“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” 2 Peter 1:4
Old and New Testament believers understood that the more they knew God, the more they would trust and depend on His promises. It’s no different today. The godly life Peter previously described (vv2-3) is only possible through this kind of dependence upon God and His Word. In fact, God’s promises are the key to growing in our relationship with Christ.
First, God’s promises are reliable, not because we claim them but because He gave them. Every promise in God’s Word is based on God’s character, which is pure, good, and holy. Our circumstances, regardless of how bad, never hinder His ability to do what He says He will do. Because His power is inexhaustible, He can always work powerfully on our behalf.
God’s promises are valuable beyond anything we can imagine. This is why Peter described them as “precious and magnificent.” Their value lies in the cost God paid to secure them—the life of His Son. Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection were not just prophecies fulfilled, they were also promises kept. And without His sacrifice, each subsequent promise would be void of substance.
The promises of God are also purposeful, helping us become more like Christ. At the moment we trust Jesus for salvation we are endued with His divine nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual growth is the result of nourishing our new nature, which feeds on the Word of God. As we submit to the Lord and seek to serve Him, we nourish His nature within us.
So, pursuing God’s promises starts by fully submitting to the Promiser—conforming our lives to Christ by yielding to His nature within us. As our fellowship with Him strengthens, so does our trust and dependence upon every promise in His Word. The believer’s greatest defense against the world’s corruption and hopelessness is to passionately pursue the reliable, valuable, and purposeful promises of God.