Introduction
Here I am going to give you some background regarding the
common struggle all Christians have, and a glimpse at what
Jesus provided for us to fix this.
Jesus made the provision for you to experience the “divine
nature.” If you were experiencing the “divine nature,”
you wouldn’t be struggling with anger problems.
(The rest of this web page is taken from my book,
“Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises”).
The promise:
Have you experienced the “divine nature” the Apostle Peter
revealed in this passage? Or instead has your faith been a
struggle? Has it sometimes seemed like a heavy burden as
you tried to live the life you know Jesus wanted for you? Have
you been frustrated and blamed yourself for not being able to
obey what you have been taught about the Christian life?
For many Christians their life experience has been described
by the Apostle Paul:
And then Paul says something that can make these believers
feel even more defeated:
Why can this statement make them feel defeated? Perhaps
because they have read this scripture, and as a result have
tried everything they can think of to be delivered “from this
body of death” by the Lord Jesus. For instance, they have
diligently studied their Bible, attended church regularly,
prayed desperately for the Lord to heal them, and had other
people pray for them. They may have been to marriage
retreats, or had counseling, or read every Christian book they
can lay their hands on; and yet they are still stuck. And
remaining stuck, they may feel guilty that somehow they have
left something undone.
Truly, this awful place can feel like a “body of death,” as Paul
described it.
If your Christian life has been all you had hoped for,
then what I will have to say is probably not for you.
On the other hand, if your faith has not produced the
results that you wanted, then I have something to
say that will help you.
The Gifts:
There are two great gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ provides
for all people, if they will accept them:
As the saying goes, “I have some good news, and some bad
news.” The good news is that Peter was telling the truth:
through Christ you may become a partaker of the divine
nature. The bad news is that you haven’t known how to
appropriate that promise.
My purpose is to help you to understand why you
don’t know how to experience the “divine nature.” As
you begin to understand how you have been robbed of this
great inheritance, my hope is that you will also begin to realize
that becoming a partaker of the divine nature is indeed
possible for you; and therefore you can pursue it and expect
to experience it.
How Will You Know Something Is
Missing?
If as the Apostle Paul wrote, you find yourself not doing the
good you want to do, and find yourself doing what you hate,
you have been robbed of this second gift. In Christ you
have been given exceedingly great and precious
promises, and yet the divine nature escapes you.
Here I am going to give you some background regarding the
common struggle all Christians have, and a glimpse at what
Jesus provided for us to fix this.
Jesus made the provision for you to experience the “divine
nature.” If you were experiencing the “divine nature,”
you wouldn’t be struggling with anger problems.
(The rest of this web page is taken from my book,
“Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises”).
The promise:
- By which have been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these you may
be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4, NKJV).
Have you experienced the “divine nature” the Apostle Peter
revealed in this passage? Or instead has your faith been a
struggle? Has it sometimes seemed like a heavy burden as
you tried to live the life you know Jesus wanted for you? Have
you been frustrated and blamed yourself for not being able to
obey what you have been taught about the Christian life?
For many Christians their life experience has been described
by the Apostle Paul:
- For what I am doing, I do not understand. For
what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do . . . O wretched man that I am!
(Romans 7:15, 24).
And then Paul says something that can make these believers
feel even more defeated:
- Who will deliver me from this body of death? I
thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:24-25).
Why can this statement make them feel defeated? Perhaps
because they have read this scripture, and as a result have
tried everything they can think of to be delivered “from this
body of death” by the Lord Jesus. For instance, they have
diligently studied their Bible, attended church regularly,
prayed desperately for the Lord to heal them, and had other
people pray for them. They may have been to marriage
retreats, or had counseling, or read every Christian book they
can lay their hands on; and yet they are still stuck. And
remaining stuck, they may feel guilty that somehow they have
left something undone.
Truly, this awful place can feel like a “body of death,” as Paul
described it.
If your Christian life has been all you had hoped for,
then what I will have to say is probably not for you.
On the other hand, if your faith has not produced the
results that you wanted, then I have something to
say that will help you.
The Gifts:
There are two great gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ provides
for all people, if they will accept them:
1. The first gift is a one-time event. This occurred
when you made Jesus your Lord. You now are a child of
God with all of the privileges that entails. This includes
life eternal (when you die, you will go to heaven).
2. The second gift is an ongoing process. It is the
provision for you to be transformed into the image of
Jesus. When this occurs, you become a partaker of the
divine nature. You actually acquire His character! It is a
process that you appropriate daily for the rest of your
life. This provision gives you victory over sin now, in this
life.
As the saying goes, “I have some good news, and some bad
news.” The good news is that Peter was telling the truth:
through Christ you may become a partaker of the divine
nature. The bad news is that you haven’t known how to
appropriate that promise.
My purpose is to help you to understand why you
don’t know how to experience the “divine nature.” As
you begin to understand how you have been robbed of this
great inheritance, my hope is that you will also begin to realize
that becoming a partaker of the divine nature is indeed
possible for you; and therefore you can pursue it and expect
to experience it.
How Will You Know Something Is
Missing?
If as the Apostle Paul wrote, you find yourself not doing the
good you want to do, and find yourself doing what you hate,
you have been robbed of this second gift. In Christ you
have been given exceedingly great and precious
promises, and yet the divine nature escapes you.
Divinely Designed
Being changed into the image of Jesus
Being changed into the image of Jesus
Click here to learn why you have failed to subdue your anger. |
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If the "divine nature has escaped you, what I will be saying will be important to you! |
It is possible for you to become a partaker of the "divine nature"! |