Today we will look at the well known passage in 2 Peter 1 concerning the DIVINE NATURE of God.
Here it is in the King James Version:
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This chapter starts off by declaring that God has given us everything we need to live a life of godliness. It is by God’s promises that we can partake or share in the divine nature. What is this promise? It is the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. This promise is due to being delivered from guilt and sin through the cross. We are pulled out of being chained to worldly corruption by Jesus Christ and are now able to partake of this Divine Nature.
What is the Divine Nature?
The word Nature here is the Greek word Physeos which comes from the Greek word phyo.
Phyo means to develop and grow. To unfold. I think this gives us more insight into the word here as this whole thing that follows is giving the Christian a way to increase and grow in Christ (by adding all of these qualities to our faith). In short, it applies that we are participating in God’s UNFOLDING here on Earth.
Greek philosopher Aristotle saw physeos as the opposite of man-made, artificial, or human constructs. Yes, the nature we are talking about here is God’s nature, not man’s!
We are given a set of 8 things (7 things to add to our faith)
Eight Qualities Within The Divine Nature
Here are the eight qualities that are included with faith. I will elaborate more on each below.
- Faith
- Moral Excellence/Virtue
- Knowledge
- Self-Control
- Endurance
- Godliness
- Brotherly Affection
- Love
Faith
Notice how this cycle begins with Faith. It is the rock on which everything else stands. Without faith, you are building on sinking sand. It all starts with faith. What is faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Moral Excellence
Here, God demands excellence, not mediocrity. Whatever your purpose is, God wants EXCELLENCE in it.
Knowledge
This is not talking about the type of knowledge one obtains just by reading books. It is talking about knowledge given via the Holy Spirit. Knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 8:11 “Knowledge Puffs up, Love edifies”
This is the danger of EARTHLY knowledge. We believe know something others don’t and it can lead to arrogance. Knowledge of the Lord leads to LOVE.
Self-Control
Self-control means resisting evil inclinations and sin. This is the ability to pause and reflect on what you are doing and saying. It is only through God’s grace and the power of his Spirit that we can resist and overcome sin.
Endurance
Suffering leads to incredible Endurance. Romans 5:3-“Suffering produces ENDURANCE.” James 1:3-“Testing of your faith produces endurance.” Notice here that faith precedes endurance.
Godliness
Godliness means to have a reverence for God and the things of God. Devoted to God.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1 Timothy 4:8
Brotherly Affection
This of course just means love for your fellow brother/sister in Christ. To be in alignment with. Here is the same word used in the book of Romans.
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.”
Love
This is the highest form of love, agape love. Remember what Jesus said, no greater love has man known than to lay down his life for another. The greatest sacrifice we can make.
Final Wrap up
These are eight things to commit to memory as you grow in Christ. You begin this journey by God’s grace, believing in faith. You continue until you reach perfected agape love. Always build on your faith so you have a strong foundation for these other essential natures.