Exceeding great and precious promises

2 Peter 1:4

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.

It would be impossible for mortal man to fully commentate on such a glorious passage as this. However, I will make a small, yet feeble attempt, to direct our pure hearts and minds to a truth of giganic proportions. And, since God has assured us that all things can be done through the strength of Christ, a feeble attempt can be transformed into a valiant work, if God so chooses to bless it. That is in the hands of God. Today, we see one marvelous statement recorded here that could alter the course of your heart and mind, if you will allow it to arise in your heart, and if you will permit it to bring a great dawning upon your Christian and spiritual life. For you see! See! Look! Listen! Behold! He has here told us two great things at the very least! He has told us that we are recipients of exceeding great and precious promises! And the great apostle, Simon Peter, has further told us that we may be partakes of the divine nature! Is there anything better? Is anything closer to Heaven than this? Surely this is the House of God, and this is the gate of Heaven! But, in consideration of time and space, we will only venture briefly into this grandiose topic of the exceeding great and precious promises.

Exceeding great and precious! What is he speaking of? Notice the declaration in the first verse that we have obtained precious faith through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. What a promise this is! That we may obtain this precious faith through the righteousness of God! The promise implicit here is that we may have His righteousness inputed to our account through faith in Jesus Christ. Can we not all shout “Hallelujah”? For we have been made righteous in His sight, and this is the promise to all who believe! For the promise is given to those that believe that they are justified from all things! And then there is the glorious promise of grace and peace. All this is given to us through Jesus our Lord. And then there is also a promise given here of His divine power. That power has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Therefore, we learn that the Christian has everything they need through the great and mighty power of God. All is at your disposal! All is available for ownership. You have all and abound through Christ. Through the knowledge of Christ we have been made beneficiaries of these exceeding great and precious promises.

Now, dear one, time would certainly fail to speak of all the promises of the Scriptures. They are innumerable and without end! They shall never fail! They shall abide as long as God shall endure. They shall stand the test of time, and outlive all the promises and assertions of feeble, mortal man. His promises are forever. Could we not speak of His promise never to leave us? Could we not elaborate on His covenant of mercy? Could we not expostulate upon the great themes of the gospel, the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ—the mansion awaiting us, the eternal life that is devoid of sin, suffering, death, and destruction? Could we not proceed further in speaking of the promise that He works all for our good. What about the heavenly truth that He has sealed us by His Holy Spirit, and our inheritance cannot be taken away? We are sheltered and hidden in the great hand of God. No man shall ever pluck us thence! And we shall never perish! Is there the need for encouragement? Are you on a search for strength? Is there a quest in your heart for spiritual repose, constant rest, and abiding peace? Look no further! It is herein contained in one verse and the surrounding verses. Yea, the whole Bible is one great peace-maker. Find peace today, my beloved, in the exceeding great and precious promises found in the Holy Scriptures!

“Oh, Lord, how could we praise you enough, or give honor to your name as is fitting and proper? Our hearts exude with joy, and our spirits are infused with your peace as we ponder these promises! May you keep our hearts from forgetting these things, so that we may never cease to praise you and rejoice in you. Thank you that you have not left us comfortless, but you have come to us. And through your Spirit, you have blessed us with your wonderful promises. They are exceeding great, and they are surely most precious! We praise you now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”