A woman steps from a dark, cluttered apartment onto a sunlit porch overlooking a green landscape. Inside, an overturned wineglass and scattered bottles suggest the life that held her captive. Outside, a trusted Christian friend waits with a gentle, welcoming expression. The woman’s tentative smile conveys hope: she is taking a real step toward freedom, with support for the journey. Image generated with ChatGPT by OpenAI.
“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 NIV
This verse from the Second Epistle of Peter says quite a bit in 34 words. It’s a rather lengthy verse and might even seem confusing until it is broken down into its components and interpreted.
To start out, Peter reminds the readers of the epistle of the divine power of God and our awareness of Christ’s sacrifice provides every resource needed for living life in a godly manner.
What are the “very great and precious promises” that believers are given? They’re quite impressive:
Forgiveness of sins
The gift of the Holy Spirit
The abiding presence of Christ
Resurrection
Eternal life
All of these promises were given by a faithful God to those who believe in Him, who confess and repent of their sin, and live righteously humbly, and generously to reveal His glory and goodness to the world.
Charles Spurgeon, quoted on Enduring Word, said this about God’s promises:
ii. For these reasons, God’s promises are both exceedingly great (in the sense of being large and imposing), and they are precious, in the sense of being valuable. “Many things are great which are not precious, such as great rocks, which are of little value; on the other hand, many things are precious which are not great-such as diamonds and other jewels, which cannot be very great if they be very precious. But here we have promises which are so great, that they are not less than infinite, and so precious, that they are not less than divine.” (Spurgeon)
The next stanza is also a bit mind-boggling — “so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.” Some might misinterpret “participation in the divine nature” as meaning we become gods or share in God’s powers. However, through our union with Christ and being imbued with the Holy Spirit, we are constantly and progressively given renewal of holiness, love, righteousness, and above all, obedience to God. He is conforming us to the image of Jesus.
Paul saw this participation in the divine nature as becoming adopted sons and daughters of God:
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
David Guzik of Enduring Word illustrated the incredible love of God in his commentary (from the previous source):
i. This is remarkably generous and loving of God. He could rescue us from hell without even inviting us to be partakers of the divine nature. It shows how deeply God loves us and wants to share His life – indeed, even the divine nature – with His people.
Peter closes out the verse with an explanation of why God has endowed believers with these promises — we have “escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” God delivers those who believe from the condemning power of sin. While we wait for the final redemption of our bodies and creation, our rescue is already realized through a new life in Christ and our allegiance to God.
The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to resist the flesh and put sin to death, giving us the freedom to pursue the holiness of a new life in Christ.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your very great and precious promises, with gratitude that through faith in Christ, I can participate in Your divine nature. I pray each day that You can help me to live in a way that reflects Your glory and excellence. Guide my thoughts and actions so that I escape the corruption of this world, emulating the character of Christ. May Your will be done in me, and may I share Your promises with others I encounter. AMEN.