Leviticus 20:7 - Consecrate yourselves and be holy

Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:7

Commentary

Originating in God's nature, holiness is a unique quality of His character. The Bible emphasizes this divine attribute. "Who is like you, O Lord?" (Ex. 15:11). "There is none holy like the Lord" (1 Sam. 2:2). "Who shall not fear You, O Lord . . . For You alone are holy" (Rev. 15:4). God's high expectations of His people flow out of His own holy nature: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6); "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2).
Jesus was the personification of holiness; He reinforced God's demands for holiness by insisting that His disciples have a higher quality and degree of righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20). Like Amos and Hosea, Jesus appealed for more than ceremonial holiness: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" (Hos. 6:6; Matt. 12:7). The theme of sanctification, or growing into God's likeness and being consecrated for His use, is prominent throughout the Bible. Like Jesus, the apostles taught that sanctification, or true holiness, expressed itself in patient and loving service while awaiting the Lord's return.

Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.