Today we’re are looking at the third of the four commandments that make up the details of the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:36-38 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment.
These details are presented in the Bible in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20.
The Westminster Larger Catechism asks the questions.
Q. 111. Which is the third commandment?
A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Q. 112. What is required in the third commandment?
A. The third commandment requires, that the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, and writing; by an holy profession, and answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves, and others.
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 quarreling 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 anything 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.
Q. 114. What reasons are annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the third commandment, in these words, The LORD thy God, and, For the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain, are, because he is the Lord and our God, therefore his name is not to be profaned, or any way abused by us; especially because he will be so far from acquitting and sparing the transgressors of this commandment, as that he will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment, albeit many such escape the censures and punishments of men.
Rainbow Trout 
I’m posting in the Scripture Reference to the 3rd Commandment. It’s a long list.
Required
• Exod. 20:7. The third commandment.
• Matt. 6:9; Deut. 28:58; Pss. 29:2; 68:4; Rev. 15:3-4. The name of Godis
• Mal. 1:14; Eccl. 5:1. God’s ordinance to be regarded with reverence.
• Ps. 138:2. God’s Word to be reverently used.
• 1 Cor. 11:24-29. The sacraments to be carefully observed.
• 1 Tim. 2:8; Jer. 4:2; Eccl. 5:2-6; Acts 1:24, 26. Prayer, oaths, vows, and lots all being ways in which God makes himself known, they are to be used with reverent care.
• Job 36:24. God’s self-revelation in his works to be regarded with reverence.
• Mal. 3:16; Ps. 8:1, 3-4, 9; Col. 3:17; Pss. 15:2, 5; 102:18. God’s “name” or self-revelation to be used reverently in thought, meditation, speech, and writing.
• 1 Peter 3:15; Mic. 4:5. God’s name to be honored by a holy profession.
• Phil. 1:27. God’s name to be honored by a consistent life.
• 1 Cor. 10:31. God’s name to be honored to the glory of God.
• Jer. 32:39; 1 Peter 2:12. God’s name to be honored to the good of ourselves and others.
Sins
• Mal. 2:2. The sin of neglecting to use God’s name aright.
• Acts 17:23. Ignorant abuse of God’s name.
• Prov. 30:9; Mal. 1:6-7, 12; 3:14. Vain, irreverent, and profane abuse o
God’s name.
• 1 Sam. 4:3-5; Jer. 7:4-10, 14, 31; Col. 2:20-22. The sin of superstitiou misuse of God’s name.
• 2 Kings 18:30, 35; Exod. 5:2; Pss. 139:20; 50:16-17; Isa. 5:12. Sinful mis use of God’s titles, attributes, ordinances, or works.
• 2 Kings 19:22; Lev. 24:11. The sin of blasphemy.
• Zech. 5:4; 8:17. The sin of perjury.
• 1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Sam. 16:5; Jer. 5:7; 22:10. Sinful cursing and oaths.
• Deut. 23:18; Acts 23:12-14. Sinful misuse of vows.
• Esther 3:7; 9:24; Ps. 22:18. Sinful misuse of the lot.
• Ps. 24:4; Ezek. 17:16-19. The sin violating lawful oaths and vows.
• Mark 6:26; 1 Sam. 25:22, 32-34. The sin of fulfilling unlawful oaths and
• Rom. 9:14, 19-20. The sin of murmuring and quarreling at God’s de and providence.
• Deut. 29:29. The sin of curious prying into God’s decrees and provid
• Rom. 3:5-7; 6:1; Eccl. 8:11; 9:3; Ps. 39. The sin of misapplying decrees and providence.
• Matt. 5:21-28. It is sinful to misinterpret any part of God’s Word.
• Ezek. 13:22; 2 Peter 3:16; Matt. 22:24-31; Isa. 22:13; Jer. 23:34-38. It is wrong to misapply or pervert God’s Word to profane jests, absurdities, or false doctrines.
• 1 Tim. 1:4-7; 6:4-5, 20; 2 Tim. 2:14; Titus 3:9. All misuse of God’s Word in support of false doctrines, “strifes of words,” “vain babblings,” etc., is wicked.
• Deut. 18:10-14; Acts 19:13. All misuse of any form of God’s self-revela-tion in connection with superstitious practices is wrong.
• 2 Tim. 4:34; Rom. 13:13-14; 1 Kings 21:9-10; Jude 4. It is wicked to abuse any form of God’s self-revelation for sinful lusts and practices.
• Acts 13:45; 1 John 3:12. The sin of the maligning of God’s truth, grace, and
• Ps. 1:1; 2 Peter 2:3. The sin of scorning or scoffing at God’s truth, grace, and ways.
• 1 Peter 4:4. The sin of reviling God’s truth, grace, and ways.
• Acts 4:18; 13:45-46, 50; 19:9; 1 Thess. 2:16; Heb. 10:29. The sin of opposing God’s truth, grace, and ways.
• 2 Tim. 3:5; Matt. 6:1-5, 16; 23:14. The sin of a hypocritical or insincere profession of religion.
• Mark 8:38. The sin of being ashamed of Christ and the gospel.
• Ps. 73:14-15; 1 Cor. 6:5-6; Eph. 5:15-17. Being a shame to the gospel by unconformable or unwise walking.
• Isa. 5:4; 2 Peter 1:8-9; Rom. 2:23-24. Being a shame to the gospel by unfruitful and offensive walking.
• Gal. 3:1-3; Heb. 6:6. The sin of being a shame to the gospel by backsliding from our profession of it.
Reasons Annexed
• Lev. 19:12; Ezek. 36:21-23; Deut. 28:58-59; Zech. 5:2-4. Because of the sovereignty, majesty, and holiness of God, his name is not to be profaned or misused.
• 1 Sam. 2:12, 17, 22, 24, compared with 3:13. Those who dishonor the name of God will surely be punished by God, even though they may escape the judgment of men.
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