How do we participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)?

The book of 2 Peter begins by describing blessings for those who believe in Jesus Christ. One of these blessings is that Christians will “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Believers participate in two ways. First, they grow to reflect God’s character as His Spirit works in them. Second, they share in God’s eternal life, which begins now and continues after death.

After his opening greeting (2 Peter 1:1–2), Peter explains that God has empowered Christians to live holy lives. He writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). Believers rely on God’s power as the source of their transformation.

Building on this, Peter shows that God’s promises help believers become like Him. In 2 Peter 1:4, he writes, “Through these [God’s glory and goodness] he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Thus, Christians share in God’s nature by trusting His promises, enabling them to live godly lives and resist the sinful, corrupt world.

In the verse, the “divine nature” is a reference to what God is like. It includes His moral character. To “participate in the divine nature” means that believers become more like God as He enables them. The Greek word translated “participate” comes from the root koinonos, which refers to sharing in, or having fellowship with, someone. Other Bible translations, like the English Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible, render the word as “partakers.” The idea is that through the gospel Christians share in God’s nature by growing more like Him.

This transformation is possible because Jesus died for sin and rose from the dead, making it possible for sinners to be made more like God. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through faith in Jesus, believers participate in the divine nature as they receive eternal life (John 3:16). This life begins in the present with a transformed nature that reflects God’s character and continues forever in fellowship with Him. In this way, God, who is eternal, shares His own life with people, drawing them into fellowship with Him forever.

The Bible contains many other passages that show how Christians share in God’s nature by being transformed to reflect His character. John writes, “But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Paul adds, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29). He also writes that being a new creation includes being “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Jesus prayed that His followers would participate in His nature through unity with Him and with one another. He said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one, I in them and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22–23).

Contrary to the teaching of certain religions, participating in the divine nature does not mean that people will one day become gods. This false idea is central to the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While LDS teaching builds its case for people becoming gods on other passages (e.g., Psalm 82:6; John 10:34–36), it often cites 2 Peter 1:4 in support. The LDS interpretation of Scripture on this topic, including their use of 2 Peter 1:4, fails to make a distinction between mankind and God and does not reflect sound theology (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 2:1).

Through Jesus, God empowers believers through the Holy Spirit so they can reflect His character more fully. Those who have responded to the gospel “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10). Believers participate in the divine nature as they “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) and learn to grow in holiness (1 Peter 1:15).