The Divine Nature

The Divine Nature “THE DIVINE NATURE"
By JOHN T. SMITHSON.

What is “Divine Nature” and how is it now mani-fested? This duplex question covers all the field of our present study. We never speak of divine nature or di-vine things independently of the thought of God, the creator of all tilings. Hence, the subject itself is antagonistic to that brutal, beastly bloody and Christless theory that has been adorned by its devotees in the fashion of Modernism, Rationalism and Evolution. This theory stripped of its modern and less offensive terms is down right infidelity. With two master strokes it knocks out, so far as it is concerned, the entire Bible wherein divine nature is revealed. Its stroke against the Old Testament is the denial of God’s account of the creation of man. Its blow against the New Testament is the denial of the virgin birth of Christ the Lord. This, of course, if successful, would destroy the Bible, and would forever hide the divine nature. We have neither time nor respect for such a theory, but denounce it with all the powers of our being. Believing the Bible to be the revelation of, and from God, we now begin with it to find what divine nature is. It can not be less than the nature of God. As God’s nature is, He is. Therefore we ask, What is God? This question is answered by three short, simple, unambiguous and unequivocal sentences. These three sentences with three words each, and with only three different words tell us the nature of God. These three are:''
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First: “God is Spirit” (John 4:24).
Second: “God is Light” (1 John 1:5).
Third: “God is Love” (1 John 4:7; 1 John 4:16).

Divine nature then is Spirit, Light and Love, for God is these. Spiritual life is God life, and there is no divine nature that is not spiritual. In order that God might reveal himself and his nature to the children of men He sent ais immortal., immaculate Son into the world. He was begotten by the Spirit, born “of woman,” the virgin Mary, “bom under the law,” thus having both divine and human nature. “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among “men, and they “beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Son of God being both divine and human in nature, reveals perfectly to human nature “the divine nature.” “He that hath seen me,” said he, “hath seen the Father.” From the time the star of Bethlehem appeared in the firmament, and the heavenly host sang to listening shepherds the appropriate song, “peace on the earth and good will toward men” very little is revealed concerning Jesus until he was about thirty years of age. At about that age he was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. He then began his life’s work which ended when he died on the cross. It was during this period of his life that he made known to mankind the nature of God the Father. He had the spirit of God without measure. Immediately after his baptism he was, by the spirit, led into the wilderness where for forty days and forty nights he fasted, thereby being, through hunger, subjected to every desire and want of human nature. This prepared him to manifest over human nature the divine nature, which is very clearly seen in his victory over the arch demon of the soul. The tempter appealed to him through human nature. He defeated him through divine nature. The spirit always speaks to the foe, however formidable, saying: “it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Here we see both human and divine nature portrayed, The human nature lives by bread alone. Divine nature is by every word that God speaks. This characteristic of God was always manifested by his Son, and it is plainly seen by his conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. On that occasion Jesus was returning from Jerusalem to Galilee. Being weary with his journey he sat by the well to rest. It was noon. His disciples had gone into the city to buy food. In their absence the Samaritan woman came to the well for water. Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink.” This opened the conversation which led from drinking literal water of Jacob’s well to the drinking of the living, spir-itual water that flows from the never failing fountain of God’s nature. The disciples returned with' food. The woman left Jesus, and her water-pot by the well. She went into the city to tell the people that she had seen the Son of God. The disciples asked Jesus to eat. He replied to them saying, “I have meat to eat that you know not.” “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.” In doing this his divine nature subdued hunger, satisfied thirst, banished weariness and stood in bold contrast to human nature. Again, Jesus said, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” He was that light sent down out of heaven, ‘.'the true light, which ligliteth every man coming into the world.” “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Light and good are used interchangeably, and likewise darkness and evil. “Light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the- light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.”

Divine nature, being light, shines forth in its heavenly splendor through Jesus the Son of God. Though he was human and divine, his divine nature was always the first to reveal itself in his life. He did no evil, com-mitted no sin, “neither was guile found in his mouth; tvho, when lie was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Behold his nature divine, ‘calm, serene and sublime, that in the midst of evil, sin, darkness and the storms of threats, did shine as the sun ’in the skies gives its light while the storms on earth are raging. The purpose of light is to reveal truth and error, good and evil, right and wrong, safety and danger. Where there is no light there is darkness. Where there is no divine nature, spiritual darkness must be. Light reveals the path of safety. Governments spend large sums of and manifests all harmful tilings as well as to point out money erecting light houses on the rough and dangerous cliffs at sea. Why do they do so ? They do it that the weary, seaworn and fearful mariner may set gleaming through the darkness, the mist and fog the beacon light from the top of the tower; and thus by that glowing light which he hails with gladness, may direct his wave-lashed and tempest-tossed ship safely to port, Jesus, at the cost of heaven and its glory ,stands as God’s light house on the great sea of life, and from him radiates the life giving rays over the benighted and sin-cursed world that the sojourners thereof may be guided in the port of .the everlasting shore. Were it not for the glorious light of the Son of God, every soul would be shipwrecked upon the dark and rough sea of life. But for alkwho travel, jut the light of the way of life, there is perfect safety apd sure landing on the golden shore. Jesus alone is “the way; and the truth and the life.” No one can come unto the Father but by him. Thank God for his Son, the light of the world.

Again, Jesus is ;he very embodiment of God’s, love. God is loVe, and he so loved the world that he gave 'ijs only begotten Son, that men who were lost may be saved. When we approach this characteristic of God’s natuhe, we lose ourselves in its vastness. Divine love is limitless and boundless. It is beyond death. It transcends all life. It extends beyond the angelic habitation. It is stronger than principalities and earthly powers. It coveys the universe, descending to the lowest depths and ascending to the highest heights. I fear we fail to comprehend it as we should. It is so different from all that is human. When we speak of love as divine nature, we must not confuse it with love which is human nature.

There are many kinds of love in human nature, such as, marital, conjugal, filial, altruistic, egoistic, philan-thropic and of various lusts and greed. Many of them are right within themselves, but they are not divine nature. But love, that is divine nature, is higher than the heavens, is as great as GSod and is as lasting as eternity. It is as separate and independent of human nature as God himself. It is the greatest thing that angels know. It is the greatest thing on earth below. It is independent of the speech of men and angels, It is not, but it is greater than, miraculous faith. It does not rest upon the wings of prophetic gifts, neither is it written upon the scroll of knowledge. It is not always present in the sacrifice of earthly possessions. It is possible for one to suffer the mot intense and excruciating pain by giving his body to be burned at the stake and not have love. All things earthly fail, but love never fails and never ends. “It is kind’’, envieth not”, “vaunteth not itself”, “is not puffed up”, “seeketh not its own”, “taketh not account of evil”, “rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, be- lieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Now consider how great love is. To the finite it is infinite. If all the men from Adam till now were scribes, and the twigs on all the trees were pens, and the water in all the seas were ink, and the vast vaulted heavens were a scroll, the love of God by them could not be told. Love is the crowning trait of God’s nature, and no one but his only Son could reveal it to man. When I see Jesus, our Lord, in his great temptation, overcoming the devil by the spirit, I stand amazed and exclaim, Wonderful. From his temptation I go with him to Hermon’s summit,, and there I see him in the presence of three apostles, and two saints of the glory world with his raiment “white as the light” and “his face did shine as the sun.” I cry aloud, Glorious. Most Glorious! I hear him telling those risen snints about his death which was soon to take place on Calvary just outside of the wall of Jerusalem. I follow him to see those things accomplished. I go with him to the pass-over feast and see him institute his memorial supper. Then I go with him into the garden of agony. I hear him say, “My soul is sorrowful unto death.” I see ascending the slope of the mountain men with swords, and staves and flaming torches. Ah! They are led by his familiar friend, who sold him for the price of a slave and betrayed him with a kiss. I see him on trial. I hear the verdict rendered—Not guilty. But I see him led away from justice and acquittal to “the place of a skull” to be crucified. I hear the sound of marching soldiers and the hellish glee from that diabolical mob as they lead their victim to the slaughter. Soon I see him suspended between earth and immortal glory as if he were unworthy of either place. The sum grows dark. The earth trembles. His enemies rejoice. His friends weep. I see him with love divine as he looks down upon his murderers and turns his eyes toward heaven and prays to the Father, saying, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” I stand for a moment breath-less, and then exclaim, Sublime! sublime! wonderful, most wonderful of all! Love, Oh, what love! Matchless love!* Who but the Son of God could pray for his enemies? What nut love divine could prompt the thought? I stand with my eyes fastened on the suffering, dying Son of God. I hear him speak again. He says to the Father who sent him into the world, “It is finished.” It is done. The great transaction is done. AH is over. He commends his spirit in the hands of his Father. As his gentle spirit takes its flight his head falls upon'liis heaving bosom. He dies. Those who killed him said of him, and.not to the thieves by his side, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Now my friends those sufferings of .Christ are over. The example is set for us, that we “should follow-in his steps.” Christ has perfectly manifested divine nature and has ascended into his primitive glory with.*his Father. And now in conclusion we ask; hoW is divine nature now manifested?: It is manifested only by those who “become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the World by lust.” They must not be fashioned according' to the world, but must be unspotted from it and love it not nor the things that pertain thereto. Jesus prayed to' the Father concerning his faithful followers saying, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. ’ As thou didst send me into the world, even so send I them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they themselves also may be sanctified. Neither for these alone do I pray, but for them also [generation after generationJ that believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be in us ; that the world may believe that thou didst send me; And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; That they may be one even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me and lovest them even as thou lovest me.”

All who comply with the terms of that petition have the spirit of Christ and are led by it in all the ways of life. They are the light of the world and are perfected in love. No man, who does not let Jesus’ abide in him and govern his life, is a partaker of the divine nature. For just as a branch must abide in the vine to have life and to’ bear fruit, so must the followers of Christ abide in him to partake of his divine nature and spiritual life. Since Jesus ascended to his Father has anyone followed his example and walked in his steps? Yes, Oh yes, beloved. Stephen the first martyr in the Christian era reflected in his life the life of the Lord Jesus. The enemies of his Lord were desirous of his life. They “fastening their'eyes oh him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.'’ Like mad and vicious dogs, they “gnashed on him with their teeth.’’ Then they began to stone him to death. But Stephen, full of the spirit, looked into the open heaven and “saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God aS if he were looking over the parapet of heaven upon the scene below. In the midst of the falling stones which took his life he asked the Lord Jesus to receive his spirit. “And he kneeled down” and prayed for those who stoned him, saying, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” and when he said this he fell asleep. His sleep is peaceful and sweet in Jesus. Farewell, thou hast gone most noble one to that celestial clime where the wicked cease from troubling and where the weary are at rest. My friends, if to that blissful land we go, we must partake of divine nature here below. We must be led by the spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. We must, by the life of Christ the light of men, live and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. In love we must be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Then we will not only love our neighbor as ourselves, but we will love, our enemy, and pray for him when he persecutes us; we will do good to him when he maltreats us. "When he is hungry we will feed him. When he is thirsty we will give him drink. If he should kill us, we will die willing to forgive him. We will not be overcome with evil, but we will overcome evil with good. If such be our lives, we will at the end of the journey fall asleep in Jesus, who, at the dawning of the everlasting morning, will call us from our sleep, from which we will arise and go to that spiritual land, that is fairer than day and across which the shadows of death never fall. In that peaceful, blissful world on high we will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. There our present faith will become sight. There our treasured hope will lay hold on actual possession. There love will continue on and on as we dwell on the shining plains of heaven in the presence of God forever.