One attribute of God emerges clearly as belonging at the top of the list: holiness. Holiness can be defined as the sum of all moral excellency... [It is] being set apart, sacred, separate, of possessing utter purity of character. The Bible wants our first thought about God to be that He is holy. 

The word holy appears almost seven hundred times in the Bible. It's verb form, sanctify, appears an additional two hundred times... No other attribute is joined to the name of God with greater frequency than holiness... God's holiness, His utter purity of character, is what distinguishes Him from all other rivals:

• “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" - Exodus 15:11 ESV

• “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God." - 1 Samuel 2:2 ESV

...The God of Israel possess a holiness so blinding that no one can look on Him and live, a moral purity so devastating that not even the sinless angelic beings who inhabit His immediate presence can bear look upon Him, instead shielding their gaze with their wings: 

• “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'” - Isaiah 6:2-3 ESV

• “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'” - Revelation 4:8 ESV

[God] does not merely love; He loves out of utter purity of character. He does not merely act justly; He acts justly out of purity of character. If we emphasize any of His attributes above or apart from His holiness, we fashion Him after our own imagining or for our own ends...

When we apprehend His holiness, we are changed by that revelation... We are not merely saved from depravity; we are saved to holiness. Conversion entails consecration. The Bible presents holiness as both given to us and asked of us...

Old Testament Bible Verses

• "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy... For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." - Leviticus 11:44-45 ESV

• "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." - Leviticus 19:2 ESV

• "Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 20:7 ESV

• "You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine." - Leviticus 20:26 ESV

New Testament Bible Verses

Jesus deconstructs the Old Testament laws on murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and treatment of enemies, pointing to a deeper obedience of not merely outward actions but also of inward motives... What summary statement does He choose to conclude His point? "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:48 NKJV

• "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" - 1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV

• "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality... For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness." - 1 Thessalonians 4:3,7 ESV

• "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14 NIV

Simply put, God's will for your life is that you be holy. That you live a life of set-apartness. That is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you strive for utter purity of character. Every admonition contained in all of Scripture can be reduced to this. Every warning, every law, every encouragement bows to this overarching purpose. Every story of every figure in every corner of every book of the Bible is chanting this call: Be holy, for He is holy. 

As theologian Jerry Bridges notes, "True salvation brings with it a desire to be made holy." Growing in holiness means growing in our hatred of sin. But reflecting the character of God involves more than just casting off the garment of our old ways. It entails putting on the garment of our new inheritance. Growing in holiness means growing into being loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, truthful, patient, and wise. It means learning to think, speak and act [and react] like Christ every hour of every day that God grants us to walk this earth as the redeemed.