The Meaning of Hallowed

You shall be holy, for I am holy.
–1 Peter 1:16

Yesterday, we began looking at the phrase “Hallowed be Your name” in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9). The second part of that phrase, “Your name,” refers to God’s character, His being, His entire person. God’s name represents who He is. So when we talk about God’s name being “hallowed,” what do we mean?

“Hallowed” in this verse is translated from the Greek word hagios, which means holy. So we are praying, “Our Father who is in heaven, holy is Your name.”

In the Old Testament, the word translated as “holy” means to cut or separate. When we say God is holy, we’re saying that God is separate; He is different; He is distinct; He is a cut above anyone or anything else. Yes, God is our Father, but He is wholly different from anyone or anything on earth.

We saw this use of “holy” in the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Does that mean we are to keep the Sabbath day free from sin? No, it means we are to keep it different, separate from every other day of the week. Likewise, in 1 Peter 1:16, Peter said we are to be holy because God is holy. If you’re a Christian, you are to live in a separate and different way from the unbelievers around you. And when you and I come before God, we are to remember that God is holy, He is separate, and He is different from us.

Now, God is holy regardless of whether you and I recognize it. There’s nothing we can do to make God any holier than He is. So why should we pray, “Holy be Your name,” if God’s name is already holy?

Jesus was not talking about making God holy in the world; He was talking about making God holy in our own lives. That’s what this prayer is about. When we come before God, we remember He is our Father, our Daddy, but we’re also to remember He is different from anyone or anything on earth. God is not our good buddy; He’s not “the man upstairs.” He’s the sovereign Creator of the universe. He is holy, and we are to pray for His holiness to be realized.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “God’s Pattern for Prayer” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.