Holiness

“You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”Leviticus‬ ‭20‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The bulk of this chapter deals with sexual uncleaness. If you wonder what God says about sex, then you should read it. He also deals with eating animals that crawl upon the ground, sacrificing children to Molech, marriage to close relatives and consulting mediums.

This chapter spells out what God considers unclean and unholy. It gives us a starting point. Jesus said, “you must be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy”(Matt 5:48). (Some versions use perfect instead of holy). Holy, therefore, is not polluted with uncleaness, not adopting the ways of the world, being wholly set apart for God.

When Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5-7 He dealt with a deeper attitude than just keeping the law. For example:He stated that wanting to murder and hatred was the same as committing murder. Jesus redefined what holiness was. All throughout His ministry He confronted the Pharisees for keeping what looked righteous but was full of dead man’s bones.

As Christians we keep Christ’s laws by abiding in Him. As we love Him we love His creatures, others, and  the unborn, not just animals. Amen!