His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness… (2 Peter 1:3a)
“Divine” here from theios only used three times in the NT, but commonly used in other Greek literature when speaking about deity. It has no inherent theological meaning, but is defined by the context of the particular deity being discussed.
“Power” in the Greek is dynamis, and is used predominantly throughout the NT to refer to the miraculous supernatural power of God which is unattainable by humans (e.g. Matthew 11:21, Luke 1:35, etc.). It seems technically unnecessary for Peter to use the word “divine” before “power,” since the type of power referenced in the previous verse is within the context of “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” The reader already knows who’s “power” Peter is referring to without the adjective “divine.” It would be the equivalent to saying “Seth lifted the box with all the human strength he could muster.” To use the word “human” is completely redundant, as the reader already knows that “strength” is linked to “Seth” who is human. My point is, Peter seems emphatic about the type of power which works within Christians. It is not merely an earthly power by which we are changed from a set of strict religious or physical disciplines, but it is a DIVINE power, a miraculous power, a heavenly power that we have been miraculously granted so we may “become partakers of the divine nature” and escape a world corrupted by its sinful desires. Paul somewhat echoes this when he says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4)
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