The book of Leviticus helps us understand what it means to be holy—to live in a way that pleases God. Leviticus was written by Moses, and it explains how God wanted the people of Israel to live, worship, and stay separate from other nations. It includes instructions about sacrifices, laws, and daily life.
Sometimes, people today want to skip over Leviticus because the rules seem old or hard to understand. But when we take time to study it, we see that it teaches us important things about salvation (how God saves us) and sanctification (how God helps us become more holy).
One major theme in Leviticus is holiness. The word “holy” shows up over 150 times! God keeps telling Israel to be holy because He is holy. For example:
Leviticus 11:44: “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 19:2: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
Leviticus 20:7: “Consecrate yourselves… and be holy.”
God gave Israel many laws to help them live in a way that was different from the sinful nations around them. For example, in Leviticus 19:27–28, God told the people not to cut their hair or tattoo their bodies like the pagans did. These laws weren't about haircuts or tattoos being sinful on their own—they were about being different from the world and devoted to God.
In Leviticus 11, God gave rules about food—what was clean and unclean to eat. These food laws weren’t about nutrition; they were about teaching the Israelites to be set apart. Other nations used animals like pigs in sacrifices to false gods. By avoiding these animals, the Israelites showed they worshipped a different, holy God.
So, is it a sin to eat bacon? No. These laws were symbols to teach God’s people a lesson. God used them to say: “Be different, because I am different.”
Some people think Christians today should still follow some of these Old Testament laws. They try to divide them into "moral" laws and "ceremonial" laws. But that’s not exactly how the Bible talks about them. Leviticus often uses the words “clean” and “unclean” rather than “right” and “wrong.” That’s because these laws were a model—a picture of something deeper. They were teaching tools.
For example, in Deuteronomy 18, a false prophet—someone who lies in God’s name—was to be put to death. That seems harsh, but it shows how seriously God takes idolatry, which is worshipping something other than God. Even today, we should take false teaching seriously and remove it from our lives, even though we don’t carry out the old punishments.
Let’s look at an important story in Leviticus 10. Two priests, Nadab and Abihu, offered “strange fire” to God—something He hadn’t asked for. God sent fire to consume them, and they died. Why? Because they didn’t obey God’s instructions exactly. God was showing that holiness isn’t optional. It’s either holy or it’s not.
God also gave the Israelites a system of sacrifices to show different things:
Burnt Offering – total devotion to God
Grain Offering – thankfulness
Peace Offering – fellowship with God
Sin Offering – forgiveness for accidental sins
Guilt Offering – forgiveness for accidental sins plus making things right with others
Let’s focus on two of these:
Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1): The animal was completely burned to show full devotion to God. It symbolized the worshiper saying, “All of me belongs to you, God.”
Sin Offering: This was for accidental sins. The person would sacrifice an animal, which stood in their place. But this only worked for sins people didn’t mean to commit.
So what about intentional sins? There was no sacrifice for that. That’s why King David said in Psalm 51 that there was no offering he could give for his sin when he purposely had Uriah killed.
But then comes Leviticus 16, the high point: The Day of Atonement. Once a year, the high priest made a special sacrifice for all of Israel. It involved:
A bull for the high priest's own sin
A goat for the people’s sin
A second goat (the scapegoat) that carried away the people’s sins into the wilderness
A ram as a burnt offering, showing the people’s devotion after forgiveness
This day pointed forward to what Jesus would do on the cross. Jesus is our perfect high priest who had no sin. His blood cleansed us fully, and His death removed our sins forever—just like the scapegoat being sent away. After that, we’re not just forgiven—we’re supposed to live for God.
The point of the Day of Atonement wasn’t just to get rid of sin—it was to dedicate the people to God. That’s the same with Jesus’ death. He didn’t just forgive us; He gave us a new life.
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Because He loved us first, we respond by loving Him back through obedience.
Jesus also sent us the Holy Spirit to help us obey. In John 14:16–17, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would live inside His followers to help them live holy lives. That’s called sanctification—God making us more like Himself over time.
So what does Leviticus teach us today?
It shows us how seriously God takes holiness, and that He wants us to live in a way that reflects who He is. It reminds us that being a Christian isn’t just about being forgiven—it’s about being transformed. God calls His people to be holy, just like He is holy.
In the next article we will learn how holiness ties into sanctification as the fuel for discipleship.