Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:4)
2 Peter 1:4 is a reiteration of 2 Peter 1:3. The Apostle is telling us that our knowledge of God brings transformational power that is discovered in our yielded lives through God's promises. According to one account, there are 3573 promises in the Bible.
In our text today, we see that the promises of God liberate us from the results of feeding the flesh which brings corruption. According to our text, when the promises of God define us, we are given His culture resulting in the expression His very nature in our lives. It is not that we get His divine nature, but the expressions of His divine nature are realized by us. As a result, we are seen as godly.
Today's text reminds us that day by day we must go to the Word of God and search it for God's great promises. As a result, through God's promises and His definition of things, we overcome temptation to sin and we live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us here on earth.
At the end of v.4, Peter writes, "having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." Corruption is the product of feeding our "evil desires." The real question is: "what is defining me?" Will I be defined by the "promises of God" or my "evil desires?"
Everything that God offers mankind is in the form of a promise. Salvation itself, is based on God's free gift and promise to us. The gift of Christ is fully available to anyone who will take hold of the promise by faith. Without receiving the promises of God, salvation is totally impossible.
The word promise(s) is mentioned five times in 2 Peter. One of these promises of God found here in 2 Peter is found in 2 Peter 3:9 which reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
This verse reminds us that God has our best interest at heart. He wants for us to see the wisdom of His ways and walk in them.
Recently, I went to lunch with a new convert. It is my practice to ask those who are just getting started with God questions that are pertinent to where they are in their walk with Him. So, I asked him what was the question about God or the Bible that he wonders about the most. He said, "How do we know that heaven is real?"
My response was, "Do you think Jesus rose from the dead?" He said, "yes." I asked him how he knew. He responded with biblical evidence such as the changed lives of the disciples and the fact that 500 saw Jesus at one time after He resurrected. I then said, "So, if Jesus rose from the dead, He overcame sin and death, right?" He agreed. Then I said, "Well, if He overcame sin and death, then what other opponents need to be overcome?" He said, "none."
If God has vanquished our greatest enemy, sin and death, what can He not handle for us? We must determine to be in the word of God so much that He naturally defines us on a daily basis. And, as a result, we will discover the promises of 2 Peter 1:3-4, deliverance from our evil desires and a realization of God's divine power to live a life full of His wisdom.
#2 Peter #Discipleship #Divine Nature #A.C.T. Intl
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