Worse that Hell

(Proverbs 30:9 KJV)  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Sin will send us to Hell. 

(Romans 6:23 KJV)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Of course, as Christians, we also believe in the grace of God and forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ.  We tend to look at sin, though, as something that effects us.  This verse points out another effect of sin and another reason why God is so enraged over it.

Stealing, a sin, will “take” (profane NASB) (8610) the name of God.  I don’t think this point is made in the Ten Commandments, but it explains why stealing is listed.  This looks like a play on words.  The word literally means to grab, which you do in stealing.  The idea of profaning I think comes from the idea of an unclean person touching something that is holy.

When we sin, if we call ourselves followers of a Holy God, we are casting dispersions on His Holy Name and dragging Him through the mud. 

So?  Many of us have played the game of not worrying about our “little” sins because we know God will forgive.  We need to realize that this is bigger than us.  Our sins take the name of God and belittle it.  Just another reason to live an upright life.