2015.08.23_Be Partakers of the Divine Nature

Receiving the love of God the Father is our faith.

God is our true father. Our relationship with God is not man-made and initiated because we decided, ‘God, I will serve as my Father from now on’. God begot us. Though many people confess God as the Creator, they only think about how He created the natural world and fail to realize that He is the Father who begot them.

Faith life is about receiving God the Father’s love. The love that parents have for their children is so enormous that it goes beyond children’s imagination. And God the Father’s love for us is greater than that which any parent can have in this world. Moreover, that love is everlasting. For animals, they cannot recognize their young if they become separated from them for just a few months. However, the love for one’s child never goes away, even until the day s/he dies. But what is greater than that is God’s eternal love towards us. Our faith life is in desiring that love.

To say ‘receive grace’ is equivalent to saying ‘receive God’s love’. Those that have received God’s love endeavor to please God, for they hope to enjoy His love more abundantly. And they worship God as an act to please Him. When children receive a reward at school, they want to show it to their parents more than anybody else and make them happy. In the same way, those who’ve received God’s love, please Him by bringing glory to Him through worship.

What is God pleased with? He is pleased with Jesus. God hears our prayers because we pray in Jesus’ name. To pray in Jesus’ name doesn’t mean we simply add the phrase, “In Jesus’ name” after we have listed everything we want. Prayer is when one who honors the name of Jesus desires to glorify that name and thus asks God accordingly. When those, who continuously receive God’s abundant love and also love God much in turn, pray, God is attentive to their prayers.

The soul is that which receives God’s love.

To receive God’s love is a blessing. Though many people say they are asking for blessings, in actual fact they just list out what their flesh desires before God. They would fast and do all-night prayers saying, “Give us a bigger house. Help our business to grow.” Yet God’s concern is not with the flesh which can expire at any moment. Since the flesh came from dust, it will eventually return to it. No matter how much a person might have saved up for himself, once God takes away his spirit, all that wealth will fall into the hands of others. On the other hands, what God desires to give us is everlasting.

Jesus was God’s beloved one, yet His life was studded with suffering and humiliation. Why did He have such a life when He is the beloved One of God? Did He lack in faith? No, but the reason He was poor, scorned, and persecuted was because the Father had commanded Him to do so. He did not go beyond God the Father’s love but completed all the pleasing works of the Father.

The purpose of why we lead a church life is not in making our flesh comfortable but in receiving God’s love. When the people following Jesus became hungry in a deserted place, the Lord didn’t say, “Since you’ve had a hard time following me, I’ll provide you with enough food for the rest of your life.” Instead He fed them just one meal until they were all filled, then had the leftovers collected. Even if they were given a somewhat cold treatment, we cannot categorize those people as not having received God’s love.

Among the saints are some who experience life difficulties as a result of a business failure or a sudden illness. But it’s a misunderstanding to think that they have been abandoned by God. According to some theories, Paul, who had healed countless other people’s diseases, was actually suffering from an eye condition or a stomach disorder. Concerning this Paul said, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Cor 12:7-9). It is not the flesh but the spirit that receives God’s love.

Partake in the divine nature.

Faith is about taking part in the divine nature. It says in 2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to 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.”

God has given us the Lord of Heaven’s throne. Since we have received such great love, we must not be silent but testify to let more and more people receive that love also. And for that, we must no longer follow the desires of the flesh but be partakers of the divine nature. Just as parents and their love for their children are inseparable, this nature of love cannot be separated from God the Father. If we have come to know the Father, we must rightfully be partakers of His nature.

For a chicken egg to hatch, a temperature of 37.5℃ has to be maintained. And the hen which incubates the eggs has to maintain a higher body temperature of 41.7℃. Otherwise, the eggs will not be incubated at the right temperature and soon spoil. Thus for the eggs to hatch, they must partake and share the hen’s body temperature.

The hen assists the eggs share her own body temperature by altering their position at regular intervals. By doing so, all the eggs have equal contact with the hen’s body temperature and thus maintain their temperature. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). Just like the hen that wants her eggs to share in her body temperature, God wanted Jerusalem to partake in His love but Jerusalem had often turned away from God’s wish.

Add goodness to faith, and to goodness, knowledge.

We who received God’s eternal love through Jesus Christ mustn’t disappoint God anymore and become partakers of His divine nature. Instead of just being satisfied by the fact that we have faith, we must add goodness to our faith. To have goodness means the same as winning the favor of or being loved by others. Some people pray a lot and are deemed to have great faith, and yet they seldom receive love from others. For example, would others be happy if someone was praying out loudly without any consideration for the people around him? We need to be considerate of others and join in prayer when everyone is praying out loud, but also be quiet when everyone else is quiet. If we have faith, we should be able to understand the situation of the other members and have the virtue to harmonize with them.

Those who are new to the church ought to learn about church life from the members who first believed. They mustn’t compare the way they were treated in the world to that in the church and criticize the church for not having love, but rather make efforts to assimilate into the church quickly. Instead of rolling out of the nest when the hen is trying to incubate her eggs, they must endeavor to partake in God’s love.

Some people have the tendency to say things which hurt others or humiliate them. Who would want to be friends with such people? No matter how good looking a person might be, if they are fierce and have no virtue in their words or deeds, everyone will probably want to avoid them. Luke 2:52 says, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Jesus was not only loved by God but also people. We also need to be people of virtue, who win the favor of others.

If we have virtue, we must add knowledge. A true Christian should know and be able to speak about God whom he believes in. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”. It is utterly tragic if a person has been attending church for decades yet is unable to explain the reason for their faith. John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” If we have virtue in our faith, then we must add knowledge so that that virtue does not become void.

Add knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.

Self-control is also a very important element in our faith life. Some people ask, “Do I have to stop drinking if I believe in Jesus? Isn’t it true that I won’t go to hell even if I drink?” Leviticus 10:9-11 says, “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.” It would be hard to expect a person who cannot quit drinking to handle sacred works of God.

Every day we hear news of accidents and incidents and notice how alcohol clouds a person’s judgment and reasoning. There are some who don’t even remember that they murdered another person while they were drunk. Not only has God forbidden it, but drinking gives rise to all sorts of negative effects in people’s lives. So how can person who can’t refrain from drinking possibly have a sound faith life?

The same goes for smoking. When we cast out demons from believers and ask in what situation they came, in many occasions the demons answer, “I came into this person when s/he was smoking”. Whilst countless demons are on the watch for a chance to infiltrate and harm people, for a Christian to be smoking is a very risky thing to do. Religious people of course, would have no issues at all even if they drink and smoke. However, if we have received in God, we must exercise self-control in such matters.

Christians also need to have perseverance. If we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we must endure unto the day we meet Him. A pregnant woman supplies all the nutrients in her body to form a heart, pair of eyes and every other organ of the baby. From her bone marrows to her nervous system, everything of the mother is supplied to create a beautiful and complete human being. Some mothers even suffer a bad case of morning sickness in the process. Suddenly she craves a certain type of food, while even the smell of some foods makes her vomit. The baby is able to develop healthy and sound because the mother endures through all of this. In the same way, believers must persevere to the end for the sake of their own souls (Matt 24:13).

To perseverance we must add godliness. We ought to conduct ourselves in a manner so that whoever sees us may recognize us as those who serve and worship God. This doesn’t mean we should appear as people who are well-disciplined in our character. No matter how perseverant we might be, it’s meaningless if we are separated from God. We ought to be reverent of God and fellowship with Him always.

Upon godliness, we must add brotherly kindness. Here, the word ‘brotherly’ is not referring to one’s own flesh and blood. Jesus said, “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?” (Matt 5:47). The Lord wants us to consider and care for, not only those who are our own flesh and blood, but everyone as our own selves.

Finally, love must be added to brotherly kindness. How do we add love? What good is it to say to someone who has nothing wear, “You must be so cold. Wear something and keep yourself warm”? What good is it to tell someone who has no food, “You must be hungry. Make sure you eat properly”? A mother wouldn’t do that. Hence to love someone means to be their mother. A mother doesn’t just feel sorry for her children when they’re in need; she would even sacrifice her own self to solve her children’s needs. The only way to give love is through maternal love.

Take part in the divine nature in order to receive a rich welcome into that kingdom.

It is written in 2 Peter 1:8-11, “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

When the Lord returns, two people will be in the field and one will be taken up while the other will be left behind. Two people will be grinding the mill, when one will be taken up and the other left behind. Two people will be sleeping in the one room, and one will be taken up and the other left behind. Will we be taken up when the Lord returns? In order to receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Savior Jesus Christ, we need to take part in God’s divine nature. Since we have faith, we now need to have virtue; to virtue we must add knowledge, to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly kindness; then to brotherly kindness, love (2 Pet 1:5-7). As a hen gathers a chicks, we must become partakers in the fervent love of God who is calling us.