Like many Christians, I grew up thinking that the command, “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” was simply about cursing. However, the Lord’s prayer reminds us that this command is not just about how we say God’s name, but to what way of life we connect that name. To attach God’s name to what is outside of God’s character is taking the name in vain. I also come from a tradition that has such a high view of God’s grace that we believe people are made holy by the grace of God. This term of holiness too can be taken in vain when we name things that are holy which have little to do with Jesus. There is something about that name – it is holy.
But, what does that mean? God’s name in scripture is revealed to Moses in Exodus as Yahweh, which is translated, “I am who I am,” or “I will be who I will be (Ex. 3:14).” God is holy, and God’s very name is a promise to remain faithful to that holiness. So, holiness is whatever God is like. What is God like? Thankfully, God also reveals many nicknames that describe his character. One of the most important is shared with Moses in Exodus 34:6, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” God is not morally neutral or relative. God has values, and God’s being defines what love and faithfulness looks like. It is not just that God “is love,” but that God defines what love is. And we know what it looks like because of Jesus, who was given, “the name above every name (Phil. 2:5-11).”
All of this to say, if something or someone does not reflect grace and mercy, steadfast love or faithfulness, as is defined by God’s character revealed in Christ, it is not holy. Holiness looks like Jesus, and to attach his name to something or someone whose character does not reflect him, is taking God’s name in vain. So, as we pray to the Father in heaven, by whose love and power we live, we acknowledge God’s holiness. To pray to the God of holy love is to anticipate becoming a holy people. By interacting with God, we are coming to terms with what it means to love and be gracious because God’s character defines these things. We are also being transformed by the Spirit’s power, into the likeness of Christ. By prayer, we trust that God will be faithfully holy, and we confess that God’s revealed character, his “name,” defines the word. Prayer is life’s acknowledgement of God’s holiness and an answer to the call to holiness unto the Lord.
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