The Beauty We Were Made to Reflect

Jonathan Edwards once described holiness as "the beauty of the Divine nature" — not a list of prohibitions, but the very character of God shining through a created soul. When Peter quotes Leviticus — "Be holy, for I am holy" — he is not issuing a self-improvement plan. He is declaring the logic of the covenant.

In the old tabernacle, certain vessels were set apart — consecrated. A bronze bowl used for sacred washing could not be borrowed for kitchen use. It had been drawn out of the common and marked for God's purposes alone. The setting apart was not because the bowl earned it. The setting apart was entirely the priest's prerogative.

Reformed theology has always insisted that our sanctification begins not with our striving but with God's sovereign call. Calvin wrote that we are chosen "that we should be holy." Election is not merely rescue from judgment; it is appointment to holiness. The goal of predestination is a people who reflect the character of the One who chose them.

And here is the pastoral weight of Peter's command: the God who calls you to holiness is the God who is holy. The standard is not a moral code — it is a Person. When we fall short, we are not failing a test; we are obscuring a portrait.

This week, before the accusation, before the temptation, before the compromise — ask: does this moment reflect the One who stamped His image on your soul? Holiness is not what we achieve for God. It is what we were redeemed to display.