let your name be sanctified.”

Why, though, does God’s name, which involves his reputation, need to be sanctified, or made holy? Because it has been reproached and slandered.

Some people blame God for their trials, when the real cause may have human roots or can be attributed to their simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Proverbs 19:3; Ecclesiastes 9:11) Others have accused God of causing natural disasters. However, the Bible says that “with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) And many religions teach that God punishes the bad by torturing them forever in a fiery hell, a teaching that surely offends the God of love. (Jeremiah 19:5; 1 John 4:8) “The wages sin pays is death,” says Romans 6:23, not eternal torture!b