This episode builds on the first episode, emphasizing that all sanctification is fundamentally drawing on the power of Christ provided in the resurrection. We were born again through the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet. 1:3), and in sanctification, we progressively live out of the power that Christ has made available. "God's divine power has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness..." (2 Pet. 1:3) The episode exhorts believers not to make the tempting mistake of the Galatians who sought "to be perfected by the flesh" instead of drawing on the divine power. (Gal. 3:2-3) New Years' resolutions often fail because they're based on fleshly resolve and power. The episode closes with the a summary of the numerous qualities that Christians are to walk in, based on abiding in Christ and His power. Even the Christian response is based on God's divine power. So, with respect to the constitutional metaphor, "separation of powers" doesn't refer to a Christian's response independent of God's power, but merely highlights human responsibility to ACT, in response to God's power.
Dump your God-complex and respond to His Power
With a view to beginning the year right, this opening episode calls believers back to the fundamentals, the constitution. Typically constitutions enumerate the powers of government, and our U.S. constitution provides a separation of powers. A successful life in God's eyes is founded on a separation of powers, where believers don't presume on divine prerogatives but only fulfill their responsibilities prescribed in the Biblical separation of powers. Well constitutionally speaking, the Christian life rests completely on the power of God. 1 Pet. 2:3 states that "God's divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life in godliness." The successful Christian life abides in Christ, and out of the power of Christ, bears much fruit. (John 15:5) The fruit enumerated in 2 Pet. 1: 5-8 are all based on the Christian's responsibility to access the power. Well when believers learn to operate in their proper domain, fulfilling their responsibilities through the power of Christ, many of the unnecessary headaches and heartaches that plague believers diminish. Things work better in the kingdom when we let God be God and appropriately respond to His power.
B-12 to Pull Down Strongholds
This episode principally deals with motivation behind spiritual warfare, taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Many of us know cerebrally what thoughts are unhealthy, but we lack the desire to aggressively take thoughts captive. Philippians 2:1-3 contains the blueprint for overcoming our fleshly lethargic response to spiritual imperatives. Before laying on the challenging, almost nonsensical command (according to the flesh) of doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (v.3), Paul urges his recipients to consider encouragement in Christ, consolation of love and the fellowship of the Spirit. These gifts are essentially tantamount to the undergirding power of God that would motivate a believer to be Christ-like, doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. Paul will then motivate by pointing to Christ's self-emptying as an example. The goal of spiritual warfare is to replace ungodly thoughts with spiritual thoughts, and the driver behind this exchange is divine power, which we access when we abide in Christ. The above 3 bi-products of the Spirit are part of the divine arsenal, which is "divinely powerful for the pulling down of strongholds." (2 Cor 10:4) Believers are consequently urged to access divine power by abiding in Christ, thus motivating them to aggressively take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.