3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV)
In our previous study, we saw from 2 Peter 1:3 that God has graciously granted to believers in Christ all things which pertain to life and godliness. This graciousness from God to believers is secured upon the foundational truth of individual sinners knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. What is built on this foundation of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is a life subsequently spent glorifying God and pursuing personal excellence and moral goodness.
Additionally, Peter indicated that God also granted to believers precious and very great promises. The word precious (τίμιος; timios) refers to items of considerable value and worth. The phrase very great (μέγας; megas) means an object is extremely important. The object in view are God promises. A promise is a pledge, a vow or an oath.
Through these precious and very great promises from God, believers in Christ become partakers of His divine nature. To be a partaker (κοινωνός; koinonos) means to join and have fellowship with Christ’s divine nature. In other words, believers in Christ share in the holy and pure nature which God alone possesses.
The reason for this is because believers in Christ have received salvation by grace alone, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, they have escaped the corruption that is in the fallen world because of sinful desire.
Dr. John Walvoord explains that, “Because they are “partakers” (kjv) of God’s nature, Christians can share in His moral victory over sin in this life and share in His glorious victory over death in eternal life. Because of the promise of the new birth (1 Peter 1:3), the promise of God’s protecting power (1 Peter 1:5), and the promise of God’s enabling power (2 Peter 1:3), believers can “participate in the divine nature,” that is, become more like Christ (cf. Rom. 8:9; Gal. 2:20). In addition they can escape the corruption (phthoras, “moral decay”) in the world (cf. 2 Peter 2:20; 1 John 2:15–17) caused by evil desires (epithymia, lit., “lust”).”
One musical lyricist describes God’s promises as follows.
When the weight of the world begins to fall
On the Name of Jesus I will call
For I know my God is in control
and His purpose is unshakable.
Doesn’t matter what I feel
Doesn’t matter what I see
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me.
Now I’m casting out all fear
For Your love has set me free
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me.
As I walk into the days to come
I will not forget what You have done
For you have supplied my every need
And Your presence is enough for me.
Doesn’t matter what I feel
Doesn’t matter what I see
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me.
Now I’m casting out all fear
For Your love has set me free
My hope will always be
In Your promises to me.
You will always be more than enough for me
You will always be more than enough for me
Nothing’s gonna stop the plans You’ve made
Nothing’s gonna take Your love away
You will always be more than enough for me.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 