Be Holy

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

As we start the 7th Sunday after Epiphany, the Old Testament reading is from the Book of Leviticus.  Right at the start of this passage, in verse 2, we have God’s command for us to “be holy”.  This command is specifically repeated in the New Testament in two places, in Ephesians 1:4, and again in I Peter 1:16.

Holiness? How can I possibly be holy like God?  I can’t, in my own strength and power.  Only through Christ, and allowing Him and the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us are we able. Although none of us will be able to live perfectly sin-free lives, through the cleansing blood of Christ, all of our sins are washed clean, and we become sin-free in the eyes of God.

The remainder of this passage discusses several ways where our lives can show holiness, or being set apart and sanctified for God.  Verse 12 tells us to honor the Name of the Lord God, repeating the 3rd commandment.  This not only encompasses a prohibition against using God’s Name in cursing, but also attaching it to any speech that would dishonor Him.

The rest of the verses, 9-11, and 13-18, show various ways of how we should treat others.  Verses 9-10 relate to how the Lord wants us to treat the poor in a godly, generous way.  God is deeply concerned with the poor, as is evident throughout Scripture.  Verse 14 shows that He is also very concerned for people with disabilities.  He cares about them, and as His children, we are, too, not ever taking advantage of them.

I would like to look at verses 16-17.  God does not want us to slander our fellow brethren, or to be talebearers or gossips.  A little harmless gossip - what’s so bad about that?  The fact is, it is never harmless.  Gossip tears down another person’s reputation.  As Christians we should be building up our brothers and sisters, not tearing them down.  Doing that is actually helping the devil, who loves to see a Christian’s reputation in tatters.  If a fellow believer is caught in the clutches of some obvious sin, we should do what we can to help them back on the right path, but without tearing them down.  Some people enjoy putting others down, thinking that somehow that will raise themselves up.  In truth it destroys people.

In all we do, we need to aim and strive for maintaining holiness in our life.