Principle 1

I’m going to state five basic principles. The first principle is that God’s provision is in his promises. I’d like you to turn to 2 Peter 1, we’ll just read verses 2–4:

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”

Without pausing to dwell on that, notice that the Christian life is a life of multiplication. It’s not static, it’s not just holding on to what you’ve got, it’s not even merely addition. It’s multiplication. It’s all through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Everything that we ever need is all channeled to us through God and through Jesus. We don’t need any other ultimate source of supply but God and Jesus.

Then verse 3 comes out with a most amazing statement.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness . . .”

Stop there and note the tense. It’s the perfect tense. It’s very, very emphatic in the Greek language. God has already given to us all that we are ever going to need for time and eternity—For every area of our lives, for life and godliness. God has already given it to us. I want to emphasize that. Many, many times we pray on the basis of a misunderstanding. We’re asking God to give us something he has already given us. It’s not easy for God to answer those prayers because in answering them he would support the misunderstanding. Sometimes we have to adjust our thinking in order to pray the kind of prayer that God is able to answer.

Now, the second half of verse 3 says:

“. . . through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue.”

Notice again it’s all included in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Greek says “called us to his own glory and virtue.” Not our glory, it’s his. It’s not our virtue, it’s his. So, God has already given us everything we’re ever going to need and it’s all in the knowledge of Jesus. The Greek word can be translated “acknowledging.” It means both knowledge and acknowledging. It’s not merely that we intellectually know about Jesus, it means that we effectively acknowledge him in our lives.

Verse 4 contains the next vital part of this revelation.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises . . .”

Here’s the key. God has already given us everything we’re going to need. Where is it? It’s in His promises. In the promises of His word. The way I present this is God’s provision is in His promises. I think if you can grasp that and hold onto it it could have a tremendous effect on your Christian life. I’d like you to say that with me. “God’s provision is in his promises.” Let’s say it again. “God’s provision is in his promises.”

Now, looking at the end of verse 4 we come to another breathtaking statement. It says:

“. . . by these [that’s the promises] ye might be partakers of the divine nature . . .”

I just wonder whether contemporary Americans understand that language. I don’t know how to say it any better. It means that we become partakers of God’s own nature. We receive the actual nature of God. We become divine. You might say that’s a risky thing to say, and it is. But Jesus said when he was challenged about being the Son of God, he quoted one of the psalms and he said, “If ye called them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken.” That’s quoted from a psalm which says, “I said ye are gods.” God actually spoke to man and said, “I said you are gods.” Jesus gives us the divine commentary. What was the basis? It’s because the word of God came to them. “If ye call them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken.”

So, because the word of God comes to us through the promises of God, we can become partakers of God’s nature. We can become divine. I realize that statement can be taken and misused but I believe it is actually, in the way that I’ve presented it, an accurate representation of what the scripture teaches.

Then the final part of that revelation is:

“. . . having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

In proportion as we become partakers of the divine nature we are delivered from the corruption that is in this world. The divine nature and corruption are incompatible. The divine nature is incorruptible but everything in this world is corruptible. As we become partakers of the nature of God, we are delivered from the corruptible. I’d like to go through that again and I invite you to meditate on it because the scope of that revelation is such you cannot absorb it in just a few minutes. It demands that you expose your whole mind and being to that truth and really live in it.

Going back to verse 3. God’s divine power has already given unto us everything we’re ever going to need for time and eternity. It’s all included in knowing or acknowledging Jesus. The provision of God is in his promises. As we appropriate the promises we become partakers of God’s nature. And as we become partakers of God’s nature we are delivered from the corruption that is in this world. I think I’m going to say that again. It may not come out exactly the same but I’ll do my best. Why don’t we say it together? Or rather, you say it after me. God has already given us everything we’re ever going to need for time and eternity. It’s all included in knowing Jesus. God’s provision is in his promises. As we appropriate his promises we become partakers of his nature. And as we become partakers of his nature we escape the corruption of this world. All right. After that I think the only thing you can say is praise the Lord!

Principle number one, God’s provision is in his promises.