Books of the Bible - Pt. 3: Leviticus

This book of the Bible has caused much controversy among Christians and non-Christians. This book of the Bible is a list of all the rules that the Israelites had to follow in order to stay "clean." They were supposed to stay clean because they were in the presence of God. But many people have seen these rules and thought that if someone were to break them today, they would not make it to heaven because they were "unclean." This perspective has caused great harm to many people. In Leviticus, the punishments for breaking the rules were quite harsh, but that was before Jesus died on the cross for our sins, wiping our slates clean. So many Christians have treated people who have broken these rules in the worst of ways, and these actions have driven so many away from God. What we must remember about Leviticus is that the Israelites weren't saved yet. They were punished for their sins because Jesus had not yet made the ultimate sacrifice. So just because some people today have broken the rules of Leviticus, that doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of God's love and forgiveness. 

Remember, we are all sinners, but we were all saved when Jesus died on the cross and rose again for us. So for any of us to treat any other sinners as if their sins are unforgivable, but ours are, is hypocritical and wrong. For example, Leviticus says that homosexuality is wrong. Because of this, the LGBTQ+ community has been tortured and killed because people see them as "unclean," when in reality they are no more unclean that anyone else. And because some people choose to hate what they don't understand, so many people in the LGBTQ+ community don't know God, and that hurts God more than any sin. 

What we must learn from Leviticus is that we are all rule-breakers, but we have all been saved. Believing that Christ died on the cross and rose again to save us from our sins is what gets us to heaven. We want to try our best to live how God wants us to live, but all who love God and believe in the resurrection of Christ have a place in heaven, no matter who they love or what they've done. So we must treat everyone with love because that's what God calls us to do.