But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet 1:15-16)
God is holy and we should also be holy in all our conduct. The basic idea of holiness in the Bible is separation from all that is profane. In Leviticus, God was concerned with the ritual of the sacrificial system as well as with ethical requirements. The biblical distinction between “clean” and “unclean” is the way God designated the difference between what He could receive into His presence and what must remain apart from Him. Only people, animals, and objects designated as clean could enter the tabernacle, and later the temple, as part of the worship of God. Specific rituals were instituted by God for making an “unclean” person or object “clean”. The designation of “clean” and “unclean” also implies a distinction between ethical character and behavior that is acceptable to God from that which is unacceptable.