“Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. (2 Peter 1:4 NET).
To better understand what it means to “become partakers of the divine nature,” it helps to take a corresponding look at what that phrase does not entail.
First, to become a partaker of the divine nature does not imply that we will become divine beings. For instance, some cultic organizations teach that a human being can ascend to the status of a deity. In fact, that belief finds its origin in the Garden of Eden…
“…the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:2-5).
In contrast, those who receive Christ are welcomed into the family of God as His sons and daughters. The Gospel of John addresses this aspect of our relationship with God when it tells us, “…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). So much like a child who shares in the nature of a parent, the same can be said of those who are born of their heavenly Father.
The New Testament book of Romans further explains what it means to partake in the divine nature when it says, “As we have worn the likeness of the man who was made from the dust of the earth, we will also wear the likeness of the man who came from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:49 GW).
In addition, the qualities of holiness, justice, righteousness, honor, grace, and love characterize God’s nature. Thus, we will partake of God’s divine nature in the sense expressed by 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”