So how do you do it?
The simplest answer is: Read and study the Torah - the first five Books of the Bible. I've been doing it for almost three decades now, via the "yearly" reading cycle that takes you, in increments, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. Over and over again. These yearly studies reveal not only who God is and what He expects of His people, but you'll also learn the history of His people, and how YOU fit into the grand plan!
I promise you, it's not boring. Every time you study your way through those first five Books, you will "see" or suddenly recognize "something new" that you hadn't noticed before. Every year, you'll be stepping up onto the next "rung of the ladder" that leads toward a closer relationship to God than you could ever imagine!
Throughout the Torah we not only see Divine Rules to follow, but we are told via many examples exactly HOW we can be "set apart" for Him. (The main thing, of course, is, don't follow the abominable ways of the other nations). YAHWEH - or simply YHWH (the Name the Father gave to Moshe/Moses in Hebrew - יְהוָֹה - in Exodus 3:13-15) gives us a choice to follow Him, or not. Those who follow Him are blessed; those who don't are "cut off." That is what the Torah tells us throughout. There is no gray area.
Over and over in the Torah, we see YHWH saying in various ways: "Be holy because I am holy." We are to "do" or "not do" simply because He SAID so - because HE KNOWS what is best for us! Paraphrased: "I am ADONAI! I am holy, and I want YOU to be holy, because I am holy! It is the only way you can enter into My Presence..."
So, how does one know how to "be holy"? It is revealed to us in Leviticus 18:
Leviticus 18: 1 ADONAI said to Moshe, 2 "Speak to the people of Isra'el; tell them, 'I am ADONAI your God. 3 You are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Egypt, where you used to live; and you are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Kena'an, where I am bringing you; nor are you to live by their laws. 4 You are to obey my rulings and laws and live accordingly; I am ADONAI your God. 5 You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them; I am ADONAI. (CJB)
It couldn't be any clearer! And guess what: YOU, as a believer in Jesus (whose given Hebrew Name is ישוע - or, Yeshua, which means "YHWH is Salvation") are grafted into Israel. As such, you are expected to do what His people do - OBEY His divine Instructions in Righteousness found only in the Torah, which is our ONLY blueprint for moral, holy living.
(Contrary to popular belief, it's NOT only all about "believing in Jesus" and "grace and mercy." It's a two-way street where God shows mankind HOW to live a holy, set apart life, according to His wonderful Divine blueprint; and you, as a believer, are obligated to obey - just like your parents expected you to learn and obey their rules, for your own good, when you were growing up.)
Unfortunately, many insist “those old rules were just for the Jews,” which is a HUGE misconception, as we are “one in Messiah” (Galatians 3:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-6; and John 17:20-23), which means: same God, same rules for holy, set apart living. (I'm not making this up! It's all outlined in Torah.)
We can see evidence of this way back at Mt. Sinai: There were 12 Tribes standing before YHWH at Mt. Sinai, INCLUDING all the pagans who followed Moshe out of Egypt, who were told that, if they accepted YHWH as their God, to do "exactly" as His people did (Numbers 15:13-16). That rule was not discarded just because Yeshua died. He didn't come to change Torah; he came to be our final SIN "sacrifice." (Well, he wasn't actually "sacrificed" as nobody sacrificed him; but he willingly martyred himself to shed his Divine Blood, against which is there is no law...
Anyway, the Book of Leviticus outlines the things our
Creator tells us to do in order to be holy, through obedience to HIS
rules! It's a hard Book to read because some of the rules written thousands of years ago, sound very strange to our "modern" ears and mindsets.
The good news is, nobody is expected to adhere to "all 613 commands" as most
of them were directed at the Levite cohens (priests); some were only
for men; some only for women; and some were only for a certain time
frame. (Please read our website's article entitled, But, didn't Jesus abolish the Law and those 613 original commandments?)
HOWEVER, some were meant to last FOREVER - and those are the ones that believers must pay attention to.
If you are new to the idea of Torah, you're surely rolling your eyes by now and asking: "Okay, then - WHAT rules am I supposed keep today?" (The answer can be found in our article called What parts of Torah can we keep today? )Basically, this is what the article says:
(1) Eat only “clean” foods (i.e., no pork or shellfish). (For more explanation, see our article Does God Really Consider All Foods Clean?)
(2) Keep God’s commanded Seventh Day Sabbath “rest” (which are our “weekly dates” with Him). (See our article, The Seventh Day is a SIGN between God and His People)
(3) Keep His seven High Holy Days, which are our “yearly dates” with Him, spread throughout the year, with each one having great significance. For instance - Messiah Yeshua has fulfilled 4 of the 7 ... and the next one (Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets when God calls His people together, which is what Christians refer to as "the Rapture" ...See our article: Yeshua in the Biblical Feasts)
Folks, I promise you: Just DOING these things will bring you SO MUCH closer to God than you’ve ever thought possible! Please give it a try... It's truly not that hard to do!
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