We often look at God’s promises from an intellectual standpoint, and try to rationalize how to do what we have to do to accomplish God’s purposes and realize God’s promises. Unfortunately, that’s not really the biblical way, but a way people have been conditioned through a Greco-Roman framework. Is there a better way to relate with God and understand His promises?
God had all the writers of the Old and New Testament write the Bible from a Hebraic, or relational framework. Through such a framework, we learn to relate with God, grow into His virtues—His likeness in us—so we can flow in Him. Peter acknowledged this as the divine nature; God’s nature in us—the nature of the new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
“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” (2 Peter 1:2-4).
RELEVANCE
For the first seven years of my life after coming to faith in Messiah Jesus I attended various churches and participated in various Bible studies. I gained was a good knowledge of the New Testament. Then God introduced me to the reality of the infilling of the Holy Spirit—God’s empowering and transformational agent. Life changed. The Holy Spirit brought to mind my Hebraic upbringing and began relating with me from God’s perspective. That’s what the Holy Spirit will do; condition you and help you relate with God His way.
Paul referred to this process as being “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). He described the process further, explaining the importance of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
REFLECT AND RELATE
If you feel God has more of His new life for you than what you are experiencing, ask Him to reveal Himself in a way that you can more fully relate with Him. His promises are for you to experience.
REFERENCES
John 14:25-27; 16:5-15; Ephesians 5:15-21; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11