The Divine Nature

A Short Study of 2 Peter 1:1-11

Reading Time: 7 Minutes

Introduction

When we say, “Yes” to Jesus, God’s Son, who died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin, we are made clean by His sinless Blood. He is the “Lamb of God” that was slain for the sins of the world. Jesus came to life again by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. When we believe in Him and choose to follow Him, God forgives us. His Holy Spirit comes inside so we can participate in God’s divine nature. We don’t become God, but the Bible says we become God’s children and are united with Him as a loving Family.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

The old person you used to be is gone! Say hello to “the new you!”

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV

Our faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, joins us to Him in a spiritual covenant. This covenant is like a healthy marriage with vows for life. Because Jesus is King, He is our loving authority, provider and protector. The Bride of Christ is united with Jesus. Because we know Him and worship Him we want everything that He wants. He is our loving God, full of grace toward those who remain in Him.

Divine Nature

Precious Faith

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 2 Peter 1:1-2 NKJV

Simon Peter emphasized that he was “bound” to Jesus to serve Him. God gives us precious faith and then multiplies it as we remain in Christ. Our faith is in God’s righteousness, not in our own works or power. We come to God, our Father, as little children. To have the knowledge of God is to come to know Him intimately in a growing relationship. In that dependence upon Jesus, we receive His grace and peace.

God Shares His Divine Nature with Us

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

It is God’s divine power at work in us that saves us, prepares us and anoints us for His purpose. Because Jesus called us to Himself, our ever-increasing revelation of His glory and excellence leads us to worship and adore Him more and more. He teaches us, delivers us from evil, fills us with His love for others and so much more. By sharing God’s divine nature we can escape the temptations that cause many to fall.

We must die to our old nature and live to the divine nature of God. Satan will try to deceive us and tell us that we have not changed. He will say that we are still the same as we were before we met Jesus. The devil will accuse us, but we must believe what the Lord has told us. Whoever calls of the name of the Lord will be saved. We are a new creation through Jesus Christ and it is possible to remain in Him! Submit to God every day, resist the devil and don’t ever give up. Over time, you will grow in Christ. God will break the strongholds in your heart as He teaches you to participate in His divine nature.

Grow in the Divine Nature of the Holy Spirit

For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 GNT

At times we may feel weak in our faith. That is why we must make every effort to add to our faith by the power of God’s divine nature. In His presence, God encourages us! If our faith remains in Jesus Christ, we cannot fail! Our faith in Christ is our foundation and the supplies for building on our faith come from God Himself– His divine nature. Our part is to go to Him and ask Him for these important virtues. Then we put into practice what God gave us. It takes effort to resist the old way of living, but with God’s divine power we can live from the new person God created us to be!

First of all, add goodness, remembering that He has cleansed us from our sins. Then, grow in knowledge through the Word of God (the Bible). If you live in a place where you do not have access to a Bible, the Holy Spirit will speak to you with the knowledge you have. He will speak to your heart like a still small voice inside, and sometimes in dreams and visions. As we make every effort to share in God’s divine nature, He will fill us with self-control, endurance, godliness, Christian affection and God’s supernatural love.

You Will Bear Good Fruit

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 2 Peter 1:8-9 NIV

Every true believer will grow spiritually and bear good fruit by the Spirit. God’s character and power will multiply in their lives. If a Christian is bearing the fruit of sin, even the sin of apathy, they have forgotten that Jesus cleansed them from sin and are spiritually blind. They have gone back to living from their old sin-nature.

We must know who we are in Christ and drink Living Water from the Holy Spirit so that we share in God’s divine nature and remain bound to Jesus. We are seated with God spiritually in the heavenly realms where there is no sin, shame, blame, accusation, hatred, guilt or condemnation. It is from that place of the atmosphere of heaven (Holy Spirit) that we can live in power over the devil. We can fulfill God’s purpose for us here on earth.

Respond to God’s Voice

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of 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. 2 Peter 1:10-11 NKJV

God called and chose us. We did not choose Him. Of course, when Jesus called us, we said, “Yes,” to following Him. But He approached us first because He loved us first! Isn’t it wonderful to know that it was God’s desire to have us close to His heart?! But we must participate in His divine nature in order to enjoy the riches of our inheritance in Christ Jesus– even eternal Salvation.

We don’t have to stumble and turn away from the Lord. We can confidently remain in Christ by living in God’s Spirit and sharing in God’s divine nature!

Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:24 NLT

I pray that God’s grace and peace be multiplied in your life!