02.15. Partakers Of The Divine Nature

PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE. lesson text:"Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).

LEADING UP TO THE LESSON.

"yea, and for this very cause." For what cause? If we miss this point, we lose the real lesson. Add certain things. Why? There is a reason, a cause, for this admonition, and to learn its significance and to get the benefit of this lesson in "addition," we must begin back a little to see what is to be accomplished by adding these things. To this end, let us note carefully the thoughts presented in the preceding verses.

"A like precious faith." An equally precious faith (see marginal reading in the American Standard Version). Although Peter had seen the Lord and was able to speak and write by inspiration, the faith of these brethren who had not so much as seen the Lord was just as precious as his. "The knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." The knowledge of God does not mean what God knows, but that which we know, or has been revealed, about him. In 2 Peter 1:8 Peter says: "For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." We may be barren or unfruitful in our knowledge of God, but we can neither be fruitful nor unfruitful in what God knows. Peter says: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). We may grow in our knowledge of Christ, but we cannot grow in what he knows. Hence in 2 Peter 1:2 we learn that God’s grace and peace will be multiplied to us along as we learn more of him.

"ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS." Not only has God given us all things necessary to life and godliness, but also all things that pertain to life and godliness. And this has been given to us "through the knowledge of him that called us"—that is, all things that pertain to life and godliness have been given to us through the knowledge revealed to us in the Bible. Anything in our religion which cannot be found in this knowledge which God has revealed to us does not pertain to life and godliness. "Whereby"—that is, in these "all things that pertain unto life and godliness"—"he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises." These promises are many, but may be summed up in these two—namely, salvation from sin and becoming children of God. "That through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature." We become partakers of the divine nature only as to goodness and holiness—the perfection of character. We are made partakers of the divine nature through the promises of God. But how do God’s promises make us better? The mere fact that God has made promises to us has never made any one any better, for some are as wicked as they would have been had God never made a promise to anyone. How, then, do they make us better? There is nothing in an unconditional promise to make any one better. But God intends for his religion to make us better here, and for that reason he suspends his promises upon conditions the performance of which makes us better. He, in effect, says to us: "If you would enjoy these precious promises, quit your sins and let me guide your life." This stimulates us to better living. This harmonizes with Paul: "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord. And touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). The command: "Separate yourself from unclean things." The promises: "I will receive you; will be a Father to you; you shall be children of God." Paul immediately adds: "Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (1 Corinthians 7:1). THE CAUSE.

"Yea, and for this very cause"—that is, to accomplish this very end, namely, to become partakers of the divine nature—"adding on your part," etc. The divine nature possesses certain characteristics. These must be added, that we may become partakers of this divine nature. It is a mistake to represent these elements as so many steps in a stairway or ladder upon which we may climb into the eternal kingdom. In climbing a ladder we have each rung behind us as we step on to the next, and have no further use for them unless we aim to come down again. Is that true with reference to these Christian graces? Do we leave faith behind when we mount the rung of courage, and so on to the last, from which we are supposed to step into heaven? That is absurd. The fact is, these graces are cumulative—each is to be added till we reach the sum total of all.

These verses give us, rather, God’s formula for the divine nature. It is as if the apostle had said: "If you would be a partaker of the divine nature, you must diligently add to your faith certain graces, you must compound your character by this formula." If the formula is diligently followed, the result is certain and definite. Being a faithful Christian is not an accident. When the chemist diligently compounds elements after a given formula, the result is no accident, but definite and certain. God says to us: "If you would be a partaker of the divine nature, here is the formula; compound the elements diligently." Faith is the base; other elements must be added. But diligence is required; otherwise the result will be disappointing. diligenceis necessary to success in any worthy undertaking. There is too much careless indifference, too much slothfulness, too much of the hit-or-miss style of Christian living. While diligence is recognized as necessary in business, how few recognize that it is just as necessary in Christian living! virtue. "!n your faith supply virtue." Virtue is generally here understood to mean manliness, or courage, the disposition to stand for what we espouse. What is your faith worth if you have not courage to stand up for it or live it? But courage is not blustering and blowing about what we believe and what we will do. It does not mean that we shut our eyes to danger—that is foolhardiness. It does not even mean the absence of fear. Perhaps no man was ever more courageous than Paul, yet to the Corinthians he said: "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:3). This story illustrates the point: It is said that during a battle an officer who was commanding a division of the army was sitting on his horse, pale and fearful, directing his men, while the bullets flew thick and fast. Another officer, dashing up, said: "You look scared." "I am scared," said he; "and if you were scared half as bad as I am, you would run." That is courage—when a man realizes his danger, and yet stands at the post of duty. Any weakling can stand his ground when he is not scared, but it takes a brave man to stay with his duty when he is scared. knowledge."in your virtue knowledge." Of course a person must have some knowledge, just as he must have some courage, to ever become a Christian, but he needs to advance in both. Courage without knowledge may become very hurtful. Without knowledge courage may lead a person to do things hurtful both to himself and the church. And yet few Christians seem to realize that God commands them to add knowledge, yet it is one of the fundamental requirements, one of the essential elements of the divine nature. No one ignorant of the will of God can hope to live the Christian life.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee" (Hosea 4:6). Jesus said: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me" (Matthew 11:29). "For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God" (Hebrews 5:12). This shows that God expects all his children to so study his will that in a reasonable length of time they will be able to teach others. temperance. "!n your knowledge temperance." Temperance is self-control, especially with reference to our lusts. The fight against strong drink adopted the word "temperance" and narrowed its meaning to abstinence from intoxicating liquors, but its meaning was not so restricted in the New Testament. Temperance means self-control. A person does not control himself when he indulges in any excess or in anything that is hurtful to him. Temperance, then, signifies moderate indulgence in those things that are good for the body and total abstinence from hurtful things.

PATIENCE."IN YOUR TEMPERANCE PATIENCE." "Patience" is a much-abused word. Too often patience is thought to be a non-resisting, quiet spirit that, without complaint or protest, submits to any sort of conditions or circumstances. But patience is not complacency or serenity. A person may be undisturbed when things go wrong simply because he does not care. Let us not mistake indifference for patience. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job," says James. And so you have. Have you ever considered the quality of his patience? Did you ever read the book of Job? Did he strike you as an example of patience? He had lost all his flocks and herds, his servants and children, and had become sorely afflicted with boils. Crushed in spirit, heartsore and full of grief, he sat down among the ashes. His would-be friends heard of his grief and came to him. Seven days they sat in silence, with not a word of comfort or reproof. Job’s long-pent-up feelings burst forth in a tirade of cursing against his day. His friends then argued with him, and told him that his meanness had got him into all this trouble. He blurted out in irony: "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you" (Job 12:2). That does not indicate what some people call patience. And his good wife, who had looked on him in his afflictions and sufferings till she could stand it no longer, said to him: "Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die." She seemed to think that if he would renounce God, God would kill him, and that this would be the quickest way to end his afflictions. But Job replied: "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speak." That would appear to some as an outburst of impatience; but it is because we mistake the meaning of the word "patience," and we forget that despite all of Job’s fuming and fussing he is recorded by inspiration as an example of patience. His patience is seen in that, though he had lost his property and was bereaved of his children and had become afflicted all over with boils, and though his friends had now become his accusers and his wife had seemed to reach the end of her endurance and had called upon him to renounce God, he could look up through the darkness and despair surrounding him and say: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." "I will hold on to God if I lose all my property; I will hold on to him if I lose all my children and if my friends forsake me and if my wife gives up in despair; and I will still trust him, though he slay me." That is patience.

"Patience" comes from a word that means "to remain under," and carries with it the idea of remaining steadfast under any kind of hardships or difficulties. Patience, or steadfastness, is a quality much needed in present-day Christians. We are too ready to quit under any provocation or difficulty. It is easy to serve God when everything goes on like a sweet song, but the Christian that is worth while is the one who holds on under all kinds of adverse conditions or circumstances. godliness. "in your patience godliness." "Godliness" does not mean Godlikeness. The Greek word translated godliness is thus defined by Thayer: "Reverence, respect; in the Bible everywhere piety toward God, godliness."Godliness is piety, reverence. It grows out of a feeling of dependence upon God and a deep regard for his majesty and glory. It is also manifested in a proper respect and deference for that which belongs to God or pertains to him. We are lacking in reverence. Majesty and power is not ascribed to God, his name is spoken lightly, his word is used in jokes and jests, the blood-bought church is not thought of as the body of Christ, and the name of God and Christ is blasphemed. Even preachers sometimes profane the name of God in the pulpit. This is done when a preacher lightly and flippantly says: "Before God, brethren." But reverence, like other virtues, must be learned. It should begin in the home. Parents should teach their children to respect them, to properly reverence father and mother. If reverence is not learned in the home, it is not likely to develop later. The habit of reverence, the principle of reverence, must be instilled in the child. If not, he will grow up devoid of respect for parents, for his teachers in school, and for the laws of the land. Such a one is most likely to be without reverence for God—a hardened, ungodly sinner. Ungodliness is irreverence, impiety. A godly man, a pious man, may fall into wrong, but his reverence for God will most likely restore him. But there is little hope for the redemption of an ungodly sinner.

"brotherly kindness." Thayer defines the Greek: "The love of brothers (or sisters), brotherly love; in the New Testament, the love which Christians cherish for each other as brethren." Genuine love manifests itself in different ways. The mother through the long hours of the night will tenderly watch over the sick child, or will tenderly bind up his bruised toes or wounded fingers, and sympathize with him in his griefs and disappointments; but genuine mother love will also be stern and unbending when the occasion demands and will inflict punishment when the need arises, all the while doing what under the circumstances seems best. True love looks not to the present pleasure, but to the ultimate good of the person loved. Hence, to love the brethren does not mean that you must flatter them, or even to always speak words to please them. We must do them good—help them in their needs, comfort them in their sorrows, and tenderly nourish the downcast and broken­hearted; and if they fall into wrong, we must seek to reclaim them, and, if necessary, rebuke them sharply. Jesus rebuked Peter sharply (Matthew 16:22-23), and Paul, charged Timothy: "Them that sin_ reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear" (1 Timothy 5:20). The Lord loves his children, yet he says: "My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Hebrews 12:5-6). love. To love of the brethren we must add universal love—love for all men. And this love, too, must be active. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. We must so love man that we will give the best that is in us to serve man’s best interests. Love transforms duty into opportunity, and makes sacrifice satisfying and pleasurable service. It takes the drudgery from daily toil, and gives a feeling of gladness that we are able to share in the uplift and betterment of mankind.

SUMMARY

Faith is the base to which all these elements are added. It is the beginning of the life divine. But too many are satisfied with being nominal, or professed, Christians. A small degree of faith, kept as a secret in your own heart, requires no courage to so exist, and finally perishes for lack of cultivation. For faith to assert itself requires courage. But courage needs the guidance of knowledge; otherwise it is mere foolhardiness. But knowledge is worthless if we give sway to all our appetites and passions. Hence, we must add temperance, or self­control. But this effort to add self-control, this battle against passions, lust, and selfishness, is a fierce conflict, and requires sustained effort. Hence, the need of patience, or steadfastness. But we must not allow our victories over self nor our steadfastness of character to develop a feeling of self-sufficiency. We must take God into account, and realize our dependence on him; for it is in him that we live, move, and have our being. We must add reverence, or godliness. But it is not enough that we cultivate self and reverence God. In the busy field of service our brothers in the Lord are crying for help; we must not forget them. Duty calls, and brotherly love leads us to share their struggles, trials, and sufferings. In our love for our brethren let us not become clannish and forget the great mass of unconverted sinners. It is possible for us to become selfish in our love for the church and to develop a sort of family pride. Such a one does not think of leading men to Christ for their own sakes and because they need salvation, but he thinks of the world as a quarry out of which he may extract material to help build up the church and make it greater and more glorious. But the Christian must outgrow that trait; he must cultivate love for men and seek to reclaim them from sin and ruin because he loves them. Hence, to brotherly love add universal love. the results. The immediate result of compounding these elements into your character is that you become a partaker of the divine nature, but the ultimate result is that there shall be given to you an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God.

* * * TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

• The Preciousness of Faith.

• What God’s Promises Mean to Me.

• The Need of Bible Study.

• The Uses and Abuses of the Bible.

• This Life a Preparation for the Next.

* * *

QUESTIONS.

• To whom did Peter write?

• What is faith?

• What difference between faith and belief?

• What is meant by "precious faith?"

• What is meant by "the knowledge of God?"

• What is the meaning of "all things that pertain to life and godliness?"

• How and where are these things given us?

• In the light of this passage, what do you think of human creeds?

• Can you mention some practices of religious neighbors not authorized by the Bible?

• Name some of the "precious and exceeding great promises."

• How do we become partakers of the divine nature?

• How does a promise make one better?

• Are these promises conditional?

• Can you name some unconditional promises of the Bible?

• How do we "cleanse ourselves?"

• Name elements necessary to partaking of divine nature.

• Is the illustration of climbing a ladder good?

• What is diligence?

• Give some illustrations of diligence in business.

• Give an example of your diligence in religion.

• What is the meaning of virtue?

• Give an instance in your life where courage was lacking.

• Can a courageous man be afraid?

• What the necessity of knowledge in religious matters?

• How is knowledge acquired?

• How are people destroyed for lack of knowledge?

• Show mistakes, sins through lack of knowledge.

• Can one sin through ignorance?

• Does law, human or divine, excuse man for his ignorance?

• What is temperance?

• Is indulgence in a practice necessary to temperance?

• Name some ways in which one may fail to be temperate.

• Does temperance demand "total abstinence?" What?

• What is patience?

• Does waiting for Brother X to come show patience?

• Who was Job?

• Tell of Job’s afflictions.

• How long did Job and his friends sit in mourning?

• What the names of Job’s three friends?

• What advice did the three friends give him?

• What did Job’s wife say?

• How did Job regard his birthday?

• What is godliness?

• What about using God’s name as a jest or as a byword?

• What is meant by brotherly kindness?

• How is brotherly kindness manifested?

• What is love?

• What is it to love your enemies?