Introduction to 2nd Peter
Context of 2nd Peter
The letter’s main intent – to reestablish the apostolic view of the Parousia – shows that the writer is addressing a group that lived long enough after the original apostles’ day to have given up on believing that Christ would return soon. The author’s opponents deny the Parousia doctrine because the promised Second Coming has not materialized even though the “fathers” have long since passed away. In addition, the writer makes use of Jude, itself an early second-century document, incorporating most of it into his work. The work also refers to Paul’s letters as Scripture, a status they did not achieve until well into the second century. Many leaders of the early church doubted 2 Peter’s apostolic origins, resulting in the epistle’s absence from numerous lists of “approved” books. Not only was 2 Peter one of the last works to gain entrance into the New Testament, but scholars believe that it was also the last canonical book written, sometime between AD 100-140.
Chapter 1
The letter begins with a salutation and claims to be written by "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ." It is written to "those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours." A blessing is given: "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
Peter first discusses the certainty of the believers’ salvation as it is the work of God. He begins by discussing what God has done in the past, saying, “It has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” And he talks about how God’s divine nature dwells in believers. He says, “We have his promises, by which we participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
He then talks about what believers should do in the present time. First, he discusses the use of God’s resources, saying, “Add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”
He then discusses the results of using God’s resources, saying, “If you have these, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of Jesus. If you don’t have them, you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your sins are cleansed.” He then talks about what believers will receive in the future. First, he discusses temporal results such as the certainty of salvation, saying, “Try hard to confirm your calling and election so you won’t stumble.” He then discusses eternal results such as the inheritance of the kingdom, saying, “You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of Jesus.”
Peter sees his testimony as a constant reminder of salvation, saying, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them firmly.” And he points out that the necessity of the reminder is his own pending death, saying, “I’ll remind you as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as Jesus made clear to me.” And he offers his written record as the promise of the reminder, saying, “I’ll do my best to make sure you remember after I’m gone.”
He then gives his defense of the truth of the message, starting with the apostolic eyewitnesses. He says, “We didn’t just repeat a clever story someone made up about Jesus coming in power. We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We ourselves saw him on the sacred mountain and we heard the voice when He received honor and glory from God the Father who said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”
He then points to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and their value, saying, saying, “We also have the reliable prophetic message, 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.”
He also points to the source of Hebrew prophecy, saying, “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Peter first discusses the certainty of the believers’ salvation as it is the work of God. He begins by discussing what God has done in the past, saying, “It has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” And he talks about how God’s divine nature dwells in believers. He says, “We have his promises, by which we participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
He then talks about what believers should do in the present time. First, he discusses the use of God’s resources, saying, “Add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”
He then discusses the results of using God’s resources, saying, “If you have these, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of Jesus. If you don’t have them, you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your sins are cleansed.” He then talks about what believers will receive in the future. First, he discusses temporal results such as the certainty of salvation, saying, “Try hard to confirm your calling and election so you won’t stumble.” He then discusses eternal results such as the inheritance of the kingdom, saying, “You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of Jesus.”
Peter sees his testimony as a constant reminder of salvation, saying, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them firmly.” And he points out that the necessity of the reminder is his own pending death, saying, “I’ll remind you as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as Jesus made clear to me.” And he offers his written record as the promise of the reminder, saying, “I’ll do my best to make sure you remember after I’m gone.”
He then gives his defense of the truth of the message, starting with the apostolic eyewitnesses. He says, “We didn’t just repeat a clever story someone made up about Jesus coming in power. We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. We ourselves saw him on the sacred mountain and we heard the voice when He received honor and glory from God the Father who said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”
He then points to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible and their value, saying, saying, “We also have the reliable prophetic message, 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.”
He also points to the source of Hebrew prophecy, saying, “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Chapter 2
He then discusses the deception of the false teachers’ message starting with their heresy of antinomianism along with the problem of the coming of the false teachers. He says, “Like the past, the future will also have false prophets who introduce heresies, denying the Lord who bought them to their own swift destruction. Many will follow them and give the way of truth a bad reputation, only to be exploited by their made-up stories.”
He then talks about the sure condemnation of the false teachers, saying, “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
He then points to the precedent found in the Hebrew Bible, saying, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell (Greek: Tartarus), putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”
In this case the word “hell” is translated from the word “Tartarus” – a place in Hellenistic mythology, recorded by Plato in 400BC, there the judged dead are imprisoned. This reference comes from The Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish mythological work also quoted by Jude, and (as noted by Peter) it was a place for imprisoning fallen angels, not human souls.
Peters says, “God destroyed the ancient world with a flood, but spared righteous Noah and seven others. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire as an example of future judgment of the ungodly, but rescued righteous Lot.”
He then discusses the coming Judgment, saying, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.”
He the describes the characteristics of the false teachers, starting with their rejection of authority, saying, “They follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. They are bold and arrogant. They are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. These people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.”
And he describes their fleshly indulgence, saying, “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning. They seduce the unstable. They are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam. Balaam loved the wages of wickedness, but he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey who restrained the prophet’s madness.”
And he describes how they are slaves to sin, saying:
“These people are springs without water. They are mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. They mouth empty, boastful words and they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for ‘people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.’ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 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. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.’”
He then talks about the sure condemnation of the false teachers, saying, “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
He then points to the precedent found in the Hebrew Bible, saying, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell (Greek: Tartarus), putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”
In this case the word “hell” is translated from the word “Tartarus” – a place in Hellenistic mythology, recorded by Plato in 400BC, there the judged dead are imprisoned. This reference comes from The Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish mythological work also quoted by Jude, and (as noted by Peter) it was a place for imprisoning fallen angels, not human souls.
Peters says, “God destroyed the ancient world with a flood, but spared righteous Noah and seven others. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire as an example of future judgment of the ungodly, but rescued righteous Lot.”
He then discusses the coming Judgment, saying, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.”
He the describes the characteristics of the false teachers, starting with their rejection of authority, saying, “They follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. They are bold and arrogant. They are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. These people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.”
And he describes their fleshly indulgence, saying, “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning. They seduce the unstable. They are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam. Balaam loved the wages of wickedness, but he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey who restrained the prophet’s madness.”
And he describes how they are slaves to sin, saying:
“These people are springs without water. They are mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. They mouth empty, boastful words and they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for ‘people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.’ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 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. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.’”
Chapter 3
He then goes on to discuss their denial of the Lord’s return, saying, “This is now my second letter to you. Both letters are reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.”
And he repudiates the false teachers’ denial, saying, saying:
“In the last days scoffers will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
He then speaks about the revelation of the Day of the Lord, saying:
“Don’t forget, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”
And he concludes:
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
And he adds an appeal, saying “Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Our Lord’s patience means salvation.”
And he mentions the writing of Paul which apparently were already considered to be Scripture at the time this letter was written, saying, “Our dear brother Paul also wrote about this exact same thing to you with the wisdom that God gave him. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
We then come the conclusion of the letter and he summarizes, saying, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.”
And he finishes with a benediction:
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
And he repudiates the false teachers’ denial, saying, saying:
“In the last days scoffers will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
He then speaks about the revelation of the Day of the Lord, saying:
“Don’t forget, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”
And he concludes:
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
And he adds an appeal, saying “Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Our Lord’s patience means salvation.”
And he mentions the writing of Paul which apparently were already considered to be Scripture at the time this letter was written, saying, “Our dear brother Paul also wrote about this exact same thing to you with the wisdom that God gave him. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
We then come the conclusion of the letter and he summarizes, saying, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.”
And he finishes with a benediction:
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
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