The more we know God, the more we know ourselves. As we grow in the Lord, we will see our God differently. We will see His beauty, His holiness, His righteousness, His mercy, and I could go on and on. Through our increasing knowledge of God, we will only see His greatness. However, our knowledge of God will also give us a much lesser, more grim look at ourselves. We will see ourselves broken and destitute of anything good. Don’t get me wrong, when we compare ourselves with each other, we may see ourselves as good. We may see our strengths, our abilities, and our intelligence. However, a purer look at God will reveal the failures of our nature and our great needs. We will see ourselves as helpless in need of God’s love – confused in need of God’s truth – fearful in need of God’s courage – lost in need of God’s direction – sorrowful in need of God’s joy – anxious in need of God’s peace, and finally, weak in need of God’s strength.
We may understand that our sin nature hinders us from accomplishing anything good. We may feel unqualified to be a part of God’s work and will. This may seem disappointing, however we have great news. God offers victory over our corrupted human nature.
2 Peter 1:3-4 “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: 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.”
I see these verses as some of the most encouraging promises. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ allows us to be partakers of His divine nature. Remember our human nature is corrupt and sinful, but God imparts His own nature for our good. In the context of soul winning, our human nature can accomplish nothing. But with the divine nature, we can find strength, courage, boldness, and God’s help. This truth is so deep and hard to understand, but it is such a wonderful blessing from God. Rather than feeling worthless, we can feel victorious in Jesus. Let us accomplish His will by way of the divine nature in us.
(By Matt Shold)
