The Word of God teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
When a non-believer accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they become a saint, a born again believer. Then the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to manifest the life and nature of God within. A baby shares the nature of its parents, and a person born of God shares the divine nature of God.
Nature determines four things: appetite, behavior, environment, and association.
Appetite: The pig wants to wallow in mud, but the sheep desire green pastures.
Behavior: An eagle flies because it has an eagle’s nature, a dolphin swims because that is the nature of a dolphin. Horses run because that is the nature of a horse.
Environment: Squirrels climb trees, moles burrow underground, and trout swim in the water.
Association: Lions travel in prides, sheep in flocks, and fish in schools.
So, if nature determines appetite, and we have God’s nature in us, then we ought to have an appetite for that which is pure and holy because that’s our nature. And our behavior ought to be like that of our Father God.
Our spiritual environment should be suited to our nature, and our associations ought to be true to our nature. What fellowship can light have with darkness?
The fruit bearing life for a child of God is a Godly life. I Peter 1:4 tells us to be partakers of the divine nature. Please don’t let anyone deceive you into thinking that the Christian life is a little series of “do’s and don’ts”, that if you do this and don’t do that, you are living the Christian life.
No one can live the Christian life but Jesus. That’s the mystery of our faith – Christ in us the hope of glory. We are to be partakers of the divine nature, the nature of God in us.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus Christ died for us to give His life to us, to live His life through us. Paul said it’s no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Be a PARTAKER OF THE DIVINE NATURE!