Partakers of the Divine Nature
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: 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. (2Peter 1:3-4)
TO INQUIRERS WHO SEARCH FOR A CLOSER WALK with God, Peter declares that God’s power has already given to us all the things that pertain to eternal life and godly living. It has come through a knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. These words will be dull and meaningless to those who do not have the Spirit of God dwelling in them and to those who are saved but untaught in the Word of God.
TO THOSE WHO ARE INDWELT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT it is reassuring to know that God has given to us, already, everything we need to walk with Him. “God is working on me. What am I going to turn out to be when He is finished with me?” The finished product is not complete when we are first saved. He is going to change us gradually through a process of growing over a period of years.
THE KNOWLEDGE HE HAS GIVEN US IN HIS WORD is to enable us to be partakers of God’s divine nature. As we partake of His divine nature, we will at the same time progressively escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. “Peter wanted to remind his readers of the certain coming of the Lord, which false teachers denied (3:4).
WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN, we enter the Christian life as babes in Christ. God’s plan is for us to grow and become like Christ. Peter said in his first book: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1Peter 2:2) In his second book, the last verse says: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2Peter 3:18)
WE NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE TWO BOOKS PETER WROTE. His 2nd book was written a year or a year and a half after his first book and it was written not long before his martyrdom between A.D. 64 and A.D. 67. This would be 3-6 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general in A.D. 70. When Peter was crucified, he asked that he might be crucified upside down since he was not worthy to be crucified upright, as was his Lord.
HE MENTIONS THAT HE WAS AN EYEWITNESS of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. He mentions that this is his second epistle which indicates that there was a first epistle. He reveals that he is expecting martyrdom soon and that his readers must pursue knowing God that they may escape the coming barrage of false teachers who will descend upon the churches. If they don’t study and fortify themselves in truth, they will become like dogs that have returned to their vomit and like hogs that, when washed, will return to their mud hole. In order to escape the depravity of wicked living, they must involve themselves in growing in Christ.
HE DEFENDS THE INFALLIBLE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE and of the 2nd Coming of Christ. He proclaims that the earth and the heavens will be burned with fire and replaced with new. His book demonstrates that it is equal in inspiration to other books of the Bible.
God has not forgotten His promise to return but is currently drawing people to repentance and salvation. When the last one has responded to the call of salvation, Jesus will then return to earth.
MODERN CRITICS CHARGE THAT "THE SUPERIOR LANGUAGE AND STYLE of Peter’s two books are too much to have come from the pen of a common fisherman. His subject matter is deep and lofty and his style of expression is more like the work of a scholar─which Peter was not.”
“NO BOOK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT HAS BEEN THE OBJECT of more destructive criticism than 2Peter. But after the battles have been waged, it remains as the anvil that has worn out many of the critics’ hammers. By its sheer endurance 2 Peter demonstrates the truth of 1Peter 1:25a, “The word of the Lord endureth for ever.” (King James Study Bible, p.1954)
SOME HURRIED READERS MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY maintaining an interest in the writings of Peter and the other short N.T. epistles. That is unfortunate and should be overcome by persistent reading and studying. Reading and studying the Scriptures is a worthy endeavor that requires patient and persistent labor of the reader. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 4, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. 1Kings 8-9 P.M. Luke 23:39-56
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
(A lady told me they go to Morning Minute and let the man read to them while they eat breakfast.)
Good Memory Verse:
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isaiah 46:9-10)
Song for Today:
Joy Comes in the Morning (3:56) – (Joy Gardner -Gaither Group) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_yUd7f_S2c
(Some of these singers are now in Heaven.)
Note: You may need to turn off the song when finished to avoid something else you do not want to hear.
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: 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. (2Peter 1:3-4)
TO INQUIRERS WHO SEARCH FOR A CLOSER WALK with God, Peter declares that God’s power has already given to us all the things that pertain to eternal life and godly living. It has come through a knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. These words will be dull and meaningless to those who do not have the Spirit of God dwelling in them and to those who are saved but untaught in the Word of God.
TO THOSE WHO ARE INDWELT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT it is reassuring to know that God has given to us, already, everything we need to walk with Him. “God is working on me. What am I going to turn out to be when He is finished with me?” The finished product is not complete when we are first saved. He is going to change us gradually through a process of growing over a period of years.
THE KNOWLEDGE HE HAS GIVEN US IN HIS WORD is to enable us to be partakers of God’s divine nature. As we partake of His divine nature, we will at the same time progressively escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. “Peter wanted to remind his readers of the certain coming of the Lord, which false teachers denied (3:4).
WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN, we enter the Christian life as babes in Christ. God’s plan is for us to grow and become like Christ. Peter said in his first book: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1Peter 2:2) In his second book, the last verse says: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2Peter 3:18)
WE NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE TWO BOOKS PETER WROTE. His 2nd book was written a year or a year and a half after his first book and it was written not long before his martyrdom between A.D. 64 and A.D. 67. This would be 3-6 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman general in A.D. 70. When Peter was crucified, he asked that he might be crucified upside down since he was not worthy to be crucified upright, as was his Lord.
HE MENTIONS THAT HE WAS AN EYEWITNESS of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. He mentions that this is his second epistle which indicates that there was a first epistle. He reveals that he is expecting martyrdom soon and that his readers must pursue knowing God that they may escape the coming barrage of false teachers who will descend upon the churches. If they don’t study and fortify themselves in truth, they will become like dogs that have returned to their vomit and like hogs that, when washed, will return to their mud hole. In order to escape the depravity of wicked living, they must involve themselves in growing in Christ.
HE DEFENDS THE INFALLIBLE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE and of the 2nd Coming of Christ. He proclaims that the earth and the heavens will be burned with fire and replaced with new. His book demonstrates that it is equal in inspiration to other books of the Bible.
God has not forgotten His promise to return but is currently drawing people to repentance and salvation. When the last one has responded to the call of salvation, Jesus will then return to earth.
MODERN CRITICS CHARGE THAT "THE SUPERIOR LANGUAGE AND STYLE of Peter’s two books are too much to have come from the pen of a common fisherman. His subject matter is deep and lofty and his style of expression is more like the work of a scholar─which Peter was not.”
“NO BOOK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT HAS BEEN THE OBJECT of more destructive criticism than 2Peter. But after the battles have been waged, it remains as the anvil that has worn out many of the critics’ hammers. By its sheer endurance 2 Peter demonstrates the truth of 1Peter 1:25a, “The word of the Lord endureth for ever.” (King James Study Bible, p.1954)
SOME HURRIED READERS MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY maintaining an interest in the writings of Peter and the other short N.T. epistles. That is unfortunate and should be overcome by persistent reading and studying. Reading and studying the Scriptures is a worthy endeavor that requires patient and persistent labor of the reader. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 4, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. 1Kings 8-9 P.M. Luke 23:39-56
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
(A lady told me they go to Morning Minute and let the man read to them while they eat breakfast.)
Good Memory Verse:
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isaiah 46:9-10)
Song for Today:
Joy Comes in the Morning (3:56) – (Joy Gardner -Gaither Group) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_yUd7f_S2c
(Some of these singers are now in Heaven.)
Note: You may need to turn off the song when finished to avoid something else you do not want to hear.
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