October 2, 2019 EVERYTHING GRANTED TO US
2 Peter 1:2-4: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 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. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is the world by lust.” This is another one of those sections of scripture that may be hard to believe once you begin to digest what is being said and the implications of such a promise. We know that Peter would not have prayed this prayer or made this statement if it were not from the very heart of God; the God who loves His people and has the best desires for them. Only as we desire to know God in a personal way, as we draw near to Him and as we seek Him first will we experience the blessings and promises we find in this passage. As we come to know Him, the grace of God and the peace of God are multiplied to us because He is a God of grace and peace. We may find life to be a challenge and we may feel like the world around us is out of control and we may face tremendous battles, but the truth is that God has given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness” and we have been given this by His divine power-it’s a gift! This is where being a son or daughter of God, where being a Christian, takes us out of this world so to speak into another reality-the Kingdom of God. In the natural it may not appear to be true, but no matter our circumstances at the present, we have everything we need pertaining to life and we have everything we need to be godly (to be like Him). Again, these promises are real to us only “through the true knowledge of Him who called us”. It is essential that we hear the true message of the Gospel of God as there are many false messages being presented, and sad but true, there are false teachings and false messages coming from some who profess to be ministers of the gospel. The New Testament writers had to constantly warn the followers of Christ not to be derailed by those preaching false doctrines. It is true, that as Peter Parris has said, we have been exposed to a “sub-standard gospel” for many years in the western world, and in light of this, we must be diligent in seeking out the true message of the gospel. Another tremendous promise in this passage is that by the promises of God and by the work of God we might “become partakers of the divine nature”!! We all know too well our human frailty, our failures; so to think of ourselves as taking on His divine nature may appear to be out of the question. However, the truth is that God has called us to Himself, and He has, and is making it possible for us to be like Him; He is transforming us, and yes, He has given us a new nature-a new nature that is divine! We sin only when we stop walking in our new identity-when we choose to walk according to the flesh. If we don’t believe, if we do not know that we have been given a new nature, then we settle for living beneath His promises. The passage says that “we may become partakers”, which implies that we have a part in the process-that of believing the promises of God and walking in our true identity. In 2 Peter 1:5-8 Peter gives some details as to what our part is in the process of “partaking of the divine nature” looks like and it includes such things as applying all diligence, having faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, brotherly kindness and love. In verses 8-9 we read “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless or unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” Peter is saying that it is possible for the believer not to have the qualities we see in verses five through eight and as a result be blind or short-sighted. So, God has made it possible for us to partake of His divine nature, but He does not force it on us, but we do have a part to play in the process of putting on the new nature. The gospel is all about revealing what God has done on our behalf and all about revealing our new identity in Him. God chose to love us, to redeem us, to make us new, to make us like Him. In light of all He has done; what can we do other than love Him and worship Him and live our life in accordance to His plans and His desires?
2 Peter 1:10-11: “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; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Peter 1:2-4: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 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. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is the world by lust.” This is another one of those sections of scripture that may be hard to believe once you begin to digest what is being said and the implications of such a promise. We know that Peter would not have prayed this prayer or made this statement if it were not from the very heart of God; the God who loves His people and has the best desires for them. Only as we desire to know God in a personal way, as we draw near to Him and as we seek Him first will we experience the blessings and promises we find in this passage. As we come to know Him, the grace of God and the peace of God are multiplied to us because He is a God of grace and peace. We may find life to be a challenge and we may feel like the world around us is out of control and we may face tremendous battles, but the truth is that God has given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness” and we have been given this by His divine power-it’s a gift! This is where being a son or daughter of God, where being a Christian, takes us out of this world so to speak into another reality-the Kingdom of God. In the natural it may not appear to be true, but no matter our circumstances at the present, we have everything we need pertaining to life and we have everything we need to be godly (to be like Him). Again, these promises are real to us only “through the true knowledge of Him who called us”. It is essential that we hear the true message of the Gospel of God as there are many false messages being presented, and sad but true, there are false teachings and false messages coming from some who profess to be ministers of the gospel. The New Testament writers had to constantly warn the followers of Christ not to be derailed by those preaching false doctrines. It is true, that as Peter Parris has said, we have been exposed to a “sub-standard gospel” for many years in the western world, and in light of this, we must be diligent in seeking out the true message of the gospel. Another tremendous promise in this passage is that by the promises of God and by the work of God we might “become partakers of the divine nature”!! We all know too well our human frailty, our failures; so to think of ourselves as taking on His divine nature may appear to be out of the question. However, the truth is that God has called us to Himself, and He has, and is making it possible for us to be like Him; He is transforming us, and yes, He has given us a new nature-a new nature that is divine! We sin only when we stop walking in our new identity-when we choose to walk according to the flesh. If we don’t believe, if we do not know that we have been given a new nature, then we settle for living beneath His promises. The passage says that “we may become partakers”, which implies that we have a part in the process-that of believing the promises of God and walking in our true identity. In 2 Peter 1:5-8 Peter gives some details as to what our part is in the process of “partaking of the divine nature” looks like and it includes such things as applying all diligence, having faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, brotherly kindness and love. In verses 8-9 we read “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless or unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” Peter is saying that it is possible for the believer not to have the qualities we see in verses five through eight and as a result be blind or short-sighted. So, God has made it possible for us to partake of His divine nature, but He does not force it on us, but we do have a part to play in the process of putting on the new nature. The gospel is all about revealing what God has done on our behalf and all about revealing our new identity in Him. God chose to love us, to redeem us, to make us new, to make us like Him. In light of all He has done; what can we do other than love Him and worship Him and live our life in accordance to His plans and His desires?
2 Peter 1:10-11: “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; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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