| As Christians we often hear people telling us of the | | | | particular gift. Even more so in marriage: what would |
| need to be more like God, perhaps through being | | | | be the point of God exactly duplicating a gift? Any |
| more like Jesus, through whom we get our best | | | | spiritual gift can take on a multitude of different |
| impression of what God is like. But is it realistic to | | | | characteristics, according as God recognises, and |
| expect to grow to be like God? Does God actually | | | | responds to, the uniqueness which he has given to |
| expect us to become more like him? Can We Share | | | | each individual. What he might do, therefore, is to |
| In God's Nature? Of course, spiritual growth is the | | | | give different kinds of expressions of the same gift |
| process of growing in God. In fact, in Peter's Second | | | | to different people who are associated together, |
| Letter we are actually called into a process of sharing | | | | such as husband and wife. The wife, say, may be |
| in the divine nature: His divine power has given us | | | | the heart while the husband is the head: one may |
| everything we need for life and godliness through our | | | | have the gift of receiving the basic essence of a |
| knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and | | | | teaching, indicating to the other, as it were, where he |
| goodness. Through these he has given us his very | | | | should be working; the other then has the gift of |
| great and precious promises, so that through them | | | | structuring and developing the teaching. And the |
| you may participate in the divine nature and escape | | | | teaching comes out as a single unity -- and from two |
| the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 | | | | observeably separate people who nonetheless do the |
| Peter 1.3, 4, NIV). This scripture is at first extremely | | | | work of one. Living The Concept All of this sounds |
| startling: being called to actually share in the divine | | | | reasonable when put this way, but it is quite different |
| nature. But it must be possible or Peter, first and | | | | while the situation is being worked out in people's |
| pre-eminent among the Apostles of Jesus, would not | | | | lives -- and this is a very simple illustration! Yet there |
| call us into such a process. Indeed, this growth of | | | | will be many aspects of growing in union with God |
| sharing is a process which involves all the divine | | | | which will cause us difficulties and take us unaware, |
| nature: whatever we can imagine is part of God, we | | | | because we do not really know what we are talking |
| are called to share in that. An even more powerful | | | | about, let alone understand the process, and still less |
| way of expressing it is to talk of our increasing union | | | | being able to anticipate how God will act in any given |
| with God. Grasping The Concept That is a concept | | | | set of circumstances in order to further this process |
| which most of us will have difficulty grasping because | | | | within us. There are, however, certain aspects of our |
| we do not even understand the real nature of God, | | | | patterns of thought and behaviour which may need |
| let alone how to grow in union with it. We have | | | | to be put in order. While these problems are quite |
| greater difficulty in understanding what is involved in | | | | simple and straightforward, the process may be a |
| even much simpler concepts. For instance, a husband | | | | somewhat painful one. No-one likes change, especially |
| and wife may pray for the oneness of marriage | | | | if it means changing habits because, by definition, |
| which is theirs by right of God's giving (Genesis 2. 21 - | | | | habits are patterns which have become ingrained in |
| 24; Mark 10. 1 -9). Look at these scriptures. They are | | | | the way we think and behave. Some might even say |
| not talking about husband and wife becoming as if | | | | they are part of our personality. That depends on |
| they were one. They quite clearly state that they | | | | how we define personality. Many of these |
| are one. This is a difficult truth to grasp and cannot | | | | characteristics are not part of our genetic inheritance, |
| even be begun to be understood without entering | | | | but are, rather, responses which we have learned |
| into the actual living of it in faith. But, as this begins | | | | during various periods of our lifetime. Some of them |
| to find deeper expression in their lives, its | | | | are good, but we need not spend too much time on |
| manifestation may come in ways which are entirely | | | | them (unless it is to cultivate them). We need to |
| unexpected. For example, they may both have | | | | concentrate on the not-too-good. But we need to |
| spiritual gifts of teachings, and these may have | | | | start with the conviction that what God has called us |
| developed separately, in at least some degree. Even | | | | to be can be accomplished. He just needs our |
| in a local church, it would be pointless for God to give | | | | co-operation. |
| more than one person identical expressions of a | | | | |