What connections exist between Numbers 5:3 and New Testament teachings on holiness? The Old Testament Snapshot: Numbers 5:3 “ ‘You must send away both male and female; you must send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.’ ” • The command targets anyone ceremonially “unclean” (leprosy, bodily discharge, contact with a corpse). • God’s presence in the midst of Israel sets the standard: nothing defiled may remain near Him. • The stake is relational, not merely hygienic—uncleanness breaks fellowship with the Holy One. God’s Presence Requires Purity • Numbers 5:3 anchors holiness in God’s nature: “where I dwell among them.” • The New Testament echoes the same reasoning: – “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Colossians 3:16) – “What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:16) • Holiness is never optional; it flows from who God is (1 Peter 1:15-16). Jesus Fulfills and Transforms the Picture • He voluntarily went “outside the camp,” bearing our uncleanness: “So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to sanctify the people by His own blood.” (Hebrews 13:12) • Instead of avoiding the unclean, He cleanses them (Mark 1:40-42; Luke 8:43-48). • His blood accomplishes what the camp-ban merely symbolized—real removal of sin and defilement (Hebrews 9:13-14). Personal Holiness in the Believer • Cleansed once for all, yet called to ongoing purification: – “Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1) – “But now you must put away all these: anger, rage, malice…” (Colossians 3:8). • Holiness touches every arena—thoughts, speech, relationships, entertainment choices. Corporate Holiness in the Church • As Israel expelled the unclean, the church disciplines unrepentant sin for the same reason—protecting God’s dwelling place: – “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1 Corinthians 5:13) • The goal is restoration and purity, not harshness (Galatians 6:1). • Christ intends “to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle.” (Ephesians 5:27) Living It Out • Remember Who lives in you—holiness starts with worship. • Confess quickly (1 John 1:9); keep short accounts with God. • Pursue purity proactively—fill life with what strengthens love for Christ (Philippians 4:8). • Support one another in holiness; the camp today is the family of God (Hebrews 10:24-25). |
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