Syllabus                    PDN-2

Course:  Partaking of the Divine Nature

Lesson 2

Faith

 II Peter 1:2-5

2)”Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3)According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4)Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5)And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;”

I.                  Faith – A test of True Sincerity

A. More than a statement – Matthew 7:21-23 – 21)“_____ _______ _____ that ______ unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that ______ the will of my Father which is in heaven.  22)Many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord _______

____ _____ prophesied in they name? and in thy name have cast out devils?  And in thy name done many __________ _______?  23)And then will I profess unto them ___ _______ _______ _____: depart from me, ___ _____ _______ _________.”

 Here we see that it takes more than just making a statement that we love the Lord and call on His name it takes a doing of the will of the Father, being obedient in all He commands.

B.      Active response is required -  James 2:18 – “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast ______, and I have _______: shew me thy ______ without thy ______, and I will shew thee my ______ by my _______.”

James 1:27 -  “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To ______ the __________ and _______ in their ___________, and to _____ himself _________ from the _______.”

 James 1:22 – “But be ye ______ of the word, and not ________ only, _________ your own selves.”

 Hebrews 5:9 – “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all ______ that ______ ____.”

 C.      All of this shows us that God’s plan is one of trust and obedience in all.

II.                Faith  - Begins and Carries One Forward

A.      God must be accepted on his terms

Five step plan

Hear – Romans 10:17 – “So then ______ _______ by _______, and ________ by the ______ of God.”

 Believe – Mark 16:16 – “He that __________ and is baptized shall be saved; but he that _________ not shall be condemned.”

 Repent – Luke 13:3 – “I tell you Nay: but, except ye ______ ye shall all likewise _______.”  

Confess – Matthew 10:32-33 – “Whosoever therefore shall ________ me before men, him will I __________ also before my Father which is in heaven. 

But whosoever shall ______ me before men, him will I also _____ before my Father which is in heaven.”

 Baptized – I Peter 3:21 – “The like figure where unto even ________ doth also now ______ ___ (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

 When these five steps are accomplished we of course, must live faithful to Him all the days of our lives.  Revelation 2:10 – “. . .be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

 In walking with Him all the days of our lives we need to develop Christian character. 

 Essay exercise:

Write an essay describing the Christian character we need to develop with scripture to back up what you write.

III.             Both Grace and Faith Demand Loving Obedience

A.      Luke 8:15 – “But that on the good ground are they, which in an ________ and ______ heart, having ______ the word, ______ it, and _______ ______ _______ with patience.”

 Look up the following scriptures and tell what each describes we need do as Christians:

 I Timothy 2:2

 Romans 12:17

 II Corinthians 8:21

 II Corinthians 13:7

B.      Obedience is the ONLY HONEST proof of faith

James 2:26 combines what two things in order to prove our faith in Him?

 In James 2:20-24 we read the account of Abraham and his obedience why was this action of Abraham’s a test or proof of his faith?

 Thought Questions:

                        In conclusion to this lesson we might ask ourselves some pertinent questions. 

 1.      Are you honest and sincere in your faith?  Explain your answer.

    2.      To partake of the Divine Nature one must be what?  Give scripture to back your answer.

Beverly Rainwater

RainwaterB3@aol.com