And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
Leviticus 19:1-2 (ESV)
To be holy is to be set apart—distinct from the world around you. In the Bible, to be holy is to be set apart for God’s use. The Tabernacle and its furnishings were holy. The priests and Levites were holy. And the sacrifices offered to God were holy. They were not to be used for everyday purposes. They were dedicated to God’s use.
But it was not just those special things and people that were holy. God calls all his people to be holy. In this passage, it is Israel that was called to be holy. But Peter quotes this passage in relation to all of God’s elect (1 Pet. 1:15-16). This call to holiness is given to all who follow Jesus today.
Why Holiness?
But why? Why does God expect us to be holy? The reason is simple. Because he is holy. And he wants us to be like him. We are to be holy because God is holy.
We often try to separate theology and ethics as two distinct fields. But this command of God ties them tightly together. Our call to holiness is a call to a high ethical standard. And it is firmly grounded in our theology of who God is. Be holy because God is holy.
What does holiness look like in practical terms? Holiness carries with it the idea that you do not do the things that others around you do. And that is what Leviticus 19 is all about. It is a call to be distinct from the idol-worshipping nations they were to replace in Canaan.
As believers today, we may see many of the commands in Leviticus 19 as no longer relevant. But at least one of those commands is still relevant, the command to love others (Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Rom. 13:9, Gal. 5:14, Jam. 2:8). The call to holiness is, at least in part, a call to love others.
