Jeremiah 23:26-27 “How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship.”

God is concerned that people not forget his name. That does not mean that he fears that the words “God” or “Lord” or “Father” or “Savior” are somehow going to disappear from memory. God’s name is all that he has revealed about himself. His name is his reputation–everything that we know about him. It is the glorious and gracious reputation of God which is at stake when false prophets preach their false messages.

This makes false preaching and teaching a sin against the Second Commandment: “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God” (or “Do not take it in vain”). The Catechism points out that doing so not only involves cursing and swearing. It is also a matter of lying and deceiving by the use of God’s name. This leads people to see him as a different kind of God.

Unless God’s law is preached with a hard edge that convicts us of our own sins, we lose sight of the fact that the true God is a God who hates sin so much, he will not let a single sin go unpunished. If that happens, how will people appreciate the fact that every single sin was placed on Jesus’ shoulders and punished by his death on the cross?

This is how we know his greater reputation as the gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in love, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin is more than empty words. It is proven in the life and death of Christ himself. How incredibly gracious God has been to me to sacrifice his own Son in payment for my sins!

Do you see that this not only affects God’s reputation, but the faith and salvation of human souls? God’s people are led to trust him when God leads them to understand how much they need a Savior. Then he leads them to see that he is their kind and loving Savior. This was just as true in Jeremiah’s day as it is for us today. Something infinitely precious was at stake if the prophets didn’t get the message right.