Abundant Joy

“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. 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 desire.”

One of the things I enjoy most about writing this blog is that it forces me to slow down and look at each word and phrase. I may have read a section of Scripture many times and have glossed over it without giving it much thought. This is one of those. In reading and studying these two verses, it has forced me to really give thought to what they mean!

The first part- “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness…” sounds great, but what does it mean? First, let’s look at the word power. The New Testament references the power of God many times. I want to focus on this one in Paul’s letter to Ephesus. He prayed that they would know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength” (Ephesians 1:19). Paul then explains what God’s power is. “He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens— far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (vs. 20-21). His divine power raised Christ from the dead, and it has given us new life through Him.

We have everything we need for life and godliness through His divine power. Peter is going to stress this word ‘godliness’ several more times in the introduction, and once more in his conclusion. Douglas Moo, in his commentary, writes, “It translates a Greek word that means, literally, ‘good worship’ (eusebeia)… The word is Hellenistic in its flavor and is often translated ‘piety.’ It is a general word, and the biblical authors use it to summarize the behavior expected of Christians who have come to know the God of Scripture.” He has given us everything we need to live lives pleasing to Him. But how are we to do that?

The second part of the verse says, “…through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” When Peter wrote this letter, the believers did not have the benefit of having a Bible the way we have access to it today. They would have had knowledge of Old Testament Scriptures. They would have known Jesus’ words and teachings. And they would have read or heard the letters of the apostles that were passed among the churches. Today, many of us have numerous Bibles in our homes. We have Bible apps on our phones and tablets which put God’s Word at our fingertips. We are without excuse. We can read exactly what God expects us to do to live godly lives, yet we either fail to read it, or we fall for the devil’s oldest trap. “Did God really say?” “Did He really mean…?”  We ignore the verse in 1 Peter, “But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy” (1:15-16).

Let’s also look at the phrase ‘called us.’ Where else do we see this calling? Let’s look at some verses. “As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). “He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). And “The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while” (1 Peter 5:10). So in these verses we see that God has called us by His glory and to His glory. This is the process of sanctification.

Peter goes on to write, “By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature…” We will stop here so we can focus on this first part of the verse. What does Peter mean when he writes ‘By these?’ We have to go back to the previous verse. It is by Christ’s glory and goodness. Gangel writes in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, “Through these, that is Christ’s ‘glory and goodness’ (v. 3), He has given believers His very great and precious promises. The Greek verb translated ‘has given’ (dedoretai) means ‘to bestow, to endow.’ Not the usual word for ‘give,’ it carries with it the idea with it the worth of the gift.” And what a gift it is! Paul writes in Ephesians 2, “We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! “(vs. 3-5)

This leads to the last part of the verse- “…escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.” We escape the corruption that entered the world in the Garden of Eden. God already had a plan of redemption in place when Eve disobeyed Him. When Christ died on the cross and rose again, He dealt a mortal wound to Satan. We now have access to God the Father through Christ. We are all sinners. But Jesus paid the price for us. In Hebrews 10:12 we read, “But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” And we read in 1 Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1:3-4).

We have everything we need to live godly lives, pleasing to Him. How do we do this? Through His power and through knowing Jesus. I have been called by God and I have the promise of eternal life with Him.

Grace be with you!