Partakers of the Divine Nature

¹ Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ⁴ For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you (2 Peter 1:1-11).

I'm just coming off Peter's epistles. (If you were paying attention, you might have noticed.) This passage is stunning, for multiple reasons. Look at it for a few moments. It's worth it.

I'd like to grab a phrase and examine the area around it to flesh it out. Now, you be good Bereans and check me, but I think this is correct. The first phrase is "partakers of the divine nature" (1:4). Now, before we get crazy and think, "Oh, we become little gods" (because some lunatics think that), let's not go there. The phrase is a reference to the amazing benefits all who "have received a faith of the same kind as ours" (1:1). It refers to the Spirit of God within each of us. It refers to the mind of Christ that we enjoy, the work of God in each of us "to will and to do His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12), the power of God at work in us (Eph. 3:20). It refers to His divine power that "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness" (1:3) But when we see the phrase "partakers of the divine nature", I think the impact should be sufficient to shake the popular but ridiculous notion of so many that it's possible to be a Christian and have no effect on your life. That's just not possible.

So, what is it that makes us "partakers of the divine nature"? Follow it closely, because the answer is astounding. According to Peter it is "through the true knowledge of Him" (1:3). That's it. No secret plan. No careful process. No "12 steps" or any such thing. When we truly know Him we become partakers of the divine nature. So when we have a relationship with Christ, that, alone, is all it takes to bring us under the divine influence, the power of God. It is not possible to avoid it. And it is not possible to come away from such a thing unchanged.

This is why ("For this reason") Peter tells the results of this fact -- a change in behavior. Our characters are changed. "Peter says "in your faith (the starting point) supply ...". Indeed, he says to be diligent about it. No, not merely diligent. In all diligence. Listen carefully. Peter is saying that because you are a partaker of the divine nature, you need to work. You need to work hard. Add to faith. Construct a whole list of character traits. Now, remember, you're doing it because (as a result of) you are a partaker in the divine nature. But be diligent to supply these traits in ever increasing amounts.

I think that's important. Don't anticipate perfection at the start. Be diligent to add these things in small amounts. Add a little at a time. The point is not instant perfection; the point is an ongoing process of working to add these.

The other phrase is in verse 11: "Entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." First, it is future tense. We understand that we "have been saved", but we most often forget that we "will be saved". How is it, though, that entrance will be supplied by Christ? This is assured if we are "diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you" (1:10). If you make that certain, then we will be supplied entrance into the kingdom. And how do we make certain? By being diligent to add these character traits. And on what basis do we add those traits? On the basis that we partake in the divine nature. And how do we partake in the divine nature? We partake in the divine nature by knowing Him. In other words, if you know Christ, He supplies everything pertaining to life and godliness ... right where we started.

It's a false belief that someone can know Christ and not be changed. It's a false belief that the Christian life is without demands. The demands of Scripture are not small, but the resources to those who know Christ are not small either. You must be diligent to add to your faith, but it occurs because we are partakers of the divine nature. It just doesn't get much better than that.