How does Leviticus 21:23 connect to New Testament teachings on holiness? Setting the stage: holiness in Leviticus • Leviticus presents a God who is absolutely holy and separates the sacred from the common (Leviticus 10:10). • Priests, representing the people before God, had to reflect that holiness in every visible way. • Leviticus 21:23: “but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” Leviticus 21:23 at a glance • Physical imperfection barred a priest from ministering at the altar. • The restriction protected the sanctity of the sanctuary and underscored God’s self-designation: “I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” • The principle: God’s presence demands spotless representatives. Key themes bridging the Testaments 1. God Himself defines holiness. 2. Access to His presence depends on the perfection He requires. 3. Imperfection—whether physical in the Old Covenant or moral in the New—profanes holy space. The flawless High Priest fulfilled in Christ • Hebrews 7:26–27: “Such a High Priest indeed was fitting for us—holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners…” • Jesus bore no “defect” of sin, satisfying the Levitical pattern completely (Hebrews 4:15). • By His once-for-all sacrifice He opened the veil that barred the imperfect (Hebrews 10:19–20). Believers granted access yet called to holiness • Hebrews 10:22: “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience…” • 1 Peter 1:15-16 echoes Leviticus: “Be holy, for I am holy.” • In Christ believers are already “holy and blameless” positionally (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22), yet they pursue practical holiness so as not to “desecrate” God’s dwelling, now located in the church and individual bodies (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20). Practical takeaways • God’s standard has never relaxed; it shifted from outward blemishes to inward purity. • Christ’s perfection meets the standard for us, granting confident access. • We respond by: – Daily confessing and forsaking sin (1 John 1:9). – Guarding personal and corporate worship from anything that profanes God’s sanctuary. – Living distinctly, showing the watching world the character of the God who “sanctifies” His people. |
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