56 Bible Verses about Holiness,  Worldly Separation

And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. But I have said unto you, you shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that flows with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from other people. You shall therefore make a distinction between clean animals and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and you shall not make your souls abominable by animal, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.read more.
And you shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from other people, that you should be mine.

And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up from here. For how shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

Thus shall you separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them.

For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall you keep my ordinance, that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

When the LORD your God shall bring you into the land to which you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you; And when the LORD your God shall deliver them over to you; you shall strike them, and utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: Neither shall you make marriages with them; your daughter you shall not give unto his son, nor his daughter shall you take unto your son.read more.
For they will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy you suddenly. But thus shall you deal with them; you shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their idol poles, and burn their graven images with fire. For you are a holy people unto the LORD your God: the LORD your God has chosen you to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

When the army goes forth against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing. If there be among you any man, that is unclean by reason of some occurrence in the night, then shall he go outside the camp, he shall not come inside the camp: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.read more.
You shall have a place also outside the camp, where you shall go out: And you shall have a stick with your weapons; and it shall be, when you will relieve yourself outside, you shall dig with it, and shall turn back and cover your refuse: For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy: that he sees no unclean thing in you, and turns away from you.

Now when these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, in regard to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters as wives for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy race has mixed itself with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.

Depart you, depart you, go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out of the midst of her; be you clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

This is the law of the animals, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps upon the earth: To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the animals which you shall eat among all the animals that are on the earth. Whatsoever parts the hoof, and is cloven footed, and chews the cud, among the animals, that shall you eat.read more.
Nevertheless these shall you not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because it chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; it is unclean unto you. And the rock badger, because it chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; it is unclean unto you. And the hare, because it chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; it is unclean unto you. And the swine, though it divides the hoof, and is cloven footed, yet it chews not the cud; it is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; they are unclean to you. These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall you eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; you shall not eat of their flesh, but you shall hold their carcasses in abomination. Whatsoever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. And these are they which you shall hold in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the osprey, And the kite, and the falcon after its kind; Every raven after its kind; And the ostrich, and the nighthawk, and the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the white owl, and the pelican, and the carrion vulture, And the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat. All winged insects that creep, going upon all fours, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may you eat of every winged insect that goes upon all fours, which have legs above their feet, to leap with upon the earth; Even these of them you may eat; the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. But all other winged insects, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals which you shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, The hare, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the ibex, and the antelope, and the mountain sheep.read more.
And every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof split in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you shall eat. Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that have cloven hooves; as the camel, and the hare, and the rock badger: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divides the hoof, yet chews not the cud, it is unclean unto you: you shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass. These you shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall you eat: And whatsoever has not fins and scales you may not eat; it is unclean unto you. Of all clean birds you shall eat. But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and the osprey, And the buzzard, and the falcon, and the kite after their kinds, And every raven after its kind, And the ostrich, and the nighthawk, and the sea gull, and the hawk after their kinds, The little owl, and the great owl, and the water hen, And the pelican, and the carrion vulture, and the cormorant, And the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat. And every winged insect is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls you may eat.

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from outside a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.read more.
And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he said unto them, Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive, that whatsoever thing from outside enters into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the drain, purging all foods?

But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a swelling, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the disease of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the disease in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the disease is turned white, and the disease in sight is deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a disease of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:

The garment also that the disease of leprosy is in, whether it be a woolen garment, or a linen garment; Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woolen; whether in a skin, or in anything made of skin; And if the disease be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin; it is a disease of leprosy, and shall be shown unto the priest:

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When you are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the disease of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession; And he that owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, It seems to me there is as it were a disease in the house:read more.
Then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes into it to see the disease, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child: then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity shall she be unclean.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man has a discharge out of his flesh, because of his discharge he is unclean.

Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean animal, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and it is hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. Or if he touch the uncleanness of man, whatsoever uncleanness it be that a man shall be defiled with, and it be hid from him; when he knows of it, then he shall be guilty.

These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever does touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the evening. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, does fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; so it shall be cleansed. And every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and you shall break it.read more.
Of all food which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. And everything whereupon any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean. And if any part of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. And if any animal, of which you may eat, dies; he that touches the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the evening. And he that eats of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening: he also that bears the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people:

And that you may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and has polluted this holy place.

We are ashamed, because we have heard reproach: shame has covered our faces: for strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that has a discharge, and whosoever is defiled by the dead: Both male and female shall you put out, outside the camp shall you put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst of which I dwell.

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, You have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the foreign wives.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, You shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the animal that dies of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with animals, may be used in any other use: but you shall in no wise eat of it.read more.
For whosoever eats the fat of the animal, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eats it shall be cut off from his people. Moreover you shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eats any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

And the leper in whom the disease is, his clothes shall be torn, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days in which the disease shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; outside the camp shall his habitation be.

And if you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, you shall offer it at your own will. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day: and if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.read more.
Therefore every one that eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Whosoever touches the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifies not himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of purification was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him.

If there be among you any man, that is unclean by reason of some occurrence in the night, then shall he go outside the camp, he shall not come inside the camp: But it shall be, when evening comes on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. You shall have a place also outside the camp, where you shall go out:read more.
And you shall have a stick with your weapons; and it shall be, when you will relieve yourself outside, you shall dig with it, and shall turn back and cover your refuse: For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy: that he sees no unclean thing in you, and turns away from you.

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

But the soul that eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean animal, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the LORD, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your descendants among your generations, that goes unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD. Whatsoever man of the descendants of Aaron who is a leper, or has a discharge; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he is clean. And whoever touches any thing that is defiled by a dead body, or a man who has had an emission of semen; Or whosoever touches any creeping thing, by which he may be made unclean, or a man by whom he may be made unclean, whatsoever his uncleanness may be;read more.
The soul which has touched any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he washes his flesh with water.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, If a soul commits a trespass, and sins through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with your valuation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: And he shall make amends for the harm that he has done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready by the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And you shall set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that you go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death:read more.
There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mount.

And you shall make them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute forever unto him and his descendants after him.

You shall also make a laver of bronze, and its base also of bronze, for washing: and you shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet there: When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:read more.
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.

You shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defiles it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but on the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever does any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, as the camp is to move forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting.

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much worse punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done insult unto the Spirit of grace?

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense thereon, and offered unholy fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the assembly, representatives of the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?read more.
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he has chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire in them, and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much upon you, you sons of Levi.

And he struck the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he struck of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had struck many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall it go up from us?

And when they came to Nacon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his irreverence; and there he died by the ark of God.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and the common, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also knowing it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?read more.
While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your heart? you have not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and died: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wrapped him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours later, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter said unto her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them who have buried your husband are at the door, and shall carry you out. Then she fell down immediately at his feet, and died: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Who in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.