It’s controversial and often confusing, but we’re getting in it: the book of Leviticus. It’s full of laws, regulations and religious language that seems outdated or is it?
The fact that Christians no longer follow many of the obscure laws God gave to Israel at the time of Moses is a regular point of confusion and contention for non-Christians. Commands not to eat certain types of meat (Leviticus 11:7-12), tattoo your body (Lev 19:28), trim your hair or beard (Lev 19:27), or wear clothing made of mixed fabrics (Lev 19:19) are prime examples.
Misinformed unbelievers often pull these little-known verses out of context in an attempt to smear Christianity. They present these verses as “evidence” that Christians are hypocrites, picking and choosing what Scriptures they want to follow or ignore.
In reality, we know these faulty arguments are based entirely on Scripture that’s misinterpreted and/or pulled out of context. The writings of any author can be misconstrued if a few sentences are plucked from their books without reading the rest, but many skeptics ignore this obvious detail.
Unfortunately, Christians are not always prepared to respond to questions about the Old Testament laws – it’s a deep and somewhat confusing subject. In our series, Hot Seat we’ll provide some straightforward answers, so we grow in our own understanding of God’s revelation and we can share with unbelievers.
If Christians say they’re not required to follow ALL the Old Testament laws, is this an inconsistency in Christianity or the Bible?
No! The Bible is God’s inerrant Word to us. However, Scripture is not simply a list of black-and-white commands. The Bible records and recounts hundreds of years of history. We don’t just open the Bible to a random page in the Old Testament, point to a verse, and conclude that it’s a directive for life as a Christian today. Scripture must always be interpreted properly and put into its correct context — and the Bible clearly teaches that some of God’s laws for modern-day believers changed with the finished work of Christ.
We will give some background, overview and explanation in how to live out Leviticus today. I hope that you can join us for Hot Seat.
Darrell
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