I am just completing Leviticus and Hebrews in my daily Bible reading plan. It’s always a heavy place to arrive when we are reading through the Bible and often, we give up. Several years ago, I was using the First 5 app when they did a study on Leviticus. The study included the Book of Hebrews as well and it gave me such insight and connected all the “laws” with God’s plan to make us truly holy. I am going to try my best to make a connection for you in a short time here today.
Be holy as I am Holy – Hebrews
Be holy as I am holy – Leviticus
What is holiness
According to Easton’s Bible Commentary, holiness is
in the highest sense belongs to God ( Isaiah 6:3 ; Revelation 15:4 ), and to Christians as consecrated to God’s service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God ( Romans 6:19 Romans 6:22 ; Ephesians 1:4 ; Titus 1:8 ; 1 Peter 1:15 ). Personal holiness is a work of gradual development. It is carried on under many hindrances, hence the frequent admonitions to watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance ( 1 Corinthians 1:30 ; 2 co 7:1 ; Ephesians 4:23 Ephesians 4:24 )
M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition,
published by Thomas Nelson, 1897.
Let’s talk about each definition a little closer.
The Character of God
We could spend a month of Sundays on the character of God. A great way to do that is through a study of the names of God. But let’s just stop and think about who God is.
- righteous
- almighty
- omnipresent – present everywhere
- omniscient – all knowing
- omnipotent – all-powerful
- loving and kind
- compassionate
We like to think about His loving-kindness, but, above all He is holy. And this is not to be taken lightly. Consider, the times in the Old Testament when people died where they stood because they were unholy people coming into the presence of God.
Read Isaiah 6:1-6
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said:
Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies.6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.
Isaiah 6:1-6 CSB
Read Revelations 15:2-4
2 I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. 3 They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb:
Great and awe-inspiring are your works,
Revelations 15:2-4 CSB
Lord God, the Almighty;
just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship before you
because your righteous acts
have been revealed.
First, God is Holy
When we read Leviticus, we find so many rituals. It all seems very overwhelming. Why did God set all these rituals up for the priests? These actions were set up by God to remind the people of His holiness. He was creating a picture of His holiness in the temple. The priests had to be clean and unblemished before they entered God’s presence.
To cover their sins, there needs to be a punishment for sin; namely, death. This is why God set up the sacrificial system. The priests were first made clean. Then a spotless lamb was offered. The priest laid his hand on a selected goat (scapegoat) and it was taken out of the city and left to wander and die alone. Does any of this sound familiar?
Jesus Became our Lamb
Jesus came and lived a perfect life. Then He took the sins of the world on Himself and died the cruel death on the cross on the outskirts of town to pay the punishment for our sins. But the beautiful part is that He didn’t have to keep doing this every year. There is now permanent forgiveness for our sins! Because Jesus was the only perfect Lamb. And when he rose again from the dead, he conquered the power of death so that we could have eternal lives.
We Are Covered by The Blood
If we are covered by blood and our sins are removed, why do we still need to live a holy life? Doesn’t Jesus’ blood cover us and remove any sin that we do? Yes, it does. If we have confessed our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and…
However, Paul tells us that this is no reason to go about living sinful lives. The Holy Spirit, given at our new birth, gives us the power to fight sin.
Why Should We Live a Holy Life?
Living a holy life means living in a way that pleases God. It brings you closer to God. Holy living promotes inner peace and contentment. It gives us a deep sense of purpose. It’s not reserved just for your preacher or priest. Anyone can choose to live a holy life.
It Promotes Inner Peace – When we are living in a way that is centered on God and His teachings, we find that we have a “peace that passes all understanding”. It’s hard to explain, but when we prioritize our will with the will of God, we feel less stressed and anxious.
It helps us make better decisions – Holy living means following a set of principles that guide our decision-making process. Principles that are based on God’s teachings are always in our best interest. We can easily make decisions because we are resting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It Improves Relationships – Living a holy life follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And he gives us gifts, such as, kindness, compassion, love, and more. These things create an atmosphere of good and relationship-building comes naturally.
In Conclusion, you can see that the benefits of a holy life are many. You will find you have a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment in your life. While it is not always easy, the rewards are worth the effort.
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RESOURCES
5 Benefits of Living a Holy Life – Kathy Howard
Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.
I am undone also, as Isaiah was, when I think of how such a holy God would stoop to bring me to Himself. Thank you for this beautiful study, Mandy.
I think we often forget how holy our God is. Yes! we can approach him bolding because of the blood of Christ, but He is still holy and we must approach with humitlity.