Giants of the Reformation (1)

His divine power has given to us all things that pertainto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 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. 2 Peter 1.3, 4
T
he Freedom of a Christian
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“Since these promises of God are holy, true, righteous, free, and peaceful words, full of goodness, the soul which clings to them with a firm faith will be so closely united with them and so closely absorbed by them that it not only will share in all their power but will be saturated and intoxicated by them. If a touch of Christ healed, how much more will this more tender spiritual touch, this absorbing of the Word, communicate to the soul all things that belong to the Word.”

Luther saw the Word of God fairly bristling with promises of blessing and abundance. But most Christians in his day were ignorant of this, and instead were living out of what Luther regarded as dead traditions and meaningless acts of piety. Luther called them to seek the promises of God. I rather suspect that the idea of becoming “partakers of the divine nature” is not one on which most Christians spend much time musing. The very thought of it can be daunting; we might even think it heretical to suppose that, by any means, we might actually “partake” of the Deity. But Peter insists that this is what God Himself intends for us. This is why He has given us life, granted us power, and extends to us His precious and very great promises. If our people do not long to become “partakers of the divine nature,” why not? If we teach them to feed on God’s Word, they will find the freedom of His promises for daily revival in the Lord.

How would you explain to a new believer, or perhaps a new member joining your church, what it means to become “partakers of the divine nature”? How would you counsel such a one to pursue that objective?

The calling to make disciples
As pastors and church leaders, making disciples is our primary calling. But we need to make sure we’re growing as disciples, and that our tools for disciple-making are in top condition. Our book, Fan into Flame, provides an overview of the work of disciple-making, together with helpful assessments to discover areas where you most need to grow. Order your copy by clicking here.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christianin John Dillenberger, ed., Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings(New York: Doubleday, 1962).