Which New Testament verses echo the call to holiness found in Leviticus 20:26? Leviticus 20:26—The Old Covenant Pattern “You are to be holy to Me, because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.” New Testament Echoes of the Same Call • Matthew 5:48 — “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” • John 17:17-19 — “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth…For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.” • John 15:19 — “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” • Romans 12:1 — “I urge you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—your reasonable service.” • 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 — “Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” • 2 Corinthians 7:1 — “Beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” • Ephesians 1:4 — “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence.” • Ephesians 5:25-27 — “…to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church…holy and blameless.” • Colossians 1:22 — “…to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence.” • 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 — “For this is God’s will: your sanctification…For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.” • Hebrews 12:10 — “…so 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.” • 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.’” • 1 John 3:3 — “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” • Revelation 18:4 — “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.” Key Threads That Tie the Testaments Together • The source of holiness is God’s own character—He is holy, therefore His people must be. • Holiness still involves separation from sin and from the value-system of the world. • In Christ, believers are both declared holy (positional) and urged to live holy lives (practical). • The indwelling Holy Spirit supplies the power to “perfect holiness in the fear of God.” • The goal remains the same: a people who are unmistakably God’s own possession, reflecting His purity to the world. |
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