We Are The Bride of Christ – Third Commandment

We are the Bride of Christ

The third commandment

Exodus 20.4, 7; Deuteronomy 5.11

“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.”

Song 2.3, 4

With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

The Bride of Christ will be with Him where He is.

It is truly amazing to think that God wants us to take His Name upon ourselves. Imagine giving your name to ant, and then proudly declaring to all your neighbors that you had just adopted a new child! We are the Bride of Christ, and we bear His Name – Christians. But we must not bear that Name in vain, that is, to no effect, with no results. We must bear the Name of Christ as you would expect any bride to bear the name of her husband. In the Song the bride exults in being with the bridegroom “in his shadow” under his banner, and at his banqueting table. Jesus Christ, our Lord and King and Husband, is exalted to the right hand of God. The Scriptures provide ample description of His glory as He reigns in radiant beauty on a foundation of justice and righteousness, His throne room filled with glorious singing and music, lovely smells, and magnificent creatures to do His every bidding. Do we spend time with Jesus in that throne room? Are we obedient to Paul’s command to set our minds on that vista and gaze deeply upon it with the eye of the heart (Col. 3.1-3; Eph. 1.16-23)? We cannot take the Name of the Lord with powerful effects He intends if we do not spend time with Him where He is.

How much time do you spend meditating on Christ exalted? What kind of communion with Him in heavenly places do you enjoy?
—

“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.