June 2026 – Wisdom From the Word

Partakers?

Most of you who read this, and including myself as the writer, have evangelical roots. Our faith is rooted in Western theological traditions. The title is from 2 Peter 1:4. Here we explore the meaning by starting with the passage.

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2–4 (NKJV)

I referenced our evangelical roots as they are distinct from older Eastern Orthodox traditions. They embrace the concept of ‘theosis.’ The word comes from Greek and means deification or becoming ‘godlike.’ The process is described more fully in the article below from my Logos library

Deification. The process of becoming like God, emphasized primarily in Eastern Orthodoxy, as part of Christian salvation and sanctification. The notion of deification (Greek: theosis) finds biblical precedent in 2 Peter 1:4. Some have also seen the concept present in the writings of the apostle Paul (Blackwell 2011, 129). The language of deification was profuse throughout the patristic writings; the concept may even have been taken for granted, as no formal definition was offered until the sixth century (Russell 2004, 1). It is most famously expressed by Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373): “For he was incarnate that we might be made god” (On the Incarnation 54).

The Eastern Orthodox present theosis as a three stage process. Wikipeadia describe it as follows.

Purgative Way (Katharsis) – purification of mind, body, and soul through repentance, ascetic practices, and moral discipline.
Illuminative Way (Theoria) – spiritual enlightenment and direct experience of God, often cultivated through prayer, contemplation, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Unitive Way (Theosis Proper) – full participation in God’s divine energies, culminating in sanctity and eternal communion with God, especially realized in the resurrection

I raise this as in recent years more Christians have been moving to Orthodox and similar Roman Catholic beliefs and practices. What is always important to be, no matter who holds or promotes certain beliefs, is whether they align with scripture. To clarify, the teaching on theosis is not that believers become Christ, the Spirit, or the Father but it is that we become ‘godlike.’ To some degree this makes sense in that we receive a new nature at conversion. However, rather than focusing on theosis I will focus on what scripture says and you can decide.

The Greek word that ‘partakers’ is translated from is below.

κοινωνός koinōnos; from 2839; a sharer:—partaker(1), partakers(1), partner(2), partners(2), sharers(4).^[1]

If you are familiar with the term koinonia, which we translate as fellowship or communion, you will recognize the similarity because koinonos is the root of koinonia. The idea being that we partake of or participate in something. Peter tells us how we partake in verses 5-7, he says it is through a process of adding virtue (right behaviour to our faith) then knowledge, followed by self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally love. Here love is agape, sacrificial other focused love.

Thus, we are told that partaking of the divine nature comes via the knowledge of Jesus, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Now, before we conclude that our growth in our relationship with Jesus is based on our good works. I think we need to shelve that idea. It is based on walking with Him in a deep and meaningful way.

I will explain and encourage you to search the scripture. We are told that we are spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). At conversion our sprit is born again, we receive Jesus’ nature within (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). As we continue to walk with Jesus and walk through the process Peter described, our soul (mind, will and emotions) begins to be reshaped into Jesus’ image. A process known as sanctification. Which is what Peter says is partaking of the divine nature. We draw closer to Him and begin to know Him in a deeper way. Our minds are renewed as we submit our wills to His as revealed in scripture (Romans 12:1-12).

I think another part of this process, in addition to submitting to scripture, is through spending time with Jesus based on 2 Corinthians 3:18 – beholding Jesus. We do this by simply sitting with Him, by faith beholding Him and worshipping Him.

In doing so we do in fact partake of the divine nature. Not by becoming godlike but by being changed in the presence of a holy God.

^[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

Disruptive by Design

An intriguing title I trust. A number of years I was receiving treatment from a chiropractor in the local university area. On the way to appointments I regularly walked by an optometry office and there was a sign in the window advertising glasses frames, Oakley I believe. The caption on the poster was, ‘Disruptive by design.’ It captured my attention. They were obviously using it as a marketing tool. Which isn’t in and of itself a bad thing. They were being strategic in how they sought to reach their customers

Which leads to me wondering how many of us have ever thought of Jesus as strategic. Scripture says He was born, “In the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) That is strategic. Jesus came on the scene when Rome had built an expansive empire that allowed for far flung travel and the spread of the gospel. Strategic. Scripture also says Jesus was the ‘lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). That is long term strategic planning! Jesus also arrived on the scene at a time when things looked hopeless for Israel as a nation, which stirred up a longing in people’s hearts for a messiah deliverer. John the Baptist was born and called into his ministry to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:1-4), another strategic aspect.

Now we need to address what this has to do with being disruptive. Jesus was disruptive by design; He was being strategic. As part of the Trintiy, He was part of the planning of when He would be born, to whom and where. Other than His birthplace being prophesied, the other aspects of Jesus’ incarnation were disruptive. For example, He was conceived in a young virgin, in an unimportant town in an unimportant area in Israel. In His ministry He wanted to capture attention and get people to think differently, to step out of dysfunctional religious traditions and embrace not the kingdom of Israel but the kingdom of God.

Jesus was consistently disruptive in challenging the way people saw things. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 challenged the traditions and practices of the day. His parables were often pointed stories that challenged the religious establishment. In short, Jesus’ ministry disrupted the status quo, challenged people on how they saw the world, from the most broken and hurting to the loftiest, in terms of cultural status. In the culture of the day if someone touched a leper, they became unclean. Jesus touched lepers and they became clean! Jesus championed the outcasts but also sought out wealthy people like Zacheus the tax collector and brought salvation to his house. In John 3 when Nicodemus came to Jesus by night his worldview was significantly disrupted.

So now some questions for us. Are we furthering His kingdom and functioning like Jesus or seeking to fit in and get along? Are we asking the right questions and saying the right things that extend His kingdom in our world? Are we thinking strategically about how we impact those around us? After all, if we reflect on Jesus’ prayer for us below it is clear that He expects us to walk in a such a way that He is revealed through us.

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20–26 (NKJV)

Simply some things to consider.

Triumphing Over Them in It.

I trust you find the title interesting and hopefully you recognize Colossian 2 as the source. Here we will address two questions, the answers to them and ‘it.’ We need to recognize who is being triumphed over then understand both the short – and long-term implications. Along with looking at implications we will address the ‘it,’ which is the source of the efficacy of triumph.

¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:13–15 (NKJV)

We have here a progression. All of us, prior to the new birth, were dead in our sins (see also Ephesians 2:1-10). Through repentance and faith, we were forgiven and made new. We all, even the best of us, had a list of transgressions we had committed that meant we were eternally lost. Our situation is summed up in the lyrics from a 1979 song, “He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay.”

Jesus went to the cross on our behalf and the weight of our sins fell on Him. He took the list of our transgressions, past, present and future, and paid the price for them. This is a metaphorical, not a literal list. In His sacrifice on the cross Paul said that of the spiritual forces arrayed against us, the principalities and powers, Jesus triumphed over them in ‘it,’ the cross. The cross is the source of our victory. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians as well.

⁶ However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, ⁸ which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6–8 (NKJV)

The human ‘rulers of this age’ would have been Caiaphas and Pilate but the powers behind them, the principalities and powers, were the true rulers of the age driving the human rulers to engineer Jesus’ crucifixion.

Where we see the implications played out is in understanding the already not yet nature of the kingdom, an idea popularized by theologian George Eldon Ladd. The idea is compared to D-Day and V-Day in WWII. D-Day was June 6, 1944, the allied invasion of Normandy that was the turning point in the war. V-Day was May 8, 1945. For all intents and purposes, the war was won in June 1944. The victory was finalized in May 1945. The already point is that Jesus accomplished the victory 2,000 years ago on Golgotha. The principalities and powers arrayed against us have been defeated. However, the full realization of His victory, V-Day, will not be realized until His return. For us this means we need to understand and walk in what He has accomplished, His triumph on the cross. We demonstrate that we believe in what Jesus accomplished when we engage in the spiritual warfare Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-20. When we take up the armour He has given us and stand in faith in the middle of the battel we are in the moment enforcing Jesus’ victory, what was accomplished at the cross. As we continue to stand, we will see it fully realized in our lives at His return or when we step from time into eternity. In any case, our call is to stand in the battle until it is finished and what has been accomplished is fully realized. Let’s stand in faith, confident in Jesus’ triumph over them in it.

The Place of Authority

Here we will briefly examine the role of gates in relation to authority in Israel’s history and the actions in Matthew 16 leading up to the Transfiguration and the significance of Jesus statement in Matthew 16. Jesus said that He only did the things He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). In Matthew 16 the Father said it was time, so Jesus asked His famous question of the apostles, “But who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15) The timing was connected to geography, they were in northern Israel near Mount Hermon in the region of Caesarea Phillipi, known as Bashan in earlier times. In Moses’ day it was ruled by one of the giants, Og, king of Bashan, Moses defeated Og and his tribe and it became the territory of Manasseh (Numbers 21:33 – 35, Deuteronomy 3:1 – 7, 11, Joshua 13:11 – 12). Mount Hermon was the place where it was historically taught in Israel that the fallen elohim descended from the heavenly realm, took on human flesh, took human wives and produced the giants as offspring (see Genesis 6:1-4). Genesis 6:4 refers to giants being in the land in that time period and afterward. These fallen beings and their offspring so corrupted humanity that is lead to the flood of Noah’s day.

With that background we look at what Jesus said to Peter.

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

As a step in going deeper we take a look at three keywords in this statement, gates, prevail, and church. In Greek the word gates is simply a reference to a gate. The word prevail is a bit more interesting in Greek.

κατισχύω katischuō; from 2596 and 2480; to overpower:—have strength(1), overpower(1), prevail(1).^[1]

Thus, we could say the gates of Hades shall not overpower or have strength against the church, which we will define shortly. Yet gates are not active things, they are points of access, which means we need to dig a little deeper into what the term gates historically refers to by looking at OT examples, the cultural framework for the statements Jesus made. There are two below (see also Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

¹ Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Ruth 4:1–2 (NKJV)

²³ Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23 (NKJV)

The city gates were the courthouse of the day where legal transactions took place and matters were adjudicated. In essence the city gates were the authority structures. Once we see this, we can read Matthew 16 a little differently. Jesus went into enemy territory, the centre of ancient rebellion even before Israel existed as a nation, stood at the temple in the area known as The Gate of Hades/Hell and made a pronouncement that His followers would have heard as, “The authority structures of Hades shall not prevail against the church.”

This allows us to make sense of the passage and then act accordingly. First though we look at the word church. This word is critical as it has become popular in charismatic circles to refer to the church by the Greek term ekklesia. Which is fine if it is understood. The problem comes in with how it is often referenced as reflected in The Passion version of the bible. I have deliberately not used the word ‘translation’ as it isn’t. It is frequently an offering of one person’s opinion. Here is the best example, Matthew 16:18 in this version.

I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this rock will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church – my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!

Notice that this version refers to the church as a ‘legislative assembly’ and that is how many in the charismatic community view the church, as a legislative assembly uttering and enforcing decrees on the Lord’s behalf. The problem is that the idea of a legislative assembly is one aspect of the word. As we see below.

The understanding of ekklēsia as a secular term of classical Greek is in part linked to its etymology. It is from ek (1523), “from, out from,” and kaleō (2535), “call”; thus the verb ekkaleō meant “to call out, to summon” (by a herald). The noun, therefore, means the resulting “assembly,” “congregation,” or “those summoned.” Normally this summoning was of people, and it was often for political or governmental functions such as a legislative “assembly” or any “assembly of the common people, populus” (Liddell-Scott; Schmidt, “ekklēsia,” Kittel, 3:513; Coenen, “Church,” Colin Brown, 1:291–307).^[2]

When we look at the gospels John the Baptist, and Jesus in His earthly ministry, were heralding or calling out people to assemble with a purpose and calling. The subsequent believers who shared the gospel were doing the same thing. That purpose and calling, the reason for the assembly, is most clearly seen in Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission. Whenever and wherever the gospel is preached the church is being called to live the gospel and disciple others to do the same.

Now back to what Jesus meant in Matthew 16. Jesus in essence was saying that the church, the people He would gather, would have spiritual authority over the authority structures of the spiritual opposition against them. Paul understood this, which is why he wrote the following.

While it was religious and political authority structures that carried out Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus had led them into a trap and set them up for failure, which is Paul’s point. The principalities and powers Paul addresses in Ephesians in his teaching on spiritual warfare were the rulers of this age he referenced in 1 Corinthians 2. Their defeat by Jesus is what enables us to use the spiritual authority He has given us (Matthew 28:18-20) to preach the gospel and set the captives free. The authority structures of hell will never defeat the church. We carry His authority and are commissioned as He was to destroy the works of the devil (Acts 10:36-38).

The issue of authority is important because our use of it is tied to whether or not we believe we have it. I have read more than one account of people involved in witchcraft or the occult who later became Christians and stated that prior to their conversion they could see the authority that Christians carried but didn’t seem to be aware of. The awareness of authority is crucial for our operating in it. I recall a time many decades ago when I was pondering whether or not I had any spiritual authority. Later that evening an older lady (likely younger than I am now!) who had a prophetic/intercessory gifting called me at home and in the course of our conversation suddenly said, without any mention of the issue on my part, “Randy, you have the authority!”

Thus, I say to you, as a believer, “You have the authority!’ So, let’s walk in the authority He has given knowing that our ultimate victory is assured. Let’s pray and proclaim the truth of the gospel. We may lose some skirmishes in the battle but if we do we need to adjust our armour and get back in the fight and be found faithful knowing the final outcome is assured for us, the called-out ones, His church.

^[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

^[2] Thoralf Gilbrant, “Ἐκκλησία,” in The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991).