Why is obedience to God's laws in Leviticus crucial for Christians today? Leviticus 7:25 — Obedience Is Non-Negotiable “Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be presented to the LORD must be cut off from his people.” God’s Unchanging Character Revealed in Leviticus • Malachi 3:6 — “For I, the LORD, do not change.” • Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The same holy God who spoke at Sinai now indwells believers; His standards still disclose His nature. Why These Laws Still Matter for Christians • They spotlight God’s holiness, confronting us with the gap between His purity and our sin (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 3:23). • They teach reverence for worship. If eating forbidden fat warranted expulsion, casual attitudes toward sin today are indefensible (1 Peter 1:15-16). • They foreshadow Christ’s perfect obedience. By valuing the shadows, we better cherish the substance (Colossians 2:16-17). • They train hearts to love what God loves. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Law as Tutor, Not Savior • Galatians 3:24 — “The Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ.” • Romans 8:3-4 — “What the Law was powerless to do… God did by sending His own Son… so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us.” Salvation rests in Christ’s finished work, yet the Law continues to guide daily sanctification. Three Dimensions of Obedience Today 1. Moral statutes (e.g., sexual purity, honesty, justice) remain binding; they flow from God’s immutable nature. 2. Ceremonial statutes (sacrifices, dietary restrictions) are fulfilled in Christ yet still teach purity, gratitude, and awe. 3. Civil statutes shaped Israel’s national life; their principles (equity, restitution) inform ethical conduct and civic engagement. Consequences of Disobedience: Then and Now • Leviticus 7:25 — “must be cut off.” Separation pictured spiritual death. • 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 — Paul warns the church by Israel’s failures, proving that Old Testament discipline instructs saints under grace. Blessings Promised for Obedience • Deuteronomy 28:1-2 — all-encompassing favor for listening to His voice. • John 14:21 — “He who has My commandments and keeps them… I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” • James 1:25 — “the one who keeps looking into the perfect law… being a doer… he will be blessed.” Practical Ways to Honor Leviticus Today • Treat worship as sacred ground; approach the Lord with confessed sin (Hebrews 10:22). • Guard the body as His temple; say no to what defiles (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). • Rejoice that Jesus offered the once-for-all sacrifice; cultivate gratitude at the Lord’s Table (Hebrews 10:12). • Give the best, not leftovers, in time, resources, and service (Leviticus 22:21). • Uphold justice for the vulnerable, mirroring statutes that protected sojourners and the poor (Leviticus 19:9-10). Living Out Leviticus in a New-Covenant Life Obedience does not earn redemption; it displays it. By receiving Christ’s atoning blood and walking in the Spirit, believers fulfill the deeper intent of Leviticus: a people visibly marked by holiness, gratitude, and unwavering loyalty to the God who still thunders, “Be holy, for I am holy.” |
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