1 Peter 1:3-4

OBSERVATION/EXPLANATION

This was written 3 years ago when I started that study of 2 Peter.  It’s very personal, and I suspect that you’ll be able to see my emotions in the words.  Because of that, I almost didn’t post it; but then I realized that it is much more effective at explaining the meaning of verses 3 and 4 than my usual method.  It also reveals God’s perfect timing and omnipotence in the fact that my study led me to these verses very obviously on the very day I needed them.  God is so good!!

COMMENTS

This world is evil.  Things happen that shouldn’t happen.  Sometimes, the weight of the evil around me weighs on my heart, a burden that is too heavy to bear.  I always know it’s there; but sometimes, it hits in an unexpected manner and reminds me once again:  This world is evil.

NOTES

Then, God speaks to me—again, the Always-Faithful One—and He reminds me that He has provided for me, even in this circumstance:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4)

This is such a rich passage—complicated yet simple.  God, in His power, glory, and goodness, provided a way for me to ESCAPE the corruption in the world. 

Escape.  The word implies captivity.  Evil desires imprison us.  We suffer as a result of the evil desires of others.  We cause suffering to others as a result of our own evil desires.  The victim becomes the perpetrator.  It’s a seemingly never-ending cycle. Frustrating.  Discouraging.  Painful.

Yet, God doesn’t leave me in that helpless and hopeless state.  Rather than dwelling on the sentiments expressed in the previous paragraph, I go back to the one before that.  GOD, IN HIS POWER, GLORY, AND GOODNESS, PROVIDED A WAY FOR ME TO ESCAPE THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD!  What is His escape plan?  “Knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”  As I know Him more and more, as I respond to His call, and as I receive and witness the fulfillment of His promises, I "participate in [His] divine nature and escape the corruption in the world”.  My own evil desires are replaced with the desire to be like Him, and the pain I experience as a result of the evil desires of others is covered with His healing oil. 

The burden eases, and I am at peace.