevitably bring its own punishment.” (Abd-ru-shin, In the Light of Truth)

This moves the conversation from mere words to the very foundation of our actions. It’s about using the ultimate symbol of Truth to cloak an untruth.

The Critical Warnings of Abd-ru-shin

Abd-ru-shin’s commentary on this commandment is particularly critical of organized religion and individual believers who fall into the trap of hypocrisy and empty ritual. He argues that this misuse creates a powerful spiritual toxicity.

He posits that the “name” of God is not just a word but a vibrational reality—a conduit for a specific, pure power. When we misuse that name, we create a dissonance, a lie that resonates destructively. The person who does this severs their own connection to the light and invokes a karmic backlash, which is the meaning behind “the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless.”

“The name of God is holy! It is the symbol for the utmost purity and power. Therefore it must not be dragged through the dirt of human passions and earthly pettiness.” (Abd-ru-shin, In the Light of Truth)

This is why the commandment carries such a severe warning. It’s not about an angry god doling out punishment, but about the immutable law of cause and effect in the spiritual realm. Using the holy to promote the unholy is like mixing pure water with poison; the resulting contamination harms the one who created the mixture.

Modern-Day Misuse: From Social Media to Spiritual Branding

The insights of Abd-ru-shin are arguably more relevant than ever. In our modern world, the misuse of God’s name has taken on new forms:

• Spiritual Influencers: Those who use religious language to build a personal brand, often for financial gain or fame, while their message may be diluted or distorted.
• Politicized Faith: Using God to endorse political candidates or parties, effectively making the Divine a partisan figurehead.
• Hashtag Spirituality: Reducing deep spiritual concepts to trending slogans, stripped of their true meaning and power.
• Judgment in His Name: Condemning or excluding others while claiming to uphold God’s law, a act Abd-ru-shin would identify as a primary misuse.

Living in Reverence: Honoring the Spirit of the Commandment

So how do we avoid misuse and instead honor the name of the Lord? The answer lies in moving from external prohibition to internal reverence.

1. Live with Integrity: Let your actions be a truer testament to your beliefs than your words. As the saying goes, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”
2. Speak with Consciousness: Be mindful of how you use language about the Divine. Use it in prayer, gratitude, and genuine seeking, not in vanity or anger.
3. Seek Pure Intent: Constantly examine your motives. Are you seeking to align with a higher good, or are you using a spiritual idea to serve a lower, earthly desire?
4. Respect the Mystery: Recognize that God is beyond any single name or full human comprehension. Holding that mystery in awe prevents us from claiming exclusive ownership or understanding.

Conclusion: A Call for Authenticity

The Third Commandment is a powerful call to spiritual authenticity. It challenges us to look beyond the superficial and audit the alignment between our words, our actions, and the Divine Will we claim to respect.

The warning is stern not to frighten, but to illuminate a spiritual law: we cannot mock the source of all purity without consequence. By choosing to embody reverence in our daily lives—through integrity, conscious action, and humble seeking—we honor the name of God in the only way that truly matters: by reflecting its light in a world that desperately needs it.