“Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” Luke 7:47

We live in a day when the name of Jesus Christ is used in personal and public language, and in the media much more than a few decades ago. Unfortunately those who do not know Him are using it all too frequently in a wrong way and those who say they do know Him are not using it enough in a true way.

Most who use the name of our Lord as a swear word have no idea what they are doing. They are not aware that He is a real person, their Creator and the One to whom they will account for their life. This is not entirely their fault. They have been seduced and deceived. Jesus gave His people, the Church, the privilege and responsibility to preach the Gospel concerning Himself in life and word. Jesus will forgive the abuser of His name and change their heart when they realise who He is and ask for that forgiveness.

People who know that we have a living, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, grounded in love, will be less inclined to use His name in such a degrading way. In order to help them to that understanding we ought not to play the role of spiritual policeman or judge – but rather be a friend of Jesus informing the uninformed about who He is and what He has done for them.

This means having Christ’s compassion as He revealed in His interaction with a woman in Luke 7 and not a spirit of criticism. Only “Christ in you” can be compassionate in this way. The natural man cannot. Our desire is to bring ­two of our friends together, Jesus and the one to whom we are speaking.