2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Thus, He has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust and may become participants of the divine nature.

As Resurrection Day approaches, we reflect on what God has accomplished for us in Christ Jesus—His incarnation, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the establishment of His Kingdom. Together, these events reveal God’s eternal purpose in creation.

This purpose underlies all that God has done and continues to do. It explains creation itself, the unfolding narrative of Scripture, and God’s actions among humanity. This eternal purpose is not centered primarily on humanity or even on securing individual salvation. Rather, salvation is offered because it serves this greater purpose.

God’s eternal purpose is to express who He truly is—in His holiness, power, perfection, and glory. This purpose will reach its fulfillment in the establishment of His eternal Kingdom. In his great book, “From Eternity to Here,” Frank Viola does a stellar job of explaining what Scripture reveals as the four interrelated aspects of this purpose:

• God is establishing a dwelling place for Himself in the hearts of faithful people.
• God is forming a family—His true children.
• God is preparing a body through which His Son is expressed—the true church.
• God is preparing a bride to be united with His Son—again, the true church.

On a cosmic level, this purpose is presently expressed through the Kingdom of God on earth, made visible in the true church—those who have responded to God’s call out of the world and into communion with Him. On a personal level, God’s eternal purpose is realized through our personal union with Him.

Jesus speaks directly to this union in John 6. There He identifies Himself as the true Bread from heaven—the Bread of Life. Bread, as a metaphor, emphasizes participation through partaking. It sustains life only when it is received and internalized.

This theme appears throughout Scripture. When partaken or, the manna sustained Israel in the wilderness. The show bread, the “Bread of the Presence,” symbolized God’s continual presence among His people and was partaken of by the priests.

There are other metaphors that illuminate this participation through partaking. The Passover lamb was sacrificed for deliverance, but it also had to be partaken, joining the people in the sacrifice. The Tree of Life in Eden represented God’s life made available to humanity. It will stand at the center of God’s eternal city, its fruit to be partaken of by the righteous.

In each case, God’s presence was not merely external but intended to be received, partaken of, internalized. God’s purpose has never been simply to be “with” His people, but to dwell within them in union and continual communion.

John 6:53-57 Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day, for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

Jesus’ words in John 6—“eat my flesh and drink my blood”—have often been misunderstood. He was not calling for physical consumption, but for spiritual union. As He explains, those who partake of Him “abide in me, and I in them.” This abiding relationship is made possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The life Jesus offers here is zoe—the divine, eternal life of God Himself. Through union with Christ, believers share in this life. As Peter writes, “God’s divine power has already given us everything needed for life and godliness, so that we may become participants in the divine nature.”

This participation is not achieved through human effort, but through surrender to Christ’s indwelling life. The death and resurrection of Jesus were intended to restore this union, enabling God’s people to fulfill His eternal purpose.

As we yield ourselves fully to Him, we become true partakers of the divine nature—and active participants in God’s purpose, both now and for eternity.

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