Which New Testament passages echo the call to holiness found in Leviticus 11:44? Leviticus 11:44 — A Timeless Call “For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, because I am holy.” • God’s own character is the standard. • Holiness requires deliberate separation from what defiles. Direct Quotation in 1 Peter 1 Peter 1:15-16: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” • Peter cites Leviticus verbatim. • The Old Covenant command becomes a New Covenant expectation for every believer. Paul’s Calls to Holiness • Romans 12:1 — “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” • 1 Corinthians 3:17 — “God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” • 2 Corinthians 6:17–7:1 — “Come out from among them and be separate… perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” • Ephesians 1:4 — “[He] chose us… to be holy and blameless in His presence.” • 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 — “God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.” • Colossians 1:22 — “[Christ will] present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence.” Echoes in Hebrews • Hebrews 12:10 — “He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” • Hebrews 12:14 — “Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Echoes in John’s Writings • 1 John 3:3 — “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” • Revelation 22:11 — “Let the holy continue to be holy.” Putting It All Together • The New Testament never relaxes Leviticus 11:44; it intensifies it by rooting holiness in Christ’s finished work and the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16-25). • Holiness is both positional (what God declares) and practical (what believers pursue). • From Moses to the apostles, the divine refrain remains: “Be holy, because I am holy.” |
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