Partakers of the Divine Nature

2 Peter 1:1-2 ESV

 

“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

 

“To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

 

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

 

So, this was written to those who had obtained a faith of equal standing with that of the apostles by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. So, what is this faith which is obtained by the righteousness of God and is of equal standing with the faith of the apostles? First of all, please note that it says here that the faith is “obtained by the righteousness of God.”

 

If we obtain something we acquire it, we gain it or attain it. So, it doesn’t come from within ourselves. It is not something we muster up within ourselves based on our own perceptions or misperceptions of what that faith actually means. And we obtain it by the righteousness of God, of Jesus Christ. And his righteousness is all that is deemed right in the eyes of God, such as holiness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, obedience and love.

 

And this goes along with Ephesians 2:8-9 where it states that we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God. And it is consistent with Hebrews 12:2 where it states that Jesus is the founder and the perfecter of our faith, and with John 6:44 where it states that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him to Christ. So, this faith comes from God and it is gifted to us by God.

 

Therefore, the faith that we obtain from God in order to be saved by God must agree with God. It must be in line with his righteousness and holiness. Thus, as God requires, we will repent (turn from our sins) and we will be changed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and now in the power of God and because of his saving grace, we are able to walk in holiness and righteousness and no longer in sin and wickedness.

 

And this would be in equal standing with the faith of the apostles for they walked with God in obedience to his commands, and they forsook their old selves which were given over to slavery to sin, and they followed Jesus wherever he led them in doing and saying whatever he led them to do and to say for his purposes and for his glory but also for the salvation of souls.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; 1 Co 15:58; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23]

 

2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV

 

“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, 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.”

 

How is it that so many people are missing this entirely? I mean, this is all over the New Testament. Paul taught the same thing, as did John and James. We don’t just pray a prayer or acknowledge Jesus or just accept his love and grace and then go on with our lives as we had before. God’s grace is not free license to continue living in sin, only now without guilt and without fear of punishment but with the promise of heaven when we die.

 

God’s free gift to us is not freedom to keep on in deliberate and habitual sin feeling as though we do not have to honor Jesus as Lord or follow him in obedience or forsake our lives of sin. Jesus died on that cross to deliver us from our slavery of sin so we would now be slaves of God and of his righteousness. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. We are now to live godly and holy lives, pleasing him.

 

We are called to his own glory and excellence, not to treating our Lord with contempt by refusing to forsake our sins and to follow him in obedience. It is not to the glory of God if we ignore him and we refuse to bow to him and if we refuse to forsake our sins and to follow him in obedience. God is not glorified if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against him and against others in order to deliberately cause them harm!

 

We are to become partakers of the divine nature not continue in living in our old sinful natures. We are supposed to escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire, not feel like we now have the freedom to sin as much as we want because we believe all our sins are covered by the blood of Christ and none will be held against us. We are to be holy people, set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ by God’s Spirit via our obedience.

 

Therefore, please know that if your faith is not of equal standing with the apostles because it has not been granted to you by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, because you created your own faith out of your own fleshly mind which is not submissive to our Holy God, that you don’t have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. For, if you are still partakers of the sin nature and you are not partakers of the divine nature because you have not escaped the corruption because of sinful desire, you don’t know Christ.

 

[Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 6:16; Rom 8:1-17; Jn 15:1-11; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev. 2-3; Rev 21:8, 27; Rev 22:14-15; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27]

 

So, please repent of your sins, allow the Lord to change you in heart and mind and to give you a new life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Then follow Jesus in obedience to his commands and choose to walk in his ways and in his truth and to not return to the ways of sin and the ways of the flesh. And you will have salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God provided you continue in him until the end.

 

Footprints of Jesus

 

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

 

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

 

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

 

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

 

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

 

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

 

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

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