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NASB | 2 Peter 1:4 For by 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 by lust. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. |
Bible Question:
Does a believer partake of the divine nature of Christ through the observance of religious tradition/ritual or through real/genuine relationship with the Master? Are we, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, conformed to His image by what we ingest in the natural or what we ingest in the supernatural? Is communion with the Lord merely the ingestion of the natural elements of communion (i.e., bread and wine) or is it "heart to heart" communion with our Lord through the reading (ingestion) of His word (our spiritual bread) and by allowing Him to minister to us through His Holy Spirit (our spiritual wine)? |
Bible Answer: Just a quick note: not to invalidate your question at all, but this verse isn't intended to apply to communion, or at least isn't a direct reference to communion. "Partake" doesn't mean to consume or digest the divine nature; it means to be a partner in, a sharer of the divine nature. The root word it's derived from is "common". It means that we share with God a common divine nature [through the better-than-great and obtained-at-great-cost promises]. I also think that this verse relates to -but is probably not limited to- the following verses (2Peter 1:5- 1:7) where the final attainment of maturity for the christian is "charity", or agape, a selfless giving love. That, praise God, is the divine nature. |