2 Peter 1:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

NASB: Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.

CSB: 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.

NLT: And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

KJV: Whereby 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 in the world through lust.

NKJV: by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

In verse 3, Peter reveals that through knowing God, Christians have been given everything we need to lead the life God calls us to. We're not missing anything. Jesus has showed us His glory and goodness; He calls us to follow His example; and he has equipped us to do so. Here, in this verse, we find that by Jesus' glory and goodness—because He lived sinlessly and now exists in glory forever—we have been given something of enormous worth: promises.

In human terms, we think of promises as things of limited value. Experience has taught us that those too eager to make promises are usually the least trustworthy. And even when we consider a promise as reliable, we don't count ourselves as having received anything until the promise is completely fulfilled. The level of value we place on a promise has everything to do with the person making it, and our confidence that it will be completed.

But, in this context, these are not human promises. The God of the universe does not lie and does not fail to keep His word. Coming from Him, a promise is a declaration of certainty. A promise is eternal currency. A promise is a tangible gift.

So what has God promised us? Eternity in His family. An end to our suffering. Transformation by the power of His Holy Spirit. Purpose and meaning forever. These promises of God are of such great value that merely possessing them has already given us the right to participate in the "divine nature." In other words, we are already partners with Christ in the work God is doing in the world. More specifically, we are, right now, able to begin to answer Jesus' call to live in His glory and goodness.

More, we have already, right now, been given an escape from the corruption caused by sinful human desires: continual loss of integrity, function, and beauty. As we'll see later in this passage, Christians have not necessarily lost all desire to sin. We certainly have been freed from the eternal penalty of that sin. And, we have been rescued from our former destiny: to be endlessly decayed and destroyed by it.

2 Peter 1:3–15 urges Christians to understand that they are, right now, fully equipped to lead the life to which God has called them. Since they are equipped, they must use those tools through personal effort. They should strive to add Christ’s goodness and other powerful qualities to their lived-out faith. Growing in those qualities leads to a productive, effective life of knowing the Lord. Lacking Christ’s qualities leads to the opposite. Peter continues reminding the reader of what they already know, in order to keep stirring them up, to ensure they remember all of this after he has died (which will be soon).

Peter begins this brief letter to Christians by reminding them they are not missing anything they need to lead the good and godly lives they are called to. They must work, then, to add to their faith the goodness and qualities of Jesus. This requires effort, unlike eternal salvation which is not based on our work. Those who lack these positive attributes will live as unproductive and ineffective servants of God, nearly as blind as unbelievers and forgetting that their sins are forgiven. Peter, near death, insists that his eyewitness testimony about the transfiguration confirms that the prophecies about the Messiah are true. Jesus is coming back.

Peter begins his letter by urging his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Rather, they should work to add all of Christ’s qualities to their lives. Then Peter begins to lay a foundation to support his attack on the false teachers in the church. He also introduces ideas supporting his declaration that the Day of the Lord is coming. Later chapters will use the background of this first chapter to support those arguments.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.