Partaking in God’s Divine Nature

Read 1 John 4:1-12.

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). When you understand that you are a partaker of the divine nature of Christ, you will be an overcomer, a conqueror. The howling wolves of false teaching might pound on your door, but they will be unable to enter. They will try to tempt and entice you, but they will not prevail. They cannot defeat you; they cannot deceive you because He who is in you is greater than the one in the world.

Christ’s sheep do not have confidence in themselves, their successes, their circumstances, or their connections. They have confidence in the cross and the empty tomb. So if you, child of God, are feeling discouraged, defeated, or despondent, it is because you have forgotten that you are a partaker in the divine nature of Christ—a Truth declared throughout the New Testament. You are predestined to triumph. You have a limitless source of power and strength to live life at its best.

This divine power does not make us arrogant or proud. Everything we have has been given to us, so it humbles us. We have been brought from death to life not by our power but by the surpassing resurrection power of Christ. It is His work in us that makes us an entirely new creation. And John makes it clear that the greatest testimony to the power of the Gospel is our commitment to and love for Christ and one another. John encourages us that when we belong to God, we become like Him—loving the unlovable. He empowers you to love like He does because He’s allowed you to partake of His divine nature through Christ. Remember: “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. . . . if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:7-8, 12).

Prayer: Father, thank You for pouring Your love into my life. May I be quick to pour it into those around me regardless of their merit, remembering how much I have been forgiven. I pray that my life will bear witness to Your goodness and love and draw many into Your Kingdom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.