His divine power …
Summary: Divine power is different than physical power. In the physical realm, physical power is mostly what we see, but the Bible is full of stories about a different kind of power.
So far in Peter’s letter, he has only said “Hello.” Verses one and two are part of the formal greeting that is typical of letters written in Peter’s day. For example, if I were writing you a letter in the style of the first century, it might start something like this:
Jeff, a person called, forgiven, and redeemed by Jesus, To those who have also been called, forgiven, and redeemed by Jesus or want to be and who are reading this blog: May understanding and insight be yours as we meditate on God’s Word together.
Only then would I begin to write the body of the letter.
Peter has now finished his greeting. We have learned a lot about who Peter is and why he is writing his letter. We know he is talking about Jesus because so far everything he has said has been about Jesus!
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who, through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
So, there is no doubt about who he is talking about when he writes, “His divine power…” He is talking about Jesus.
Power is one of those things that the people of this world crave. Even as kids, the games we play reflect this truth. The title of “winner” goes to the one who has the power to overcome the “loser.”
International politics is based on power. The power to annihilate your enemy is what keeps your enemy from annihilating you.
The quest for human power is a never-ending struggle that is played out on every level of our existence every day.
Divine power is different.
Divine power is still power. Divine power is still the key to overcoming the enemy. Yet there are aspects of divine power that are worth considering.
First is the power to create. John writes, “Through him all things were made…” (John 1:3) That is a lot of power! If nothing existed before Jesus and nothing could exist without him, then without him, no other powers could exist. All other power is subordinate to the power of Jesus.
Second, we see in Jesus the power to transcend the spiritual and the physical. From our perspective in the physical world, we judge all power by physical standards. Yet the spiritual realm, though unseen by physical eyes, is more “real” than the physical realm. Jesus can move from one to the other at will.
Third, we see in Jesus the power of self-control. The question we usually use to evaluate power is something like this: “Do you have the power to make me do what you want me to do?” Jesus has that power, but he refrains from using it. He allows us to choose what we want to do.
Fourth, there is physical power. This power ranges from the power to destroy cities, like Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Genesis 19:23-28), to the power to change water into wine (John 2:1-12). We see Jesus exercise this power again and again as he feeds thousands of people (John 14: 13-21), walks on water (John 14:22-33), and heals the sick (John 14: 35-36).
Finally, there is power over death. This is the most significant and valuable power of all.
Do you want more examples of Jesus’ power over the physical realm? The entire Bible is a testimony to the power of Jesus. More than that, it is a testimony to the divine nature of His power.
Application: Read the Bible with an eye for the divine power of Jesus at work.
Food for Thought: How is our faith in Jesus related to the divine power we see at work in our own lives?
Wow, for me this question is one that got the noggin going this morning and even now, I’m not sure I’m going to answer it correctly. How is our faith in Jesus related to the divine power we see at work in our own lives?
When I look back at the divine powers listed above, the power to create, self-control, physical power and the power over death (sorry, I can’t wrap my little head around the power to transcend the spiritual and physical. Truly hoping someone else can help me out on that one), I think of things like having a child (the ability to have a child or adopting for example) and faith in Jesus for that blessing to be given. Self-control, choosing right over wrong, even when everyone else is going down the wrong path.
As for physical power, I think of all the destruction going on around us in the world right now. Sometimes, it is hard to continue holding on to hope and having faith, but as believers in Christ, we do. We know he sees the end game and that all things work together for his good (Romans 8:28).
I know I mentioned this a few days ago, but I have been watching the Chosen and it has been an eye opener for me to have things brought to life. The ages before us have dealt with destruction (fallen empires), power struggles (can you believe those Romans?), impoverished people (Samaritans), etc. and yet they held out hope and faith in Jesus and his divine power. Jeff is right in that the Bible is full of examples of this.
Finally, I know when I am having a difficult day or just need to surpass a feeling of being overwhelmed, if I just open the bible for five minutes to read, I feel better and five minutes often turns into 15 minutes or longer – a divine power unlike any other.
Darla,
Thank you so much for sharing today! I love hearing stories about people moving to a deeper relationship with God.
Regarding the power to “transcend the spiritual and the physical” I am happy to share a bit more of what I see there.
Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This presupposes that the spiritual existed before the physical. I picture this in my mind as a giant unlimited place called the “spiritual” realm, and in the middle is a shining bubble that contains the physical world as we know it.
When we are born, we exist as physical beings, but we have a spiritual (unseen) component as well. When we die the physical part of our existence is done, but our spiritual part continues.
Historically, this is a one-way process. We can go from a physical existence to the spiritual, but not back again. Jesus, having been born a human, reversed this process. He makes it possible to come back from the dead as he demonstrated with Lazarus. But Lazarus had no control over that process. Only Jesus did.
After his death, Jesus came back to show us that he was (A) alive, and (B) able to come and go at will. This coming and going at will is unique to Jesus. That is what I was thinking of. 🙂
I like this explanation. For some strange reason, I guess I never thought about it specifically, I assumed when God created the “heavens and earth” he created “heaven and earth”. What you said makes more sense now that I think about it.
Thanks, Chris.
You are right! The problem is that there are two kinds of “heavens.” Standing on earth we call the sky, and all that we see in it the “heavens.” Closing our eyes in prayer we connect with our God who is in the spiritual realm we call “heaven.”
Jeff, thank you so much for the expanded explanation. This is so very helpful and makes complete sense. I especially love the examples of Jesus and Lazarus. I was struggling to wrap my head around what you meant but this was very helpful for me to understand what you meant and to put a context to it. =)
Good points Darla.
I think our faith acknowledges God’s power at work. We “see” God’s divine power at work when we live with eyes that are open to His truth. For example, I was on vacation this week and saw the beauty of God’s creation everywhere. If someone was not a believer or engaging their faith, they may have seen the same beauty but not with an appreciation for the Creator. I can fall into that easily enough as well. How my walk with Christ is doing directly affects my attitude toward Him as I look at His handiwork.
That same truth is evident in my daily walk. Yesterday, I heard of a person I have been praying for experiencing healing from cancer. Medical treatment was involved, but he really beat the odds. Was it a God miracle, a medical miracle, or both. The truth is God provided the treatment and May have been directly involved in the healing. My faith in Christ will affect how I see this – and it will affect my friend who was healed.
So one way we my faith in Jesus affects how I “see” His power at work in my life – is if I am seeing through the lens of faith in Christ I am likely to see things from God’s point of view and acknowledge the work He has done.
Thank you, Rich!
The Truth of God does affect how we see things and this in itself is a manifestation of God’s divine power. Well said!
This is a good question because it made me stop and think about 1) what does “my faith in Jesus” mean, and 2) what divine power do I see at work in my life.
My faith in Jesus means I recognize that I sin (have sinned, will sin) because of that I cannot be with the perfect Creator. The Creator, knowing this, sent Jesus to pay my debt, and Jesus willingly paid it. More than this though I have really begun to understand that my faith in Jesus is not that he will or has just paid a debt, but that He is my advocate. I have faith that Jesus will advocate on my behalf before the throne of God. To me that is very powerful. To me that hits very close to home in my heart.
I can see Christ’s divine power in my life now more than ever. You listed several powers: creation, transcendtion, self-control, physical, power over death. Some of these I can see absolutely now and in the past in my life, some of these I need to think more on. One more power that comes to mind for me (which may be already captured but maybe I’m not connecting the dots yet) is the power of transformation. Understanding that I myself can only get worse, and that this is not transformation but “linear progression to spiritual death.” Jesus has the power to transform me from my sinful nature so that I can not only be with God, but be close to God.
Accepting Jesus as my savior and advocate has opened the door to His divine power in my life. Not just a debt paid, or a ticket punched, but an invitation to be part of a family. It is a changing of the course (from death), and a transformation of who I am. I think Jesus uses all His divine power to make this happen. This is how I can see Jesus divine power at work in my life.
Thank you, Chris!
You are right, the power of transformation is one of the divine powers! I wish I had thought to include it. 🙂 Glad you did!
Chris,
I truly love what you wrote! The divine power of our debt being paid and an invitation to being a part of his family! WOW! I mean, talk about thought provoking. I did not connect these dots and it sure causes me to think more in ways that I completely missed. Thank you so much!
Brother Rich, your questions really make me think and research and pray alot! I am really very grateful for you. Thank you!!
09-02-2021, 2 Peter 3:1a, How is our faith in Jesus related to the divine power we see at work in our own lives?
As believers we have been born into new life, our spirits have been given life and we have an opportunity to experience growth as we develop into adults spiritually. Believers can now look forward to one day being completely transformed into Christ’s likeness. The Holy Trinity is totally involved in and is in fact the power providing our salvation and spiritual growth in Jesus Christ as we are being made holy, and one day we shall be made completely holy. Our faith and growth in wisdom come to us by the divine power of our Triune God.
1 John 3:2, Ephesians 2:8-9, James 1:5-8
We see that God the Father began this work and He will finish it.
He has put His laws in our minds, and written them on our hearts. He has given His only Begotten Son as the only acceptable sacrifice, payment for the sins of all mankind. God made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. God alone made it possible for believers to be in Christ and become ambassadors for Christ to reconcile others through Christ.
Jeremiah 31:33, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 1:20, 2 Corinthians 5:20
We see the Holy Spirit convicts the world ( reveals Gods definition of sin, righteousness and judgement to come ). By the power of the Holy Spirit believers are guided into obedience to the word of God.
John 16:8-13, Romans 8:5-8,1 Corinthians 3:16, Colossians 1:29
Jesus Christ, who came to serve mankind rather than be served. He gave His life for the sins of this world. As our advocate He intercedes with prayer as He now serves all believers, who have become dead to sins and are healed by His stripes. We are now reconciled with God who sees us as righteous through Christ who looks forward to rewarding the faithful when He returns.
Luke 12:37, Romans 5:11, I Peter 2:24, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Mark 10:45, 1 John 2:1-2, 1 John 2:1
Ron,
You hit on a lot of important points! Thank you! The thread that connects all of them is the “power of God.” Our God truly is an awesome God!
Excellent point Jeff!
Ron,
Speechless. I have no words for the way you connected the dots. I always learn so much from reading your responses to Jeff’s posts. Thank you!
We never seen Jesus but we know He is going to return,..we can’t see the wind but we know it’s there,..so to me His divine power may be the same in that way,..I can’t see His power but I know it’s there because of the transformation in my life,..
The comments here are very informative and deep,..thankful for the theological discussions here
As Chris mentioned,..it makes me think,..
It was because of His word in my life that I have been transformed by His divine power, and it is because of Jesus and His divine power that I get to experience faith in this life that He has called me to live,..
John,
Many times here you have shared testimony about the power of God in your life. How he has changed you, and through you how he has impacted others. Thank you for being a brother in the Lord!