How does Leviticus 11:44 relate to 1 Peter 1:16's call to holiness? A single, unbroken call Leviticus 11:44 captures God’s voice at Sinai: “For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Centuries later Peter writes, “for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:16) Same words, same God, same standard. What Leviticus 11:44 meant then • Holiness was practical. The diet laws taught Israel to separate the clean from the unclean every single day. • Holiness was personal. “Consecrate yourselves” shows each Israelite had responsibility, not only the priests. • Holiness was patterned after God Himself. He is holy in essence; His people must mirror that character. • Holiness protected fellowship. Remaining undefiled kept Israel fit for God’s presence in the camp (Leviticus 26:11-12). Why Peter quotes it now • Same God, same character. God does not relax His moral nature between Testaments (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). • A redeemed people still need boundaries. Peter addresses believers already “sprinkled with the blood of Jesus” (1 Peter 1:2), yet they must “set your hope fully” and “be sober-minded” (1 Peter 1:13-15). • The new covenant widens, not weakens, the call. Instead of food laws, holiness touches every desire and conduct (1 Peter 1:14). • Witness to the nations. The scattered churches of Asia Minor were to function as “a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), echoing Exodus 19:6. Shared themes, Old and New • Identity precedes behavior – Israel: “I am the LORD your God.” – Church: “You were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). • Separation from defilement – Old: avoid “any swarming creature.” – New: “abstain from the passions of the flesh” (1 Peter 2:11). • Imitation of God – Old: reflect His purity. – New: “walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). Other passages that stitch the fabric • Exodus 19:6 – “you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” • Leviticus 20:26 – “You are to be holy to Me… I have set you apart.” • 2 Corinthians 6:17 – “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.” • Hebrews 12:14 – “Pursue…holiness—without it no one will see the Lord.” • 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 – “God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.” Living the call today • Think identity first: redeemed people live differently because they belong to a holy God. • Let Scripture set the categories of clean and unclean: compare every habit with God’s revealed character. • Pursue holiness positively—devotion, compassion, integrity—not only avoidance of sin. • Depend on grace: the Spirit empowers what the law required (Romans 8:3-4). • Remember the purpose: holiness displays God’s nature to a watching world (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). God’s “Be holy” spans Testaments, covenants, and cultures, joining Moses and Peter in one resounding summons: reflect the holiness of the Lord in every arena of life, because He has set us apart for Himself. |
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