He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature.
2 Peter 1:4
What does the Bible specifically say about our nature? The Greek word for nature is used in this way only twice in the New Testament. Ephesians 2:1-3 described the nature we all shared before we came to Christ: "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins . . . and were by nature children of wrath." What was your basic nature before you were born again spiritually? You and every other Christian "were by nature children of wrath," dead in sin, subject to Satan's power, living completely to fulfil sinful lusts and desires. This is the condition of every unbeliever today.
The second occurrence of the word is in 2 Peter 1:4 describing our nature after we came to Christ: "He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature."
When you came into spiritual union with God through your new birth, you didn't add a new, divine nature to your old, sinful nature. You exchanged natures. Salvation isn't just a matter of God forgiving your sins and issuing you a pass to heaven when you die. Salvation is regeneration. God changed you from darkness to light, from sinner to saint. There is a newness about you that wasn't there before. If God hadn't changed your identity at salvation, you would be stuck with your old identity until you died. How could you expect to grow to maturity if you didn't start as a transformed child of God? Becoming a partaker of God's nature is fundamental to a Christian's identity and maturity.
We are no longer in Adam; we are in Christ. We can still choose to walk according to the flesh, but why should we want to? "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9).
Let’s Pray: Lord, may my understanding of who I am in Christ grow today so that I may walk in the victorious life You secured for me.
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.
