第六週   有分於神的性情，以及發展神聖的生命和神聖的性情，以豐富的進入永遠的國

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詩歌：補451

讀經：彼後一1，3 ～ 11，三18

【週一】

壹 我們這些在基督裏的信徒旣接受同樣寶貴的信，就應當有分於神的性情—彼後一4：

一 神的性情是指神的所是，也就是神所是的豐富、元素和構成成分—約四24，約壹一5，四8，16。

二 神聖的生命和神聖的性情是分不開的；神聖的性情是神聖生命的本質，並且在神聖生命裏面—一1 ～ 2，五11 ～ 13。

三 我們旣是神的兒女，就是神人，從神而生，擁有神的生命和性情，屬於神的種類—三1，約一12 ～ 13：

1 我們重生時，有另一個性情分賜到我們裏面；這就是神的性情，神聖的性情—彼後一4。

2 神聖的性情旣是在神聖的生命裏，我們重生所得的神聖生命裏就有神聖的性情—約三3，5 ～ 6，15。

3 凡信入神兒子的人就由神而生，並有權利成爲神的兒女；因此，信徒有權利有分於、享受神的性情—一12 ～ 13。

四 神聖性情的有分者，就是得享神性情並有分於神性情的人—彼後一4：

1 有分於神的性情，就是享受神的所是；有分於神的性情，就是有分於神所是的豐富、元素和構成成分—彼前一8。

2 我們若要有分於神的性情，就需要憑神聖的生命而活，在這生命裏有神聖的性情—約一4，十10，十一25，六57 下。

【週二】

五 我們藉着神又寶貴又極大的應許，得享神性情的豐富—林後十二9，太二八20 下，弗三20。

六 有分於神的性情有個條件，就是我們要逃離世上從情慾來的敗壞；我們需要活在逃離和有分、有分和逃離的循環裏—彼後一4。

七 我們若享受神，並有分於祂所是的豐富，就會被神的性情所構成，而在生命和性情上（但不在神格上）成爲與神一式一樣，並在我們一切的所是和所作上彰顯祂—3 節。

八 當我們有分於神的性情，享受神一切所是時，神性情的豐富就要完滿的發展，如彼後一章五至七節所描述的。

【週三】

貳 神聖的種子已經撒在我們裏面，我們需要經歷那包含在這神聖種子裏之神聖生命和神聖性情的發展，使我們得以豐富的進入永遠的國—1，4 ～ 11 節：

一 我們已經分得同樣寶貴的奇妙之信，這信乃是包羅一切的種子—1 節：

1 一切神聖的豐富都在這種子裏，但我們必須殷勤發展這些豐富；長大成熟就是發展我們所已經接受的—1 ～ 8 節，三18。

2 藉着發展這些美德，我們就在生命裏長大，至終我們要達到成熟，滿了基督，彀資格並裝備好，在要來的國裏作王—弗四13 ～ 15，西二19，彼後一11。

3 我們需要有完全的發展和成熟，從信的種子，經過美德和知識的根，節制的榦，以及忍耐和敬虔的枝子，到弟兄相愛和愛的花和果子—5 ～ 7 節。

二 在信上供應美德，就是運用同樣寶貴的信而發展美德，卽神聖生命的能力所產生有活力的行動；我們需要運用這信，使神聖生命的美德在後續的步驟裏得着發展，而達到成熟—5 節上。

三 美德需要以對神和我們主耶穌的認識爲充足的供應；在我們的美德上，我們所需要發展的知識，包括對神和我們救主的認識，對神經綸的認識，對甚麼是信的認識，以及對神聖的能力、榮耀、美德、性情和生命的認識—5 節下。

四 節制就是在情感、喜好和習慣上管治並約束己；爲着生命正確的長大，我們需要在知識上操練節制—6 節上。

五 操練忍耐就是容忍別人與環境—6 節中。

六 敬虔指像神並彰顯神的生活—6 節下。

【週四、週五】

七 弟兄相愛（philadelphia，非拉鐵非）是弟兄的情愛，就是一種以喜悅和快樂爲特徵的愛；在敬虔，就是彰顯神的事上，需要供應這愛，使我們能維持弟兄的關係，能對世人作見證，並能結果子—7 節上，彼前二17，三8，加六10，約十三34 ～ 35，十五16 ～ 17。

八 在我們裏面神聖性情終極的發展乃是愛—agape，阿嘎沛，此字原文在新約中用以指神聖的愛，就是神在祂性情上的所是—彼後一7 下，約壹四8，16：

1 弟兄相愛需要進一步發展成爲更高尚、更崇高的愛—彼後一7 下。

2 當我們享受神的性情時，我們需要讓我們所分得之信的神聖種子得以發展，直到完成於神聖、更高尚的愛—5 ～ 7 節。

3 我們有分於神的性情到極點，就被神這愛充滿，我們就成爲愛的人，甚至就是愛本身—弗三19。

【週六】

九 在神聖的生命裏發展屬靈的美德，因而在神聖生命的成長裏往前，使神對我們的呼召和揀選堅定不移—彼後一10。

十 我們應當殷勤追求神聖生命和神聖性情的長大並發展，好豐富進入永遠的國—10 ～ 11 節：

1 我們在神聖生命和神聖性情的發展裏所享受全備的供應，（3 ～ 7，）必充分的供應我們，使我們豐富的進入我們主永遠的國。

2 這供應要叫我們憑神聖生命和神聖性情一切的豐富，作我們達到神輝煌榮耀的優越美德（能力），使我們能彀並合格進入要來的國—3 節，彼前五10。

3 表面看來，是我們進入永遠的國；事實上，是藉着我們在生命裏的長大，並藉着神聖生命在我們裏面的發展，叫我們得着豐富的供應，而得以進入永遠的國。

Week Six

Partakers of the Divine Nature and the Development of the Divine Life and the Divine Nature for a Rich Entrance into the Eternal Kingdom

Hymns: 1211

Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 1:1, 3-11; 3:18

§ Day 1

I. As those who have received equally precious faith, we, the believers in Christ, should be partakers of the divine nature—2 Pet. 1:4:

A. The divine nature refers to what God is, that is, the riches, the elements, and the constituents of Gods being—John 4:24; 1 John 1:5; 4:8, 16.

B. The divine life and the divine nature are inseparable; the divine nature is the substance of the divine life and is within the divine life—1:1-2; 5:11-13.

C. As the children of God, we are God-men, born of God, possessing the life and nature of God, and belonging to the species of God—3:1; John 1:12-13:

1. At our regeneration, another nature was imparted into us; this is the nature of God, the divine nature—2 Pet. 1:4.

2. Because the divine nature is in the divine life, the divine life with which we were born again has the divine nature within it—John 3:3, 5-6, 15.

3. Whoever believes into the Son of God is born of God and has the right to become a child of God; thus, a believer has the right to partake of, to enjoy, the nature of God—1:12-13.

D. A partaker of the divine nature is one who enjoys the divine nature and participates in the divine nature—2 Pet. 1:4:

1. To partake of the divine nature is to enjoy what God is; to be a partaker of the divine nature is to be a partaker of the riches, the elements, and the constituents of Gods being—1 Pet. 1:8.

2. If we would be partakers of the divine nature, we need to live by the divine life within which is the divine nature—John 1:4; 10:10; 11:25; 6:57b.

§ Day 2

E. We enjoy the riches of the divine nature through Gods precious and exceedingly great promises—2 Cor. 12:9; Matt. 28:20b; Eph. 3:20.

F. Being a partaker of the divine nature has a condition—that we escape the corruption which is in the world by lust; we need to live in the cycle of escaping and partaking and of partaking and escaping—2 Pet. 1:4.

G. If we enjoy God and partake of the riches of His being, we will be constituted with the divine nature, becoming the same as God in life and nature but not in the Godhead and expressing Him in all that we are and do—v. 3.

H. As we partake of the divine nature, enjoying all that God is, the riches of the divine nature will be fully developed, as described in verses 5 through 7.

§ Day 3

II. We need to experience the development of the divine life and the divine nature contained in the divine seed that has been sown into us so that we may have a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom—vv. 1, 4-11:

A. We have been allotted the wonderful equally precious faith, and this faith is an all-inclusive seed—v. 1:

1. All the divine riches are in this seed, but we must be diligent to develop them; to grow to maturity is to develop what we already have—vv. 1-8; 3:18.

2. By developing these virtues, we grow in life, and eventually we will reach maturity, be full of Christ, and be qualified and equipped to be kings in the coming kingdom—Eph. 4:13-15; Col. 2:19; 2 Pet. 1:11.

3. We need to have the full development and maturity from the seed of faith, through the roots of virtue and knowledge, the trunk of self-control, and the branches of endurance and godliness, to the blossom and fruit of brotherly love and love—vv. 5-7.

B. To supply virtue in faith is to develop virtue—the energy of the divine life issuing in vigorous action—in the exercise of the equally precious faith; this faith needs to be exercised so that the virtue of the divine life may be developed in the succeeding steps and reach maturity—v. 5a.

C. Virtue needs the bountiful supply of the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; the knowledge that we should develop in our virtue includes the knowledge of God and of our Savior, the knowledge of Gods economy, the knowledge of what faith is, and the knowledge of the divine power, glory, virtue, nature, and life—v. 5b.

D. Self-control is the exercise of control and restraint over ones self in its passions, desires, and habits; such self-control needs to be exercised in knowledge for the proper growth in life—v. 6a.

E. To exercise endurance is to bear with others and with circumstances—v. 6b.

F. Godliness is a living that is like God and that expresses God—v. 6c.

§ Day 4 & Day 5

G. Brotherly love (philadelphia) is brotherly affection, a love characterized by delight and pleasure; in godliness, which is the expression of God, this love needs to be supplied for the brotherhood, for our testimony to the world, and for the bearing of fruit—v. 7a; 1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8; Gal. 6:10; John 13:34-35; 15:16-17.

H. The ultimate development of the divine nature within us is love—agape, the Greek word used in the New Testament for the divine love, which God is in His nature—2 Pet. 1:7b; 1 John 4:8, 16:

1. Our brotherly love needs to be developed further into a nobler and higher love—2 Pet. 1:7b.

2. In our enjoyment of the divine nature, we need to let the divine seed of the allotted faith develop to its consummation in the divine and nobler love—vv. 5-7.

3. When we partake of the divine nature to the uttermost, we are filled with God as love, and we become persons of love, even love itself—Eph. 3:19.

§ Day 6

I. To develop the spiritual virtues in the divine life and thus to advance in the growth of the divine life makes Gods calling and selection of us firm— 2 Pet. 1:10.

J. We should be diligent to pursue the growth and development of the divine life and divine nature for a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom—vv. 10-11:

1. The bountiful supply that we enjoy in the development of the divine life and divine nature (vv. 3-7) will bountifully supply us a rich entrance into theE. To exercise endurance is to bear with others and with circumstances—v. 6b.

F. Godliness is a living that is like God and that expresses God—v. 6c.

§ Day 4 & Day 5

G. Brotherly love (philadelphia) is brotherly affection, a love characterized by delight and pleasure; in godliness, which is the expression of God, this love needs to be supplied for the brotherhood, for our testimony to the world, and for the bearing of fruit—v. 7a; 1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8; Gal. 6:10; John 13:34-35; 15:16-17.

H. The ultimate development of the divine nature within us is love—agape, the Greek word used in the New Testament for the divine love, which God is in His nature—2 Pet. 1:7b; 1 John 4:8, 16:

1. Our brotherly love needs to be developed further into a nobler and higher love—2 Pet. 1:7b.

2. In our enjoyment of the divine nature, we need to let the divine seed of the allotted faith develop to its consummation in the divine and nobler love—vv. 5-7.

3. When we partake of the divine nature to the uttermost, we are filled with God as love, and we become persons of love, even love itself—Eph. 3:19.

§ Day 6

I. To develop the spiritual virtues in the divine life and thus to advance in the growth of the divine life makes Gods calling and selection of us firm— 2 Pet. 1:10.

J. We should be diligent to pursue the growth and development of the divine life and divine nature for a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom—vv. 10-11:

1. The bountiful supply that we enjoy in the development of the divine life and divine nature (vv. 3-7) will bountifully supply us a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord.

2. This supply will enable and qualify us to enter into the coming kingdom by all the riches of the divine life and divine nature as our excellent virtues (energy) unto the splendid glory of God—v. 3; 1 Pet. 5:10.

3. Apparently, it is we who enter into the eternal kingdom; actually, the entrance into the eternal kingdom is supplied to us richly through our growth in life and through the development of the divine life within us.