“Whereby we are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is the world through lust” (KJV, 2 Pet. 1:4).
“Whereby”
Why does Peter start 2 Peter 1:4 by saying, “whereby?” While it may seem relatively unimportant, it is not. The word “whereby” could also be transited “by which” or something similar. The reader must understand the whole context to understand what is at stake.
In a moment, Peter will tell of the “…exceeding great and precious promises…” of God. By stating whereby, Peter tells the reader the foundation for the promises. Still, the reader may think it is unimportant that one goes back to move forward.
But what if the promises Peter speaks of were based upon man’s effort? Many passages give conditional promises. These promises follow an “If…then…” type of structure. God basically says, “If you do this, I will do that.” Thus, the reader must be aware of the promises God has in mind.
Are they conditional, or aren’t they? Peter previously said, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3). In other words, Christ’s divine power has given the believer everything he needs to live a godly life. Then Peter says that Christ called the believer by His own glory and excellence. The promises Peter is referring to are based on Christ’s glory and excellence. Thus, the promises for the believer are rooted in God alone and not man’s effort.
“we are given unto us”
Based upon Christ’s moral perfection and majesty, He has given to the believer out of His own goodness. God is a giver and has been from the beginning. He gave the sun, moon, and stars. He gave the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and beasts of the field. He gave man life and dominion over all things.
Despite the sin of man, God gave man a promise of redemption. He gave mankind a second chance when sin was wreaking havoc in the land by granting favor to Noah. He promised the patriarchs that the world would be blessed through them. He gave Moses and the Israelites their freedom from Egyptian bondage. He gave the Jews the Promised Land and a kingdom. He gave them peace during the reign of Solomon and hope amid judgment which came later.
Finally, the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God gave man the solution to the sin problem, and by the Son, man is given the promises that Peter will speak of.
The Greek word translated “given” in 2 Peter 1:4 carries the meaning of bestowing or endowing. Thus the believer is bestowed with the promises of God.
“exceeding great”
First, Peter refers to the promises as exceeding great promises. The Greek word translated as “exceeding great” is only one word, megistos. It carries the meaning of greatest, very great, or exceeding great. Thus Peter wanted to stress the excellency of the promises that Christ has bestowed.
The only time in the whole of Scripture the word megistos is used is in 2 Peter 1:4. The reader is left with the impression that the promises of God through Christ are incomparably great.
“and precious promises”
Second, Peter speaks of the promises as precious. The Greek word translated as precious is timios and denotes something that is honored, esteemed, beloved, valuable, and precious to the highest degree. Therefore, the promises of God that come by way of Jesus Christ must be cherished.
The promises of God are an anchor for the Christian and must be believed despite what things may seem. Scripture says, “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant” (1 Kings 8:56). Will not God keep His promises that he has promised by the hand of His Son?
“that by these”
The promises of God are not static, as though they do not accomplish anything. They are not merely intellectual with absolutely no practical bearing. On the contrary, the promises of God are the avenue of grace whereby God bolsters the Christian’s faith and acts according to His Word.
“ye might be partakers of the divine nature”
But here we see the purpose of it all. The divine power of Christ has granted to the believer everything he needs for life and godliness. The moral excellency and majesty of Christ have promised the believer that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Through being a partaker of the divine nature, the Christian learns to share in the moral victory of Christ.
To be a partaker in the divine nature is the equivalent of being born again, a new creation, united with Christ, in Christ, born from above, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. The divine nature is essential for living a holy Christian life. However, the believer must have faith in the promises of God for them to become deeply effective in his life.
For instance, Paul prayed, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…” (Eph. 3:14, 16). Paul was praying for believers. Jesus already dwells within the believer, and therefore the believer is already a partaker of the divine nature. However, Paul still prayed that the believers in Ephesus would have Christ dwell in their hearts by faith.
“having escaped the corruption that is the world through lust”
The purpose of participating in the divine nature in this life rather than only in the life to come is for deliverance in the here and now. God is not simply concerned with getting the Christian to heaven. Instead, one can read that Jesus has come to deliver the believer from the corruption in the world because of man’s lust.
With so much activity in the world and the church, it can be hard to remember what God is ultimately after. Christlikeness is the goal, and Christ is not present where sin remains. This is not to say that Christ only dwells with those who are perfect, for nobody is perfect. Scripture teaches that Christ came to dwell with sinners and is the Great Physician. He came for those who would recognize their shortcomings. What is meant by “Christlikeness is the goal, and Christ is not present where sin remains” is that the character of Christ is not present where sin remains.
James has spoken of pure religion. He says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this… to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). God is highly concerned with the Christian living in this world and remaining pure and holy.
However, how does God accomplish such a feat? The word corruption speaks of something that is decaying or decomposing. Thus, Peter spoke of the world as rotting away through sin. Peter tells of the Christian escaping from this corruption, but as we have seen, it was through the promises and activity of God.
At salvation, the Christian died to sin, the law, and the world’s ways. He was buried and raised with Christ and is now seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The believer’s life is hidden with Christ in God. Thus, the world no longer has power over him.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Your Word. Jesus, I thank You for Your divine power and for granting me the very great and precious promises which help me escape from the world’s deceitful ways. You are worthy of being praised and worshipped. In Jesus’ name, Amen.