2 Peter - Chapter 1

1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As was the custom during the first century, Peter begins his letter by identifying himself as Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ; then identifies who he is writing to—Christians—those who have knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord. Not only is he writing to the Christians of the early church, but to all who know Christ as Savior. It is only through God’s righteousness that we have the ability to believe and the capacity to trust in Christ for salvation.

Notice in verse 1, Peter says “God and Savior Jesus Christ”. He is pointing out the deity of Christ—Jesus is both God and Savior.

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (see note below) 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter writes instructions for Christians to follow so we will live a more full and productive life for our purpose, which is to participate in God’s divine nature, escape the world’s corruption, and ultimately enter into the eternal kingdom.

God has supplied to us everything we could possibly need spiritually through our knowledge of Him. Knowledge of Christ is the foundation of our faith. That knowledge is found in God’s Word, so Peter’s farewell warning could be summed up in a few words: “Don’t neglect God’s Word!”

NOTE: God’s Glory: These are not merely words we skim over without comprehending—God’s glory is the excellence of His being.

God’s Goodness: Whenever Peter uses the word “goodness”, he means “virtue expressed in deeds”. In this case, God’s goodness is expressed by all He does for us and the fact that He delivers on His promises.

Through God’s glory and His goodness, He gives us promises for our future, which not only includes our ultimate entrance into the eternal kingdom, but a changed and divine nature within ourselves, which God will, by His Grace, bestow upon us IF we do our part by doing our best to attain it. By this process we participate in God’s divine nature, piloted by the Holy Spirit, and escaping worldly corruption.

Peter explains the virtues that will produce a well-rounded, fruitful Christian life. Not surprisingly, since God’s number of perfection is 7, there are 7 divine qualities: Virtue, Knowledge, Self-Control, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love.

We begin with the root of the Christian life, which is faith, and add to this:

1. “goodness” (virtue in action);
2. knowledge (learning all we can about God and His will for us through the scriptures and through prayer);
3. self-control—Uh-oh—we all know how difficult self-control is, right? But according to Peter, Christian knowledge will lead to self-control;
   
   Peter uses his best weapon against heresy, which is the statement of true knowledge concerning the concept of Christianity. During the first century, many of the false teachers were saying knowledge made self-control unnecessary. Peter is pointing out it is not unnecessary, but rather accomplished through knowledge. Growth in Christian knowledge does not set us free from moral restraint, but it should affect the way we live, producing a more holy life.
   
4. perseverance—we must practice our faith, including all of the virtues, 24/7 (not part-time), remaining persistent, unwavering;
5. godliness--a genuine reverence toward God, which governs our attitude toward every aspect of life;
6. brotherly kindness—a warmhearted affection toward fellow Christians;
7. And last is love—the kind of outgoing, selfless attitude that leads us to sacrifice for the good of others.

Peter is not implying we should cultivate each listed quality individually until each is achieved, but rather these virtues will be cultivated simultaneously as we grow in Christian knowledge. Peter is speaking of continuous spiritual growth.

We can think of these “fruits of faith” as the 7 steps from earth to heaven, starting in faith and culminating in love in the eternal home of our Lord.

A person who does not possess the qualities listed in vs. 5-7, is closing his eyes to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has lost the zeal of a person forgiven of his sins.

Make sure you are clear about your Christian faith so others know where you stand. By cultivating the qualities Peter listed, you will make it clear to yourself and others God has chosen you. When you profess to be a Christian, others will see it is genuine if you have demonstrated these qualities. Otherwise, your profession of faith will be empty and unfounded in the minds of those around you.
Those who give evidence of their faith by showing the virtues listed, will never cease to persevere, and shall be welcomed into the eternal kingdom.

12So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Peter admits he is well aware his Christian readers are firmly established in the truth, and he is only reminding them of their obligations through this writing because he knows he will soon die. He wants to be sure that even after he is gone, Christians will be reminded of these teachings whenever we read this letter, so we do not forget.

Peter indicates his martyrdom was foretold by Jesus. In John 21:18-19, we read where Jesus indeed gave Peter a glimpse of the kind of death he would endure. Peter knows the day is nearing and is attempting in this letter to give Christians the advice he knows he will not be around to give.

16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Even in Peter’s day, there were people who were calling the story of Jesus a fable, but Peter had seen with his own eyes and knew the stories of Christ were true eyewitness accounts of the supernatural events that marked the life of Jesus. Over a period of three years, Peter saw Jesus heal multitudes of sick people by speaking a word. He saw Him walk on water and still a storm by speaking a word. Three times, he saw Him raise the dead. Peter witnessed the transfiguration along with other disciples, and received a taste of what His coming will be like when He returns to establish His eternal kingdom. (see Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) Peter reminds us how he actually heard the voice of God when Christ stood upon that mountain, so this is not some myth passed down through the ages, but a fact he can attest to.

Peter also saw Jesus alive after the crucifixion. Not only did Peter witness Jesus performing miracles, but he himself performed miracles in Jesus’s name after Pentecost, even raising Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:40).

We have the words of the prophets to enlighten us, which we must heed until Christ’s return. The prophets did not simply write their interpretation of things, but were led by the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth. In the writing of the scriptures, both God and man were active participants. God is the source of the content of the Scriptures, but the human author put that truth into words using his voice or way of speaking. What he wrote came from God, revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.


Ask yourself this question: What steps can I take to make my faith more effective and productive?

Chapter 2 will be posted on, or about, September 15!

Thanks for continuing in our study!