Pastor Josh White opened with a relatable question: is there something you really enjoy but don’t do as often as you’d like? Mountain biking, hiking, a certain restaurant — life gets full of distractions and urgency, and those activities fall by the wayside. Then he connected that to the Christian life: God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through His promises, but many believers never actually experience the benefits. Why? That was the heart of Sunday’s message from 2 Peter 1:3–4.
Partakers of the Divine Nature
Peter writes that we have been granted “precious and very great promises” so that “through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” What does that mean? At minimum, it refers to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives — the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control) being manifested as we walk in step with Him.
But there’s a crucial observation here: the text says you may become a partaker — not that you will. This is where the Greek gets fascinating. The verb is subjunctive, meaning it’s only a possibility. Combined with the middle voice (we do the action to ourselves) and the “already but not yet” tense, Peter is saying: the possibility of becoming a partaker of the divine nature is determined by your actions. God has made the provision, but you have to walk in it.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
— 2 Peter 1:3–4
Two Reasons Some Believers Never Experience This
So why do some believers never move into being partakers of the divine nature? Pastor Josh gave two main reasons.
1. They still feel the influence of sin
Every believer still struggles with sin. Instead of focusing on God’s promises, some focus on the struggle itself — and they never stand on those promises and grow. The good news is that one day the struggle will be gone. But God allows it to continue so that we learn to honor Him, depend on the Holy Spirit, and give glory to Jesus Christ.
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.”
— Romans 8:23
2. They still experience problems
Some believers pray, “God, just take it away!” and when He doesn’t, they assume He’s not all-powerful or doesn’t love them. But Romans 5:3–4 tells us why God often doesn’t remove problems:
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us.”
— Romans 5:3–4
God is working in us while we face problems. Sometimes that’s the best way for us to grow.
What Happens When We Focus on God’s Promises
Instead of focusing on sin and problems, when we focus on God’s promises, three things happen:
We get filled with joy
First John 1:4 says John wrote his epistle “so that our joy may be complete.” When we stand on God’s promises and understand His love, mercy, and grace for us, it fills us with joy. There’s nothing in this world that compares with what God has done — and will do — for us.
We overflow in gratitude and praise
When you’re filled with joy, it leaks out. King David is a great example — Psalm 71:14 says “I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.” Standing on God’s promises overflows in gratitude and praise.
We get peace in the midst of life’s troubles
Life is hard. But knowing the truth about God’s promises gives us a peace like nothing else. Romans 8 says nothing in this life can prevent our future glorification — nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. That’s a promise.
“So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the Soul.”
— Hebrews 6:18
When Knowing the Truth Changes Everything
Pastor Josh shared a personal story. In 2021, he began experiencing severe dizziness and heart palpitations — especially right before preaching. He feared he was having a heart attack. After months of suffering, he saw a doctor. The diagnosis? Long COVID. His heart was perfectly healthy. The symptoms were a lingering effect from having had the virus months earlier.
What changed everything was knowing the truth. Once he understood what was actually happening, he could face the symptoms with confidence instead of panic. The symptoms didn’t immediately disappear — but they lost their power to control him. Knowing the truth changed how he experienced life.
That’s exactly what Peter is teaching us. By standing on the truth of your identity in Christ — your forgiveness, your new creation status, your eternal future — you enable yourself to participate in the divine nature and experience the joy, gratitude, and peace that God intended for you right now.
So What?
If you’re here today and you’re filled with doubt about any part of your salvation — hear this clearly: that doubt is not coming from God. If your mind is filled with doubt, you are robbing the fire that God has placed within you of the oxygen it needs to light up your life.
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
— 1 John 5:13
You have been forgiven. You are a new creation. You have an eternal future. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that can change these promises God has given to you.
Next week, Pastor Josh will walk through verse 5 — the action steps for feeding the fire God has placed within you. Don’t miss it.
Scripture References
- 2 Peter 1:3–4 — The blessing of God’s precious promises
- Romans 8:23 — Groaning for our future glorification
- Romans 5:3–4 — Suffering produces endurance, character, and hope
- 1 John 1:4 — John wrote so that our joy may be complete
- Psalm 71:14–15 — David’s example of continual praise
- Hebrews 6:18 — God is unchangeable; He is our anchor
- 1 John 5:13 — That you may know you have eternal life