2nd Peter Chapter One
1.
Theme
a. As opposed to 1st Peter, which focused on consolation through suffering and Christian service, this letter focuses on warning against false teachings.
b. The theme verse could be: 2Pe 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
c. Peter warns them against false teachings and false teachers
d. Peter encourages them to remain steadfast in what they know is true, the word of God, which is the testimony of the apostles and prophets.
e. 2
Peter 1:19-21 ESV And we have something more
sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a
lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in
your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy
of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will
of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2.
Author
a. Claims to be Simon Peter, apostle of Jesus: 1:1
b. The writer claims to be present at the transfiguration: 1:16-18
i. Only three were present that day aside from Jesus: Peter, James and John.
c. Claims to have been warned by Christ of his impending death: 1:14
3.
Time
& Place
a. If 1st Peter was written during Nero’s persecution and if Peter was martyred during that persecution then this was probably written before his death.
b. Circa AD 67.
4.
Background
a. Addressed to the same audience of his first letter, the churches of Asia Minor
b. More specifically the elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Pe 1:1)
c. Peter sensed his impending death and urges the saints to guard their faith.
5.
Purpose
a. Peter is warning them about Gnosticism.
b. The way to fight false teachings is by growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
c. To teach them life cannot be separated from doctrine.
d. To teach them to patiently wait for Jesus’ return.
6.
Brief
Outline
a. Chapter
One – Apostolic Exhortation and Testimony
– Cultivation of Christian Character
i. Salutation – 1:1-2
ii. Growth by the power of God – 1:3-11
iii. Purpose and aim of the church leader – 1:12-15
iv. Authentication of Scripture – 1:16-21
b. Chapter
Two – Apostolic Warning –
Condemnation of False Teachers
i. Danger & judgment of false teachers – 2:1-9
ii. Description of false teachers – 2:10-22
c. Chapter
Three – Apostolic Hope – Confidence of
Christ’s Return
i. Mockery in the last days – 3:1-7
ii. Jesus will return! – 3:8-10
iii. Exhortation in view of Jesus’ return – 3:11-16
iv. Concluding remarks – 3:17-18
Taken from Nelson’s
Complete Book of Maps and Charts
Comparison of 1st and 2nd Peter
1st Peter (deals primarily with external threats from persecution)
V
Hope in the midst of present suffering
V
Day of salvation when Jesus died, was buried,
and rose
V
Be encouraged in present trials
2nd Peter (deals primarily with the internal threats of false teachers)
V
Danger of false teachings
V
Day of the Lord when Christ returns in judgment
V Be warned of eschatological judgment
2
Peter 1:1 ESV (All
verses from the English Standard Version)
Simeon
Peter, a servant
and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing
with ours by the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
Salutation
Peter begins this brief letter by identifying himself as a servant and apostle.
There are two words for servant in the Greek: doulos and andrapoden. The latter refers to persons captured in war and sold as slaves whereas doulos means one born into slavery. Clearly Peter and Paul saw themselves as born again to be slaves of Christ (Eph 6:6; 1Co 7:22), escaping the slavery in the world by dying to self and being born again through baptism in Christ.
Peter is also an apostle, a term we have discussed several times in previous letters. Apostolos = One commissioned to continue in a specified work. The primary qualifications are listed in Acts 1:21-22 when they sought a replacement for Judas Iscariot. Notice that only Judas is replaced. When an apostle has died as faithful, he continues to be an apostle in Heaven, not needing replacement on Earth, for their words continue to testify to the commission assigned by Jesus. In John 17:6-21 Jesus illustrates the commission given to these apostles, and how they were to impact others who were not apostles. In Mat 19:28 Jesus teaches how they will continue to be apostles even in Heaven, so nowhere do we see the church practicing a replacement for them, not even after James is martyred (Acts 12:2).
Peter’s audience can be assumed to be the same he addresses
in his first letter, to the elect exiles
of the dispersion; the Jews (Christians) of the Diaspora: scattering of language, culture, or people: a
dispersion of a people, language, or culture that was formerly concentrated in
one place.
He describes them quite differently this time, saying they have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours, meaning the apostles. It is interesting that nowhere in the Bible there is any support for the clergy-laity view, yet it is something that continues to be perpetuated even in the face of Peter saying things like these. Will the pope say his parishioners have a faith of equal standing with his? Will the clergy of the many denominations that exist dare say this as well? Yet we find the great apostle Peter humbly testifying that he has no edge over any other disciple when it comes to the faith we need in Jesus Christ. We all stand equally before Christ!
2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done
in the body, whether good or evil.
We all will be judged and we all have been given the same standing: salvation by the faith of Jesus Christ, by His righteousness, as Peter describes. Paul writes about this in his letter to the Galatians:
Galatians 2:16 KJV Knowing that a man is not justified by the
works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified.
See my notes on Romans 3:22 for an in depth look at the difference in translations of this verse and others that make reference to the faith of Christ as opposed to faith in Christ and what the difference is between the two.
We can only be justified and receive a faith of equal standing by fully placing our belief and trust in Jesus Christ, which is shown by our obedience to His words in the Bible. To add some weight to this statement, which he will continue to elaborate on in this chapter, Peter reminds us all that the righteousness that saves is that of our savior Jesus Christ Who is our God! An excellent proof verse for the deity of Jesus!
2
Peter 1:2 ESV
May grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
The grace and peace can only be ours not by feeling them in our lives, which is completely subjective and dependent on our unreliable heart (emotions), but by knowing we have a special bond by covenant with our God through our Lord Jesus. This reminder is an encouragement to be devoted to the scriptures, which alone contain the knowledge of God. Peter undoubtedly reminds us that by knowing God (knowing God implies obeying the knowledge of God) and Jesus our peace and grace will not be dependent on our emotional state and will serve to keep us encouraged, whole and pure during the many trials we will face in our life.
Enemies of the truth will constantly use subjective language to excuse themselves from the true judgment of the word of God. They will say things like: “it doesn’t feel right; it doesn’t fell like love; I feel I'm right,” etc. to excuse sin and enable weaknesses in themselves and others. Grace and peace cannot be obtained by this!
The constant study and obedience of the scriptures will multiply the grace and peace that is ours in Christ!
2
Peter 1:3 ESV
His divine power has granted to us all things that
pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
Growth by the Power of God!
Peter has to now expand upon the previous statement. It seems like he wants his readers to be sure they know that God's divine power directly acts upon us (his readers) through the knowledge of God and Jesus. God has granted to us all we need through his word! Notice the tense, has granted, meaning, it was done. There are no new things to be revealed in the word pertaining to life and godliness. It is all in there! This divine power of God (Jesus’ Gospel –Rom 1:16) gives us everything we need for this life and for godliness. Awesome! Peter will elaborate some more as to how exactly the power of God is able to help us in this life, particularly in becoming godly. Let’s talk about what godliness is before we know how it is provided!
Godliness (eusebeia) – having reverence and piety towards God and His matters. Being like God; having God-like qualities; i.e. the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23); being holy (different) like God is holy (1Pe 1:15-16).
Obviously we won't learn how to be godly apart from the knowledge in the scriptures. You won't become holy just by being part of a church or even listening to sermons or reading books, not even by just reading the Bible! There is a working knowledge here, emphasis on working. God's power is not passive, but active. It demands a result and that result is godliness. That’s how you will be provided for everything in your life.
Hebrews 4:12 ESV For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of
marrow, and discerning the
thoughts and intentions of the heart.
One of my favorite verses, showing descriptively just how God's words are living and the action they effect on our heart, soul and spirit! This verse also shows us that God's word is precise. There is nothing trivial about the knowledge we find in the Bible. Everything is there as is supposed to be.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
A verse every Christian should be familiar with, it describes the four areas God's word affects: teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. The training is in righteousness, that is, what is right. It teaches you to do what is right and corrects you when you are wrong. This means there is a right way of doing things and a wrong way. It is not up to your heart or feelings to be right with God but up to Him! He shows us the way, the truth and the life in Jesus! The man of God is completely equipped, without want, for every god work God has in store for him to do.
If we are not equipped it is because we have failed to become disciples of Jesus – students of His teaching, which imply study, practice and obedience. Jesus says we will know the truth if we abide in His word!
John 8:31-32 ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in
him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my
disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free."
This is a guarantee! One of the first promises we see fulfilled as soon as our obedience begins to mature! If we fail to be equipped by the word it is because we are not obedient to the word:
James 1:22-25 ESV But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a
mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at
once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the
perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets
but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
When we rely on God's power through the knowledge of the word of God we are relying on Him to escape the corruption of this world as we will see in the following verse. If we rely on ourselves we are deceived. If we only hear but fail to do we are deceived. We need to trust God has revealed what we need for this life and for godliness in His word, the Bible.
The Gnostics were teaching that only by special wisdom available to special people were you able to discern spiritual truth and have salvation. There was no clear way to know whether you were saved or not without this special wisdom, often attributed to subjective causes as opposed to the objective wisdom (given by God Himself) received from the scriptures. Examples of Gnosticism in our society are Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7th Day Adventists, Mormons, Christian Scientists and others that purport to have special knowledge (other books aside from the Bible, or special understanding of the Bible) above and beyond the scriptures.
Called us to His own glory and excellence…
God calls us to share everything with him – we will share with Jesus crowns, His throne (Rev 3:21), riches (Romans 10:12; Eph 1:18) and suffering... you name it. We are not called to second class glory but to the glory that is God's own. To the excellence that is God's!
2
Peter 1:4 ESV
by which he has
granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers
of the divine
nature, having escaped from the corruption
that is in the world because of sinful desire.
By which…
It is through the knowledge of Jesus He grants us His precious and very great promises.
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 ESV 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out
of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have
this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power
belongs to God and not to us.
Very great promises:
1- Forgiveness of sins – Col 1:14; 1John 1:7-9; 1 John 2:12
2- Christ (The Spirit) in us, the hope of glory – Col 1:27
3- Sonship in Christ – Rom 8:15-17
4- Marriage to Christ – Eph 5:25-32
5- Eternity with God – 1 The 4:17; John 8:35-36
Partakers of the divine nature…
All these promises are available by knowing how to get into Jesus. Through these promises we become part of God; as a man and woman share in one flesh in the one flesh covenant (marriage), we share the divine nature of Jesus when we become One with Him in baptism (Rom 6:3-4):
1- By conforming to Him – Romans 8:29; Col 3:10
a. Not conforming to the world – Romans 12:2
b. By being transformed – our mind needs renewal
c. By the word of God – our knowledge of Him – 2Tim 3:16-17
2- By being beautified by Him – Eph 5:25
a. In holiness – 1Pe 1:14-19
b. Cleansed by His blood
c. Being incorporated in Christ – Rom 6-3-4
d. By becoming a dwelling of His Spirit – 1 Co 6:19
3- By bringing praise, honor and worship to God
a. Because of genuine faith – 1Pe 1:7
b. Because of the Spirit in us and our adherence to the truth – John 4:23-24
c. By conforming to Christ – Rom 12:1
We escape the corruption the world causes by being transformed by the renewing of our mind, as Romans 12:2 says. We partake of divinity by escaping the corruption of the world in Jesus Christ! The world corrupts because of sinful desires. We have been given the Spirit of Truth to overcome this desire by self-control and by being born again to freedom in Christ! How can we therefore want to imitate the world again or approve of worldly things? Will you again be misled by your passions?
2 Peter 2:20-22 NIV If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse
off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn
their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog
returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her
wallowing in the mud."
The following verses are offered to make sure you stay put on the narrow path that leads to life!
2
Peter 1:5 ESV
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith
with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge,
The 7 supplements of faith – How to stay on the narrow path
Peter urges his readers to make sure they are growing in their faith. Faith is not supposed to remain stagnant. Our faith, once born from the Spirit, is to continue to grow and develop. Every effort you can give is required to supplement your faith! God expects growth and change in us until the day we meet Him! If we do not mind the growth of our faith we will be derailed by the worldly passions in us. Faith itself, which is more precious than gold as Peter told us in his first letter (1Pe 1:7) is the foundation, the root, and the base upon which to build these seven gracious attributes with the help of the Holy Spirit.
7 Supplements of Faith
1- Virtue (goodness, integrity, moral excellence) – from the Greek, arete, meaning manliness (valor), purity and modesty. Since we’ve been called to conform to Jesus, we need to have an authentic desire to do so – to be like our husband to be. Just like a bride ought to strive to remain pure for her future husband, we ought to supply our faith with moral excellence for Jesus. We do not want to be corrupted by the world and be rejected by Jesus on the day He is revealed! We need to want and strive to be good, through and through, particularly in the privacy of our thoughts and judgments about others. God knows our thoughts (heart) and will judge us by them and our deeds and words (Luke 6:45).
2- Knowledge – from the Greek, gnosis, which means general intelligence and understanding (discernment); science – specifically the general and deeper (more perfect) knowledge of God and Jesus. As we strive to add integrity to our faith that should lead us to supplement our good and virtuous faith with knowledge. We need to know our husband to be more and more deeply by knowing His will through His holy word (Mat 7:21) and by praying fervently and intimately. Knowing God and Jesus primarily will stem from purposeful Bible study and prayer – for the specific goal of becoming knowledgeable for wisdom and love – not just to be a know-it-all. For “knowledge puffs up but love edifies” (1Co 8:1).
2
Peter 1:6 ESV
and
knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
3- Self control (temperance, continence) – from the Greek, egkrateia, meaning mastery of your sensual appetites, desires and passions. Self-control is crucial to proving faithfulness and loyalty. If we are not convinced by our acquired knowledge from God's word that following our passions is fruitless then our love of the Father is empty. The Spirit gives us the heavenly power to be masters of our domain and show our love for Jesus by being obedient and holy, as He is. Those who lack self-control are caught up in some kind of idolatry that leads them to try to control others.
4- Steadfastness (perseverance, patience, longsuffering, endurance) – from the Greek, hupomone, meaning not swerved from your deliberate purpose and loyalty to Christ even by the greatest trials and sufferings. Practicing self-control is an awesome task. Often we pine and frustration gets us close to quitting. This is where steadfastness proves an undying love for Jesus. I like to use the word longsuffering, since it really captures what patience and steadfastness is all about!
5- Godliness – from the Greek, eusebeia, meaning holiness. To be like God; to be holy, as He is holy. Different from the world – set apart. Like wives are to conform to their husbands as they conform to Christ, each of us individually ought to be striving to be like God in everything. After all, He is our husband!
2
Peter 1:7 ESV
and godliness
with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love.
6- Brotherly affection (kindness, Christian affection) – from the Greek, philadelphia, meaning the kind of love and dedication that exists between brothers. This is the same practical and emotive conviction that exists between people who cherish each other because of filial bonds. In a world where wickedness increases because of ignorance of the truth, love grows cold (Mat 24:12) and natural love for family even disappears (Mat 10:21). This world will make you hate – the children of God need to be known for their love! How do others see the love you have for each other? True love doesn’t not remain hidden!
7- Love (charity) – from the Greek, agape, meaning good will, benevolence and affection. Christian love feasts (koinonia) are also associated with this type of love. But the greatest symbol of agape – undeserved love – is the cross of Christ! Free to love and free from idolatry is our goal. Once your faith matures to be able to love without the need to control others you will be exercising self-control, able to serve and be an example to many.
2
Peter 1:8 ESV
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Phil 3:14
I believe these qualities are listed in a particular order. I believe they build on each other: integrity is needed to fuel the desire for knowledge of Jesus; and more knowledge should result in more self-control, etc. We must own these supplements – be active in pursuing them with every effort so they are ever increasing in our person. These supplements are how the Spirit regenerates us (Titus 3:5) and how our mind is transformed (Rom 12:2) to escape the corruption of the world caused by our passions and desires. Exposure to sin in the world causes our heart to become calloused and our faith numb, allowing for more corruption to seep in until we are sold like slaves to our passion and desires. That is the work of the devil – to obscure and veil the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ:
2 Corinthians 4:3-7 NIV 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded
the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus
Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out
of darkness," made his light
shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Christ. 7 But we have
this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from
God and not from us.
When Jesus is not at the center of what we live and preach corruptions sets in. When we try to exalt ourselves or someone else all kinds of sins come in: greed, jealousy, impure motives – fear and guilt are the motivation. A growing faith is crowned and motivated by the love of Jesus. When love is practiced we escape corruption and become part of the work of God to destroy the devils influence:
1 John 3:7-9 NIV Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work