3 For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4 By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.[1]
God’s power is infinite and all encompassing. He has the power to do anything that He has chosen to do. One of the things that He has chosen to do is give us:
1. Everything required for life. Not necessarily our wants and desires, but what is necessary for us to live. Food, air, water, it is speaking of general revelation here. Some call this common grace. God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust so to speak.
2. And godliness, He has provided His Son, His Holy Spirit and His Word to accomplish our Godliness. But He has also provided Himself. Sometimes we overlook this.
This is provided to us “through” the knowledge of Him who called us. This begins with salvation, but it continues through life as we pray and read His Word. As we learn Him, we act on the knowledge gained and express that to others. The majority of this action comes in the form of how we live our lives. As others see Christ in us they are drawn to Him and we have opportunities to witness to them.
It is interesting that He called us “by” His own glory and goodness. As Christians we not only reflect His glory and goodness, but we prove it.
It is also interesting that by His glory and goodness He has given us very great and precious promises. The interesting part is that we tend to only see and claim the “good” promises. The “I will never leave or forsake you” kind of promises and we “overlook” the “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap[2]”. We forget that each of these is a promise and each promise will be kept in God’s own time.
These promises accomplish two objectives.
1. As we grow we become partakers in the divine nature. We become more Christ like.
2. We escape the corruption of the world. Our evil desires are overcome with good, and in the end we are able to say as Paul did “to live is Christ, to die is gain”.
If we choose not to follow Gods path for us then we get to reap the benefits of another of His promises. “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God![3]”
[1] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard version. 2003 (2 Pe 1:3–4). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard version. 2003 (Ga 6:7). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard version. 2003 (Heb 10:31). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
