Looking at holiness from the perspective that Hamilton gives, "The distinctions between holy and common and clean and unclean." (Hamilton p. 259), we can conclude that holiness means set apart, different, or distinct. In relaying this to a new convert, the simplest way would be to explain that God is separate from anything that we have corrupted. As the Egyptians learned, there is none like Him (Exodus 8:10) Because He is separate from the world and nature that has been corrupted by sin, He is completely pure from any of this corruption. As His people we are called to be like Him in that way. And we can only do this through the work of Christ, who while retaining His purity made a way that we could be covered with His purity (righteousness). He is also daily conforming us to His image through His word. T his is the basis and the motive to our being holy as He is holy.

While holiness is mentioned in other places in the first few books of the Old Testament, we begin to see what it really means in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus lays out that, "The distinctions between holy and common and clean and unclean." (Hamilton p. 259) God has shown that He is set apart from the common things, and His command is for the people of God to be set apart as well. We find the command to “Be holy for I am holy” three times in the book of Leviticus. Ones in chapter 11, then again in chapters 19 and 20. Each of these places help point out to us what the holiness of God means in relation to us, and how we are to live holy because He is holy. The first reference to the holiness starts, “ For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Leviticus 11:44) The reference to eating is not by accident when we thin...