Leviticus 20:7
“You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.”
Trying to practice holiness without a saving relationship with Christ is self-serving at best. Many well-meaning people have tried to manufacture holiness but the Bible is clear that holiness (the state of being dedicated to or set apart for God) is not a matter of human effort. God emphasized that to Israel by one of His names, "The LORD, who makes you holy.”
The Israelites were holy not because they were better than everybody else, but because God chose them and set them apart for Himself. God gave Israel His holy law and commanded the people to obey Him, separating themselves from the sins of the pagan nations around them. It took Christ's death on the cross to pay the debt of sin and allow God to declare sinners holy when they put their faith in His Son for salvation.
Holiness is what God wants and expects from us. Holiness is a reflection of God's character, and He wants His children to look like Him.
The Truth
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
