2 Peter 1 Study Notes

1:1-2 Peter called himself Simeon Peter, a name not generally used of him (elsewhere only in Ac 15:14). The spelling is Semitic and may have lent authenticity to his letter. Moreover, it was more natural for Peter to use the original form of his name rather than a later form. He further identified himself as a servant submitted to Christ’s lordship and as an apostle of Jesus Christ, one of Christ’s divinely appointed, authoritative representatives in the early church. Though he surely had a specific group of people in mind, Peter named neither specific recipients in his letter nor their precise geographic location. The recipients are described simply as those who have received a faith equal to ours.

The reason for this equality of privilege between Peter’s readers and the apostles is the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Through the righteousness that finds its source in Jesus, all believers have equal standing and share the same blessings. Peter described Jesus as both “God and Savior,” which is not surprising since elsewhere Jesus is called God (Jn 1:1,18; 20:28; Rm 9:5; Ti 2:13; Heb 1:8). The description of Jesus as “God” in no way denies the Trinity, as if Peter meant to say Jesus is both Father and Son. Grace is God’s unmerited favor displayed toward sinners who trust Christ for salvation. Peace is the sense of well-being and the attendant blessings that a person enjoys because of a right relationship with Christ. Peter emphasized the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord to remind his readers that a person experiences grace and peace only through knowing Christ.

1:3-4 Peter next reminded his readers of the resources they had through knowing Christ. He provides believers everything they need for life and godliness. “Life” is eternal life, whereas “godliness” is godly living; the latter cannot be obtained without the former. The divine call of believers served as a foundation for Peter’s appeal for godly living. Christ calls to himself those whom God has saved, and this calling is brought about by his own glory and goodness. Christ’s “glory” and “goodness” combine and seem to refer to the moral excellence of Christ. By these—by Christ’s glory and goodness—he has given us very great and precious promises. The content of these great promises includes sharing in the divine nature. Peter did not mean that believers become gods or that they share in the divine nature of God in every way. He meant that they participate in God’s moral excellence and will one day be morally perfected. Participation in the divine nature is possible only after escaping the corruption in the world because of evil desire. Jesus Christ offers the only way of escape from the rebellion of this evil world system that is opposed to and alienated from God.

1:5-7 Because of God’s generous provision in Christ, Peter encouraged his readers to build upon their foundation of faith—their initial acceptance of God’s love—with the Christian virtues of goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. These graces, sometimes called the “ladder of faith,” are the fruit of sharing in the divine nature. Each successive quality seems to spring from the previous one.

1:8-9 Useful and fruitful Christians have an abundance of the qualities mentioned in vv. 5-7. On the other hand, those who lack them are blind and shortsighted because they have forgotten the cleansing from their past sins; they deliberately forget the background from which God delivered them. “Past sins” refers to sins committed before professing faith in Christ.

1:10-11 Because of God’s grace, gifts, and the knowledge of Christ (vv. 3-9), Peter charged his readers to make every effort to prove the reality of their calling and election to salvation; they would do so by godly living (vv. 5-7). Two results follow. (1) They will never stumble. (2) They will receive a glorious entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1:12-13 On the basis of the future hope of entry into the eternal kingdom, Peter determined always to remind his readers of teachings that they might otherwise lay aside despite his conviction that they were well-grounded in the truths they had been taught. Though they were established Christians, their lifestyles apparently left much to be desired. As long as he was in this bodily tent—alive in the human body, a temporary dwelling place for this life—Peter determined to continue stimulating his readers by way of reminder.

1:14-15 The apostle knew that his death was near, and he committed to make every effort to arrange that his readers would be able to recall his teachings at any time. This seems to refer to a written witness since it could be consulted “at any time.” Peter might have been referring to Mark’s Gospel. In the early second century, Papias called Mark “Peter’s interpreter” (cp. Eusebius, Hist. eccl., 3.39.15), meaning Mark’s Gospel was based on eyewitness information given by Peter.

1:16-18 Peter’s words were not based on cleverly contrived myths. He emphasized that he had been an eyewitness of Jesus’s transfiguration (Mt 17:1-7; Mk 9:2-9; Lk 9:28-36).

1:19-21 Peter asserted that the prophetic Scriptures affirmed the apostolic witness. In essence he was saying, “If you don’t believe me, go to the Scriptures.” The metaphor of the prophetic Scriptures as a lamp shining in a dark place means that they act as a torch that shines in this dark world, exposing the dirt and defilement of sin and making it possible to get rid of it. Believers live by Scripture’s torchlight until the day dawns and the morning star rises, which seems to refer to Christ’s return. In your hearts may refer to the glowing hope that occurs in believers’ hearts when they see clear signs of the Lord’s return. Peter further explained that Scripture is trustworthy because it has a divine origin; men carried along by the Holy Spirit wrote the prophetic statements of the OT.