Lesson V
II. The Nature of True Knowledge (2 Peter 1:2-21)
Introduction:
1. A definition of “Nature” is Character
a. Thus we can say the “Character” of true knowledge
b. Synonyms for “Character” is “Quality, Makeup, Personality.”
1. Thus we can say the Quality or the Makeup, or the Personality of True Knowledge.
2. There are three parts to Lesson II.
a. True Knowledge is a Gift from God (2-4)
b. True Knowledge is a Growth in Experience (5-11)
c. True Knowledge is a Ground for Certainty (12-21)
A. True Knowledge is a Gift from God (verses 2-4)
KJV
v2) “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,” (v3) “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (v4) “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
NIV
v2) “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (v3) “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (v4) “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Amplified
v2) “May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in (the full, personal, precise, and correct) knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (v3) “For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that (are requisite and suited) to life and godliness, through the (full, personal) knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).” (v4) “By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape (by flight) from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.”
The Message Bible
(2) Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
(3) Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! (4) We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you--your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
Phillips Translation
(2) May you know more and more of grace and peace as your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord grows deeper.
(3) He has by his own action given us everything that is necessary for living the truly good life, in allowing us to know the one who has called us to him, through his own glorious goodness. (4) It is through him that God’s greatest and most precious promises have become available to us men, making it possible for you to escape the inevitable disintegration that lust produces in the world and to share God’s essential nature.
NLT
2) May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord better and better. 3) As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 4) And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.
Note: Knowledge is “full discernment, or/and recognition”
1. Knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord is that instrument
a. By which “Grace and Peace is multiplied.”
1. Multiplied is from the Greek “plethuno” and it means
“to increase” or “abound”. (To be plentiful)
2. Peace is from the Greek “eirene” and it means
Prosperity, quietness, and/or rest.
3. Grace is from the Greek “charis” and it means
God’s benefit, God’s favor, and/or God’s Gift.
Explanation
1. The greater our knowledge (understanding, perception, acknowledgment) of God and Jesus
our Lord
a. Of who they are
b. Of our relationship with them
c. Of what they desire to do in us
d. Of who we are in them
2. The greater or more increased (multiplied) will be our
a. Peace (prosperity, quietness, rest)
b. Grace from God which is (God’s benefit, favor, gift)
3 John 1:2
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (KJV)
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (NIV)
b. By which His divine power has given us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness.
1. Given is from the Greek “doreomai” which means
to bestow gratuitously:--give.
2. Life refers to Eternal Life or Salvation.
3. Godliness is from the Greek “eusebia” which means
holiness
Note: God through His Power has bestowed (given) us those things that pertain to (relate to,
refer to, concern, belong to, apply, bear upon, be pertinent to) life (salvation) and
godliness (holiness).
Note: God wants us to have Life (salvation), and God wants us to be Holy. Further, through His
power, He gives us the ability to have life and to be holy, and the instrument through
which this works and increases this in us is our Knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord.
c. By which we are given exceeding great and precious promises
1. Given is from the Greek “doreomai” which means
to bestow gratuitously:--give.
Note: Two things are mentioned as being given:
1. “all things that pertain unto life and godliness”
a. This is through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.
2. “exceeding great and precious promises”
a. This knowledge of Him enables us to receive the great and precious promise so we
can partake of His Divine Nature.
Note: You have a little of Divinity or God in you, because you are a “partaker of His Divine
Nature.”
Question: Why would we want to be Partakers of His Divine Nature?
(So we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lusts)
a. Given is from the Greek “doreomai” which means
to bestow gratuitously:--give.
b. Promises is from the Greek “epaggelma” which means
1. A self-committal (by assurance of conferring some good):--promise.
2. God committed Himself to confer (bestow, endow, present, give, heap)
good upon those who know Him.
2. Let us note the transition words.
a. The word “according as” in Verse 3 is from the Greek
1. “hos” and it means “even as”
2. Let us put verses 2 and 3 together.
a. The KJV has a comma at the end of verse 2, and relays this meaning:
1. Grace and Peace can be increased through the increase of our
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, even as (according as) His
divine power has given us all things that pertain (relate to, refer to,
concern, belong to, apply, bear upon, be pertinent to) life
(salvation) and godliness (holiness) through the knowledge of Him
that hath called us to glory and virtue.
b. Note the other versions in relation to verses 2 and 3.
b. The word “through” in Verse 3 is from the Greek
1. “dia” and it means “by instrument of”
a. Note some of the words or phrases that could be used here instead of
“through:” (after, because of, by occasion of, by reason of)
2. Therefore, Grace, Peace, Life, and Godliness occur through (after, because
of, by occasion of, by reason of) our knowledge, and can be increased with an
increase of knowledge in the one who has called us to glory and virtue.
a. “Glory” is from the Greek “doxa” meaning
“dignity, honour, praise, and worship.”
b. “Virtue” is from the Greek “areta” meaning
“excellence, and/or praise.”
Note: We are called to dignity, honor, praise, worship, and excellence, and with an increased
knowledge of God and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, we are called to even more dignity,
honor, praise, worship, and excellence.
Note what Jesus says in Luke 12:48:
“...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
c. The word “Whereby” in Verse 4 is from the Greek
1. “dia” and it means “by instrument of”
2. Note some of the words or phrases that could be used here instead of
“whereby” (after, because of, by occasion of, by reason of)
3. Note the end of verse 3 in the Amplified version where the writer says that
“God (through Jesus) calls us by His own glory and excellence to His own
glory and excellence.” Now add verse 4, By means of these (whereby)
a. Where do we get our exceeding great promises?
b. By what means or instrument do we receive these promises?
c. These promises are given to us and come to us through God’s glory and
excellence. Therefore, if Grace, Peace, Life, and Godliness is increased
with our Knowledge of God, and this knowledge brings about an increase
of Glory and virtue in us because of a greater understanding of His Glory
and Virtue, then we can appropriate in a greater measure the Great and
Precious Promises that he has given us which makes us Partakers of His
divine nature in a greater manner that works to set us free from the
corruption that is in the world (us) through lust.
d. The phrase “that by these” refer to the “great and precious promises.”
1. Through the fulfillment of the great and precious promises in my/your life, we
become partakers of His divine nature, escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
2. “Partaker” is from the Greek “koinonos” which means sharer or partner.
3. “Divine” is from the Greek “theios” which means godlike.
4. “Nature” is from the Greek “phusis” which means disposition.
Note: 1. God calls us by His Attributes (grace and virtue/excellence) to share His attributes.
2. God through His attributes makes a very precious promise to us of Eternal life.
3. When we accept God’s call, and receive His promise, we become a sharer/partaker
of His divine/godlike nature/disposition.
Note: It is all dependent on Him, and all we do is accept and receive. Actually, He is the one that
reveals Himself to us in a way that we can Know him better, and thus be more like Him.
5. Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust
a. “Corruption” is from the Greek “phthora” and it means decay or ruin.
b. “Lust” is from the Greek “epithumia” and it means
longing/desiring for what is forbidden.
Note: 1. The positive aspect of verse 4 is to Partake or share in the divine nature of God.
2. The negative aspect of verse 4 is to Escape the decay/ruin that lust has brought into the
world.
3. These two aspects co-exist.
a. As we know God better, we partake of His divine nature more, and move farther
from the corruption that lust brings.
b. As our knowledge of God declines, so does our sharing of His divine nature, and
lust becomes a greater part of our lives thus moving us toward corruption or decay
and ruin.
1. Lack of Prayer or relationship with God causes----hatefulness, more lustful leers,
less of a desire to go to church, even less prayer, more stuff we
should not watch, harder to resist temptation. etc
2. More of God----causes it to be easier to overcome temptations, the more
conviction we feel, the greater desire to be in His house, to please
Him, to talk to Him, to demonstrate Him, etc
Conclude verses 2 through 4
1. Knowledge or recognition
a. Of God
b. Of Who He is
c. Brings about
1. Grace and Peace
2. Life and Godliness
3. Great and Precious Promises
4. Glory and Virtue,
5. A partaking of His divine nature, and
6. An escaping from the longing (lust) of the world’s corruption (defilement)
2. Knowledge or recognition of God comes from
a. Knowing there is a God by the orderly world.
1. Romans 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
2. Psalm 19:1-4
1) ...The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. 2) Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. 3) There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4) Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world...
Note: There had to be a watchmaker.
b. Knowing God by the Spirit
1. Know God, not Know about Him
a. 1 Chronicles 28:9
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
2. The Spirit reveals to us the things of God
a. John 14:26;
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
b. John 15:26;
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
c. John 16:13-15
13) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15) All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
c. Know God by the Word.
a. Romans 10:8-17
8) ...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. faith means persuasion or assurance
2. believe/believeth is to entrust or trust
Note: Knowledge or recognition of God is going to occur as the Spirit takes the Word and
reveals it to our heart.
John 12:40 (NIV)
"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them."
3. Men are blinded, and all of us need more enlightenment. The Word of God will enlighten us to
what God purposes for you and I. Therefore, we need a greater knowledge of Him which will
come about through His Spirit and His Word, and even nature teaching us about God.
a . 2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV)
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
b. 1 John 2:11 (KJV)
“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
c. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Note: It takes God to open our eyes (minds). So where ever we are in Him, it takes Him
revealing Himself to us for us to receive a greater knowledge of Our Lord and Saviour.
