man as described in II Pet. 2: 18-22 (Further notes on these verses will be found in the

series entitled: Great and precious promises).

The divine power is set forth in its positive bearing; "life and godliness". The divine

nature is set forth in its negative bearing: "having escaped the corruption that is in the

world through lust." Just as divine power and the divine nature are but two aspects of the

life of Christ, so "life" and "godliness" as opposed to "corruption" and "lust" set forth

two aspects of the pulsation of this life in the believer. The participation of the believer

in this divine nature is indeed a precious gift of God, and we are not surprised, therefore,

to discover that those promises that mediate this gift are described as "exceeding great

and precious". It is "by these" that it is possible to become partakers of this divine

nature. Paul's use of the word "promise" in Eph. 3: is somewhat similar:--

To become one with God, to realize the fulfillment of the gracious words of

John 17:: "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they all may be made perfect in one"; to

experience the oneness of the "heavenly calling" of  Heb. 2::  "For both He that

sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one";  to be able to appropriate the

terms of Eph. 4:: "From Whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by

that which every joint supplieth";  this is an experience far above and beyond anything

earth can give. As in any measure we realize this, we cannot but acknowledge that the

faith that unites us to this glorious Lord must indeed be "precious"; that the blood that

makes participation in the divine nature possible must be "precious"; and that the great

foundation of all our hopes, the Lord Himself and those exceeding great promises that

minister so much, must indeed be "precious" also.

"Unto you therefore that believe is the preciousness."