Teaching Teenagers to Sanctify Christ as Holy

“You’re holy, holy, holy, holy. . . “ Hearing these words to a popular song, you would likely assume the subject is God. However, this popular song produced a few years ago by Florida Georgia Line refers instead to a relationship with a woman. The song “H.O.L.Y.” is just one example demonstrating most people do not know what the term “holy” means. Some of the teenagers in our youth ministries may be more familiar with hearing “holy” as part of an exclamation or even an expletive than they are with its use in the biblical vernacular.

Students who have grown up in church or who have played sports likely have some exposure to the Lord’s prayer, in which Jesus uses this language of holiness when he teaches his disciples how to pray: “Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Hallow-what, they might wonder?

The word “hallow” (hagiazo) means to sanctify, to set apart, or to treat as holy. It comes from the same root word for holy in the Greek (agios). I like the way the Christian Standard Bible translates the word as “make your name holy,” which communicates placing God’s name in a completely different category in your life. Hallowing God’s name means treasuring it and valuing it above all things. It means counting all things as loss and even as dung (Paul’s words, not mine) in comparison to knowing, loving, and worshipping Christ (Phil. 3:7-10).

In 1 Peter 3:15, a text that is at times more unfamiliar to our students, Peter uses similar language. He calls the exiles in Asia Minor to honor (hagiazo) Christ’s name as holy in their hearts. Peter’s words specifically point to making a defense for the faith and living boldly for Jesus amidst persecution. This call to “hallow” God’s name is foreign to most students’ vocabulary, but it is paramount for our students to understand as we urge them to live glorifying the Son through the Spirit. 

In his call for the church to suffer well for Jesus, Peter provides some ways the church should sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts as elect exiles. We can apply Peter’s instruction to help our students hallow Christ in their hearts as they live in this world as well.

Fearless Hope (v. 14)

Peter calls the church not to fear or to be troubled by their oppressors, a reference to Isaiah 8:11-15. In this Old Testament passage, the Lord called Ahaz, King of Judah, not to fear the Assyrians but instead to fear and honor the Lord as holy. If Ahaz and Judah did this, the Lord would become a sanctuary for them but a stumbling block for the Lord’s enemies. Peter references this Old Testament promise when he writes of Jesus as a stumbling block (1 Pet. 2:8). The church should not fear man but fear the Lord, knowing that no harm can ultimately come to them. 

Because of the living hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:3), we can stand boldly for Christ in the face of persecution. Practically, this applies to our students when they are made fun of and mocked for saying that Jesus is the only way to salvation, for believing that marriage is only between one man and one woman, or for contending for the rights of the unborn. When students stand boldly for Jesus in these and other ways, they hallow Christ’s name. They demonstrate their unshakable faith and hope in him. Encourage your students that no matter what they face or how threatened they may feel, they do not have to fear their oppressors. Jesus has already secured victory in his death and resurrection.

Well-Defended Hope (v. 15a)

We display our love and devotion to Christ when we can defend our faith against those who would question Christianity. If we are to give a defense for our faith, that implies that we must know what we believe and why we believe it. This means we must devote, time and effort to studying God’s word and the core doctrines of the faith. We must know the truth and know how to answer the key arguments non-Christians might throw our way. 

In order to grow in this well-defended hope, our teenagers need to know Christ and love him through his Word and through prayer, as well as through others in the body and even Christian books. We can encourage them that it’s worth sacrificing time watching movies, sports, or hanging out with friends in order to grow in their relationship with Jesus. We also do well to demonstrate to the students in our ministries that our faith in Christ is not just something in which we put “blind faith.” Instead, we have a reasonable and rational faith with evidence showing the teachings of the Bible to be true. Understanding the defense for our hope hallows the name of Jesus and helps teenagers relate to friends outside the faith.

Helping Teenagers Hallow God’s Name

Our God is holy, and he commands us to imitate him as his children and to likewise be holy in all that we do. This is why Jesus taught us to pray first by seeking to hallow God’s name in our lives. If we want our students to live boldly for Jesus in a postmodern culture, we must do two things. 

First, as pastors and youth leaders, we cannot forget that Christ has suffered for our sins to bring us to God (vs. 18). The gospel that has the power to save us will also give us the power to emulate holiness before our students and call them to imitate us as we imitate Christ. Second, we must call our students to set apart Christ’s name in their hearts and place an unwavering hope in his Word, his promises, and his second coming. This means that we urge them to turn away from the world’s standards. Instead, we call them to stand firm on the Word of God and to practice a fearless and well-defended hope by sanctifying Christ alone as Lord in their hearts.

If you’re looking for more resources to help teenagers understand God’s Word, we have curriculum for you! Check out Rooted’s Bible-based curriculum on Rooted Reservoir.

Andrew Slay

Andrew serves as the Pastor of Students and Families at Westwood Baptist Church in Cleveland, TN. He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Apologetics and Culture from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree in RTVF and a master’s degree in Exercise Science from Auburn University. Andrew is passionate about discipleship, biblical fellowship, evangelism, and world missions. He seeks to spur the body of Christ on to walk in obedience to Jesus by fulfilling Great Commission. He and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters, Graysen Elyse and Emersyn Leigh.

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