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The Privilege imparted to every believerII Pet. 1:4 "In which has been given to us exceeding and precious promises, that through these we could partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust.”Although the first-century Christians were persecuted, scoffed at, and looked down upon; Peter reminds them of the glorious privilege they had in Christ. The phrase “partakers of the divine nature “carries a powerful meaning. Of course, Peter is talking about the abiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives once we are saved from sin’s punishment. It also carries a wonderful dynamic in this life, no matter how bad it got for them.The basis for their understanding of the position now in Christ was based on the promises God had given them. They did not have the completed canon of Scripture, so we should have more. However, no matter how dim it got, these promises would see them through.By these promises, we have eternal life, have an eternal reward in heaven, and know God personally. But also, God imparts His nature to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is more than saying, “I'm on God’s team. No, it is Christ in us, “the hope of glory.” It is the very nature of God directing our lives.This nature rescues us from immoral peril, which is more than an alternative lifestyle. It is destroying people’s lives now as we speak. It keeps us from destructive temptations that Satan uses to destroy our testimony and the emptiness and heartache that go with sin (John 10:10). Something inside says, “This is not good for you.” God reaches out to us through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and pulls us out of the destructive path of sin’s power. We need to grab the rope.It also means we are invincible against the devil's lies and are headed for higher ground. We are not of this world but headed for a better one.That’s just a little of what this being “a partaker of the divine nature means” you can keep fill in the rest of the blanks.--- Dan Nelson