“How do we know we are partakers in the Divine nature?”

16 May 2024   John 17:20-26

“As You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You, may they also be in Us.”  

John 17:21

In these seven verses Jesus prays three times that we may achieve the only real goal of Christian living, viz., that we share the inner life of God: “As You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You, may they also be in Us” (John 17:21). The ultimate in Christian living is to know God the way God knows Himself.

St. Athanasius in his work On the Incarnation put it very bluntly: “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God,” by which he meant that by God’s grace we can participate in God’s goodness, holiness, and love. It is, however, such an exalted goal that it raises the question, “How do we know when we have achieved it?” There is no official checklist, of course, but scripture does seem to lean toward at least five signs that we are becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (II Peter 1:4).

First, we begin to notice that we “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). We feel not just the need, but the desire to pray daily, perhaps several times daily. We find ourselves not just reading the Bible, but digging deep to understand what it says, and perhaps also writing down our questions, research, and reflections. The objective of every thought, every task, is to increase our obedience to the will of God.

Second, we become particularly sensitive to times when we may be going astray. We are alert not just to when our words or actions are deviating from the narrow path, but even when our thoughts wander idly into vain, worldly, or unproductive areas. And then we pull ourselves hard back into alignment with God.

Third, we notice that trials, temptations, and even persecutions seem to accumulate. At first, this may feel like we are failing in our call to holiness. But just as Jesus went immediately from his baptism, when the Spirit of God was seen “descending like a dove and alighting on Him” (Matthew 3:16), to the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil, so also the devil wants to drive us from our journey into God. The devil multiplies challenges, pains, and discouragements to make us think we are failures. Some of those challenges may be struggles in the relationships we value most. These trials drive us more deeply into prayer and scripture to make sure that we are not being deceived, and not lose sight of the path.

Fourth, there are moments of profound clarity that go beyond mere confidence, but appear brilliantly as the work of God and the word of God powerfully directing our thoughts and steps. They are powerful wonders, but mysteriously occasions also of a kind of seismic peace.

Fifth, we begin to experience a regular “God-consciousness,” where not only is God always on our minds, no matter what we are doing, but also we lose any anxiety about bearing witness to the presence and power of God in our lives. Our lives take on a luster of meaning and purpose that attracts others, and they want to know what it is that gives our lives this special peace and direction.

Jesus prayed that we would grow to share in the goodness, holiness and love of God as He did so that the world might come to believe that God had sent Him (cf. John 17:21,23). Being absorbed into the inner life of God does not mean we disappear. Quite the opposite, it makes us more apparent to the world so that some may begin to want the salvation we have.