“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.”
-2 Peter 1:3-4
...In summary, we have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness because we have been called by God to gain glory and virtue. Because of this, certain promises have been made to us, and it is through these promises that we can take part in divine nature.
What is divine nature? When I was in Young Women, I had always thought of divine nature as more of a divine temperament. We are who we naturally are based on what our spirits were like in the pre-mortal existence.
"Pretend it's a seed, okay?"
In my New Testament class today, we talked about another interpretation of what divine nature means. The Greek word for divine nature is “phusis” (pronounced “foo’sis”) meaning “growth (by germination or expansion), i.e. (by implication) natural production (lineal descent); by extension, a genus or sort.” We talked about the implications of growth by germination. When you look at a seed of a redwood tree, you’ll notice they look nothing alike. Honestly, how could this...
...turn into this?: (P.S. We're ignoring the fact that I don't know this person.)
Clearly seeds are nothing like massive redwood trees. But they have the potential to be.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that just as a seed has the potential to turn into a massive tree, we have the potential to become like God. We are, by nature, divine beings who were born to become like our Heavenly Father. We are literally children of our Heavenly Father. Divine nature is about being like God, and this earth was created so we could have the opportunity to grow into our divine nature. In Isaiah 45:18 it says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited.” Earth was created for us to come and get a mortal body and experience trials and tribulations, to go through the fiery furnace to rid ourselves of our imperfections and faults.
But lest you get a big head, all of this is literally impossible without Jesus Christ. To be like God, you have to be perfect, and there is no way that any of us can be perfect. That is why Heavenly Father created the Plan of Salvation. We would come to earth, receive bodies, and because of our fallen, imperfect nature, Jesus Christ would come to atone for our sins. In the New Testament, the actual translation of the concept “atone” is “reconciliation”. Jesus Christ would reconcile the difference between God and our fallen, sinful state and make it possible for us to return into the presence of God. For “no unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Nephi 10:21).
Jesus Christ, through his Atonement and Resurrection, has paid for our sins, and has made it possible for us to return to the presence of God, to be like Him, and to fulfill our divine nature of Godhood. When we return to Heavenly Father, it won't be on our own merit, but on the merit of Jesus Christ. This is why it is so important for us to come unto Christ and keep the commandments. It is only through Him, that we can reach our full potential, and it is only through Him that we can be exalted in the Kingdom of God.
If you have any questions on what I’ve written, feel free to contact missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They can answer any questions you have about what we believe. You can reach them here! Or you can leave a comment and we can talk about it!
No comments:
Post a Comment