One of the great passages of the Scriptures appears in Peter's second epistle and in a recent reading from Charles Spurgeon's writings, he speaks of how we are partakers in God's Divine nature - as he points out, not by being divine in our own nature, but by our relationship "in Christ".
2
Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain
to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own
glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his
precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world
because of sinful desire.
To be a
partaker of the divine nature is not, of course, to become God. That cannot be.
The essence of Deity is not to be participated in by the creature. Between the
creature and the Creator there will always be a fixed gulf in terms of essence;
but as the first man Adam was made in the image of God, so we, by the renewal
of the Holy Spirit, are in a diviner sense made in the image of the Most High
and are “partakers of the divine nature.”
We are, by
grace, made like God. “God is love”;1 we become love — “whoever
loves has been born of God.”2 God is truth; we become true, and
we love what is true. God is good, and He makes us good by His grace, so that
we become the pure in heart who will see God.
Moreover, we
become partakers of the divine nature in an even higher sense than this—in
fact, in as lofty a sense as can be conceived, short of our being absolutely
divine. Do we not become members of the body of the divine person of Christ?
Yes, the same blood that flows in the head flows in the hand: And the same life
that quickens Christ quickens His people, for “You have died, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God.”3 As if this were not enough, we are
married to Christ. He has betrothed us to Himself in righteousness and in
faithfulness, and he who is joined to the Lord is one with Him.
Marvelous
mystery! We look into it, but who will understand it? One with Jesus—so much so
that the branch is not more one with the vine than we are a part of the Lord,
our Savior and our Redeemer! While we rejoice in this, let us remember that
those who are made “partakers of the divine nature” will display this high and
holy relationship in their relationships with others and will make it evident
in their daily walk and conversation that they have escaped the corruption that
is in the world through lust. O for more divine holiness of life!
1) 1 John
4:8
2) 1 John 4:7
3) Colossians 3:3
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