This sound doctrine, the Scripture says, is according to godliness.  2 Peter 1:3 says, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him.”  And it’s interesting here that this word “knowledge,” epignosis, is not an intellectual comprehension, it’s not an awareness of God.  As we’ve shared, this word epignosis talks about an intimacy, a communion, an abiding, a union together, a oneness.  Many people mistake their knowledge of God with knowing God.  There is no knowledge of God if there’s not a union, an intimacy.  It’s the same word used when it says, and Abraham knew Sarah.  It talks about that union, that coming together, where the two become one.  So, the question we’re asking then, is sound doctrine the fruit that comes out of our union with Christ?  “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done” (John 15:7); amen?  Why?  Because you’re not going to ask anything that’s outside His will.  Everything originates in His lordship.  Everything I pray for is already going to be in conjunction with God’s will.  And if I know that I’m asking, “according to His will,” I know that He’s heard me, praise God, is what John says (1 John 5:14).  So, here in Peter, he makes this comment and he talks about this knowledge that we have in Him.  Gnostics try to make it some kind of a mystical relationship, where the Scripture is just the opposite.  It makes it a practical, simple relationship.

He goes on and says here (2 Peter 1:3) that He has “called us to glory and virtue” (the power of God).  So, there’s “given unto us,” verse 4, “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these promises ye might be partakers of the divine nature.”  That’s a powerful statement; isn’t it?  Aren’t you glad we’ve exchanged the sin nature for the divine nature?  When we talk about the divine nature of God, we’re talking about more than just obedience, actions; we’re talking about, now, this is a new creation.  We have the blood of Jesus Christ that is continually manifesting itself on our behalf, cleansing us from sin.  This same blood, it effects the illumination of our mind.  We are not the same creature.  And we, laughingly, would say we have a new blood type.  It’s “D” for divine, praise God!  You know, the blood type is determined by the father.  And we have that divine seed dwelling in us.  If God’s seed is alive and dwelling in us, we cannot habitually sin.  This is all good doctrine; we are new creatures. 

Then, he goes on, and says, “We’re a people as we partake of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  And because of this revelation of us partaking of this divine nature, add to this awareness, this illumination, a diligent pursuit of all that we have and are in Jesus Christ.  It ends with this comment, “For if these things be in you, and abound…ye shall never fall” (2 Peter 1:8 and 10).  It protects us against the false doctrines of the hour.  To have this working in us and being maturely increasing, constantly reminds us of the new man, the hidden man of the heart.  He says, “I want to you to add to this revelation more diligent pursuit, a more diligent understanding.  And add to diligence faith” (verse 5).  You know, the word “diligence,” it’s just very simply an increasing of pursuit.  The diligence is based upon the revelation, the worth that we’re putting on that object that we are pursuing.  It means an earnestness.  And we “add to that faith, and then virtue.”  Virtue is an interesting word.  It means moral excellence.  How many of you think that in light of this environment we’re living in, vexed daily as Lot is, that we should add some moral excellence to our lives?