Author: Gary Witcher

Partakers of the Divine Nature

	"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;" 2 Peter 1:2-11 encourages, "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 in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in {your} moral excellence, knowledge; and in {your} knowledge, self-control, and in {your} self-control, perseverance, and in {your} perseverance, godliness; and in {your} godliness, brotherly kindness, and in {your} brotherly kindness, love.  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.  For he who lacks these {qualities} is blind {or} short-sighted, having forgotten {his} purification from his former sins.  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."
	Have you ever stopped to think about the promise that God makes in this passage?   Verse four pledges the opportunity to become partakers of the divine nature.  Now that's a big offer!  We can actually become partakers of the Divine Nature!  This does not mean that we can become Gods, or that we will ever have a position equal to that of God.  Still, God is offering us a chance to be partakers of His Nature.  There is a catch, though.  Becoming partakers of the Divine Nature is associated with three things.  First, this passage states that partaking of the Divine Nature is for those who have escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
	"Do not love the world, nor the things in the world," 1 John 2:15-17 urges.  "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  And the world is passing away, and {also} its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever."
	"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident," Galatians 5:19-21 notes, "which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
	Those who want to become partakers of the Divine Nature must escape the corruption that is in the world by lust.  But this is not enough.  Peter states that they must also add Christian virtues.
	"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;" we find in Galatians 5:22-25, "against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." 
	"Let love be without hypocrisy," Romans 12:9-21 instructs.  "Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.  Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath {of God,} for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord.  'But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.'  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
	Those who want to become partakers of the Divine Nature must escape the corruption that is in the world by lust.  And they must add Christian virtues.

	Those who want to become partakers of the Divine Nature must escape the corruption that is in the world by lust.  They must add Christian virtues.  But it does not stop here.  Peter also says that they must not only add Christian virtues but they must also be increasing.  This will render us useful and fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus.
	"But realize this," Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:1-17, "that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.  For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these {men} also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected as regards the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, as also that of those {two} came to be. But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, {and} sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium {and} at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me!  And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  But evil men and impostors will proceed {from bad} to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned {them}; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
	"But whatever things were gain to me," Paul declares in Philippians 3:7-12, "those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained {it}, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."
	God is so generous!  He offers the opportunity to become partakers of the Divine Nature.
	If we want to become partakers of the Divine Nature we must escape the corruption that is in the world by lust.  We must add Christian virtues.  And these Christian virtues must be increasing in us.  This will render us useful and fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus.  This may not be easy, but the reward is worth it.  It is worth following the truth in order to be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."