Keswick and Wesley can both quote 2 Peter 1:4, but Wesley uses “partakers of the divine nature” as a structural text for entire sanctification and renewed God‑likeness, while Keswick uses it more loosely for “higher life” participation in Christ’s power without eradication of indwelling sin.[1][2][3][4]
## Different doctrinal centers
– Wesley: “Partakers of the divine nature” grounds Christian perfection as “the renewal of the heart in the whole image of God,” perfect love to God and neighbor, and real (though creaturely) participation in God’s holy love.[3][4][5][6]
– Keswick: the central theme is a post‑conversion “higher” or “normal” Christian life—Spirit‑filled victory over known sin—where 2 Peter 1:4 is cited to mean sharing in God’s life and power for holiness, not as a carefully developed theosis motif.[2][7][8][1]
## View of sin and “nature”
– Wesley: entire sanctification entails deliverance from “all sin” understood as willful rebellion; he can speak of a cleansing of inbred sin so that the believer is “so far perfect as not to commit sin” (in this sense), while remaining finite and fallible.[5][9][10][11]
– Keswick: explicitly rejects Wesleyan “eradication” of the sin nature; the “old man” remains, but the Spirit “counteracts” indwelling sin so that the believer may live in victory by surrender and faith (“let go and let God”).[7][8][1][2]
## How 2 Peter 1:4 functions
– Wesley: in his Note on 2 Peter 1:4, “partakers of the divine nature” = “being renewed in the image of God, and having communion with Him, so as to dwell in God and God in you,” tightly linked to escaping corruption by lust and to his perfection doctrine.[4][3]
– Keswick: expositors typically emphasize God’s “precious promises” as the basis of a life that “authentically reflects the attitudes and behavior of Jesus Christ,” but they do not build a full theology of image‑renewal or theosis on the phrase.[12][13][1][7]
## Sanctification model
– Wesley: more covenantal and process‑plus‑crisis—growth in grace ordered toward, and sometimes climaxing in, an experience of entire sanctification, sustained by disciplined use of the means of grace.[10][11][4][5]
– Keswick: more crisis‑then‑rest—an act of consecration/surrender leading to a “victorious” state where Christ’s life is manifested as the believer trusts, with less emphasis on ecclesial means of grace and more on interior rest and faith.[8][1][2][7]
## Implications for “partakers of the divine nature”
– For Wesley, “partaking” is essentially **image‑renewal and perfected love**; 2 Peter 1:4 can sit alongside patristic deification language as a Western, ethical‑participatory version of theosis.[6][3][4][5]
– For Keswick, “partaking” is **entering the higher, victorious Christian life**, where Christ’s life counteracts indwelling sin; it remains firmly within an evangelical holiness framework and avoids talk of deification or eradication.[1][2][7][8]
Sources
[1] Wesleyan and Keswick Models of Sanctification – Bible.org https://bible.org/article/
[2] Higher Life movement – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
[3] 2 Peter 1 Wesley’s Notes – Bible Hub https://biblehub.com/
[4] Partakers of the DIvine Nature: Theosis and Christian Perfection https://aniceplace.wordpress.
[5] John Wesley: Plain Account of Christian Perfection https://www.ccel.org/ccel/
[6] The Nature of Christian Perfection https://www.craigladams.com/
[7] The Keswick Movement: In Precept and Practice – Wholesome Words https://www.wholesomewords.
[8] Keswick Convention – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
[9] Christian perfection – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
[10] Wesley’s Doctrine of Christian Perfection: Hebrews 6:1 https://spu.edu/lectio/
[11] A Plain Account of Christian Perfection – Holy Joys https://holyjoys.org/a-plain-
[12] Sanctification: The Process of True Biblical Change – Part 3 https://countrysidebible.org/
[13] True and False Sanctification – Critical Issues Commentary https://cicministry.org/
[14] Sanctification: a Biblical View of Higher Life/ Keswick theology https://faithsaves.net/
[15] Five Views on Sanctification | Dwell Community Church https://www.dwellcc.org/
[16] Jia Yuming (1880-1964)– A Chinese Keswick Theologian https://
[17] [PDF] Examining Keswick for Benefits to Chaplain Resilience Ministry https://digitalcommons.
[18] Becoming God in Life and Nature: Watchman Nee and Witness Lee … https://www.localchurch.kr/
[19] Partaker of the Divine Nature: 2 Peter 1:4 – Bible Truth Publishers https://bibletruthpublishers.
[20] Exodus Devotional Commentary 3 | Precept Austin https://www.preceptaustin.org/
[21] John Wesley on Theosis – Michael J. Christensen, ‘Donkey’s Delight’ http://donkeysdelight.
[22] Keswick vs Wesleyan views of sanctification – The Puritan Board https://puritanboard.com/
