A critic, responding to my arguments against homosexuality (see “Defending Marriage“), told me that I’m sinning because I wear mixed fabrics, which is prohibited in Leviticus 19:19. Let’s investigate.
(Leviticus 19:19)
“You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.”
Well, my hat is 100% cotton. So it’s not mixed. But even if I do wear mixed fabrics — like my hoodie that’s 60% cotton and 40% polyester — this critic would still be wrong about this verse’s application because I’m not ancient Israel during that specific time. One of the most common arguments a critic produces against moral laws, such as homosexuality, is to point out any other Old Testament command regardless of context. So, as a Christian, how should we respond to this?
Well, first and foremost, let it be known that this critic was angry because I mentioned that the act of homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. But I was not being unfair or targeting homosexuality. In fact, I continued by saying, “Do you know what else is a sin?” Scripture states that anyone unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of GOD, and this includes (but is not limited to) the following: thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers (1Corinthians 6:9-10). And then Paul specifically reminds the Corinthians that, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1Corinthians 6:11). And so this is a moral issue of the heart and no one is exempt from GOD’s expectations for righteous living.
Now, let’s go back to Leviticus 19:19. If you read the entire verse and examine it in its proper context, it’s quite evident that it’s about purity, preventing cross-contamination, and keeping holy what is holy (see also, Deuteronomy 22:9-11).
Now, for the ancient Israelites, fabric of mixed wool and linen was reserved for parts of the tabernacle, high priests’s garments, and belts of priests (Exodus 26:1,31; 28:6,15; 39:29). Thus, not just anyone could wear that. Holiness means more than mere separation, but it always signifies that something is set apart in its proper sphere. GOD wanted the Israelites to be able to discern the difference between what is holy and unholy, common and uncommon, defiled and undefiled, pure and impure; ceremonial holiness required that Israelites be holy and observe their separation from other nations as an example of holiness (Leviticus 10:10; 11:44-45; 18:24-30; 20:22-26).
And though Christians in the new covenant don’t have to abide by those old covenant ceremonial laws, our righteous separation still carries over in that we are not to be unequally yoked and therefore should keep ourselves holy unto GOD (Romans 13:12; 1Corinthians 10:21; 2Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 5:6-17; 1Thessalonians 5:5). And this concept of not being unequally yoked comes from the Greek word heterozugeo, which is a compound of the words heteros and zugos. The word heteros means other, altered, else, strange, or different. So, it means another; in other words, one not of the same nature, form, class, or kind. The word zugos means to join, especially by a yoke, serving to couple two things together. And when the two words are compounded together, the new word heterozugeo means to be bound together with something that is not of the same nature, form, class, or kind. In other words, the yoke is unnatural. Being yoked with Satan, demons, or unbelievers is unnatural for children of GOD. In the new covenant of Christ, we are yoked with Christ and live righteously by following Christ in faith. Our genuine faith leads us to joyful obedience to His command, which is to love GOD and love others as we would love ourselves. As it turns out, I wrote an article on that: “Unequally Yoked“.
In conclusion, the critic’s claim that Christians are violating GOD’s commands due to mixing fabrics is simply false because the critic confuses obsolete ceremonial laws for active and abiding moral laws. But this accusation is a good example as to why we (Christians) must know GOD’s Word better than the enemy who desires to use the Word of GOD against us. So if you’re a Christian, you need to become warriors of the faith who diligently present themselves approved to GOD as workers who do not need to be ashamed of the Gospel because they are able to accurately handle the Word of Truth (2Timothy 2:15). We knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing GOD. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ (2Corinthians 10:4-5). Therefore, armor up (Ephesians 6:10-20)!
Quest For Truth 