Thursday Devo
Scripture:
2 Peter 1
3 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. 4 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.
3 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. 4 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.
Commentary:
1:3 divine power. God himself has acted in his infinite power to accomplish salvation, something only he could accomplish and what human ability could not accomplish. He has called us to his own glory and excellence. Believers are called to live in harmony with God’s own moral character. On God’s “glory,” see notes on John 1:14; Acts 6:15; cf. Rev. 21:23. The word “excellence” (Gk. aretē, “virtue, excellence”) was used by Greek writers to describe the sum of all desirable character qualities.
1:4 God has granted believers his precious and great promises. It is through these promises that they become partakers (Gk. koinōnos, “sharer, partaker”) of the divine nature. They never become part of God, but amazingly they share in his nature as they become increasingly like him. The “great promises” include the promises Peter identifies in his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:14–41, especially the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in new power. But they also include other promises such as likeness to God (2 Pet. 1:4; cf. 1 John 3:2), Christ’s return (2 Pet. 3:4), eternal life in heaven (1 Pet. 1:4), and more broadly, all the promises of Scripture that relate to the gift of new life. “Divine nature” uses terms familiar to Peter’s Hellenistic readership to help them understand the idea of transformation into the image of Christ. Peter emphasizes the moral focus of the believer’s transformed life. At conversion, Christians are delivered from the corruption of this world, which is rooted in sinful desire.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2418.
1:4 God has granted believers his precious and great promises. It is through these promises that they become partakers (Gk. koinōnos, “sharer, partaker”) of the divine nature. They never become part of God, but amazingly they share in his nature as they become increasingly like him. The “great promises” include the promises Peter identifies in his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:14–41, especially the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in new power. But they also include other promises such as likeness to God (2 Pet. 1:4; cf. 1 John 3:2), Christ’s return (2 Pet. 3:4), eternal life in heaven (1 Pet. 1:4), and more broadly, all the promises of Scripture that relate to the gift of new life. “Divine nature” uses terms familiar to Peter’s Hellenistic readership to help them understand the idea of transformation into the image of Christ. Peter emphasizes the moral focus of the believer’s transformed life. At conversion, Christians are delivered from the corruption of this world, which is rooted in sinful desire.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2418.
Questions:
- Peter says in verse 4 that it's possible for us to "escape the world's corruption caused by human desires." The faith REFORMS us. It is through a growing knowledge of God that we not only have the power to live a godly life, but also a new ability to resist sin through our union with Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit. This is why Jesus said we must be born again; we are all born with a sinful heart, but the faith reforms your heart and desires to be in line with God's design. Is your heart being reformed? Is your life and are your views and opinions in line with God's design? Is your life about YOUR best or pursuing HIS best for you?
- Jesus was FULL of both GRACE and TRUTH. He hung out with sinners, but He also wasn't afraid to call a sinner a sinner. He practiced TRANSFORMATIONAL inclusion, not AFFIRMATIONAL inclusion. He MEETS you where you are, but he doesn't LEAVE you the way you are. Do you tend to lean more GRACE or more TRUTH? How can you seek to be more like Jesus when it comes to dealing with people and sin in your life?
Pray:
- That you would pursue HIS best.
- That you would learn to be a better balance of both grace and truth.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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