..to those who have received a faith as precious as ours… looking forward to what’s to come, those before Christ believed God for what He had promised, for those of us on this side of the cross, we believe too, on those promises fulfilled - and what He still promises for those who believe. 2Peter 1; Heb 11; 12
By this faith, with this faith, God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness… to rise above the corruption
This divine power… by His divine power we have received, we are the recipients of...
The ability to believe all that God is and has for us - John 6:26-29
26Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
The joy of salvation and sanctification which is our strength
Nehemiah 8(:10) - the merciful, gracious, and good conviction of sin by the word, and with it the forgiveness of sin, which brings into focus God’s love for us - and the knowing of this love’s inherent joy - and the glad obedience that stems from seeing God’s mercy, grace, and goodness in His word (and the good fruit it produces - righteousness).
Ps 28:6-9 6Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
8The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 9Save your people and bless Your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
1Peter 1:8-9 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Ephesians 3:19 of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
That joy is being competed: as our faith in Jesus, though He is unseen, is faith in One that has been testified about by those who did see…
That joy is complete
1John 1:1-3 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.
This power…
Has transformed us into a new creation
Born again (John 3:
Children of God (John 1; Romans 8; 1John 4)
A new creation (Rom 6:4; 2Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24; Gal 6:15)
Created in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:10,18; Eph 2:10)
Galatians 3:26-29 26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The transformation of the mind (Prov 4; Rom 12; 2Cor 10: Eph 4:23; Phil 4:4-8)
...that you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Participate, “share in”: a participant who mutually belongs and shares fellowship; a "joint-participant."
(koinōnia); stresses the relational aspect of the fellowship.
koinōnós (a masculine noun) more directly focuses on the participant himself (herself).
Divine: manifesting the characteristics of God's nature, character
Nature: inherent nature, origin, birth; inner nature, the underlying constitution or make-up of someone
the sum of innate properties and powers by which one person differs from others, distinctive native peculiarities, natural characteristics
the holiness distinctive of the divine nature is specially referred to
This power, this new birth, this transformation endowed us with…
The power to testify - Acts 1-2
The nature of Jesus, and makes able to
Love rightly (Matt 22; Gal 5:22)
Be good and holy - do good (Eph 5; Gal 5:6; Col 3:12; Titus 2:14)
The power to persevere - Heb 11,12
Homework: go back and look at the lives of those mentioned here.
