What does the Apostle Peter mean by saying that God's people may become partakers of the divine nature?

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Richard
communicant member, FCoS
Perth, Scotland UK

His Name forever shall endure;
last like the sun it shall:
Men shall be blessed in Him,
and blessed all nations shall Him call (Ps. 72:17)

The Creator/creature distinction never goes away.

I think the statement that immediately follows sheds a great deal of light on the matter. We have escaped the corruption in the world that springs from sinful desire. So I think this means we become partakers of the divine nature in the sense that we bear his image appropriately. God's nature is holy. We become partakers in holiness. That is not to say that we become holy AS God is holy. But it is to say that we become truly holy.

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Clark Brooking
Pastor
Living Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Clarksville, MD

From the English Annotations...

"you might be partakers of the divine nature] Not of God's substance, which is incommunicable; but have excellent graces given us, whereby we are made like to God in wisdom and holiness, wherein the image of God, after which man was at first created, consists, Eph. 4.24; Col 3.10"

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Rev. Adam King
Minister in the RPCNA
Pastor,Trinity Reformed Church
Wichita, KS

If you and I eat a cherry croissant, in effect we have "become partaker's" of the "pastry nature."

I don't know about you, but while that "nature" does something to me (improves me, I'm sure), I certainly don't become a cherry croissant; neither do I now display the nature of a pastry--in pastry form. I may be more "flaky" , or "Pillsbury-doughboy", but I haven't become literally what I ate.

In the same way, we partake of the divine nature--being united to Christ, nourished spiritually by him, transformed by him. But we don't turn into little gods.

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Rev. Bruce G. Buchanan
ChainOLakes Presbyterian Church, CentralLake, MI


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Quote from contra Mundum
But we don't turn into little gods.

I thought as much. VG.