2 Peter

The Holy Writer

The holy writer identifies himself in the first verse as, “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). Further information in this letter also points to the authorship of Peter. Like the first letter of Peter, there is quite a bit of personal information given by the writer, pointing to a personal relationship with Jesus as described in the Gospels.

Peter states that his earthly end is close at hand as Jesus had made clear to him “knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease” (1:14-15). Peter was calling to mind Christ’s prophetic words to him recorded in John 21:18-19, “‘Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.’ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God.”

The author also claims to have been an eyewitness of Christ’s majesty on the Mount of Transfiguration “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (1:16-18). Matthew tells us that there were only three men present to see the glory of Jesus on that day: Peter, James and John (Matt. 17:1-9).

Many critics point to the distinct difference in writing style between the first and second letters. Remember that it is pointed out that 1 Peter was written “By (or through) Silvanus” (1 Peter 5:12), but there is no such reference in the second letter. Peter himself may have written the second letter, explaining the difference in writing style, but the similarity in content.

Finally he speaks of this as the second letter which was written to this group of people: “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle” (3:1). (See also the introduction to 1 Peter).

Purpose of Writing

This may be considered Peter’s last words to these fellow believers, and he sets out to encourage them in their faith, and warn of others who would try to lead them away from the truth. This has been called the “Epistle of Knowledge” since different forms of the word “know” appear 16 times in this short letter.

The false teaching of Gnosticism emphasized the importance of knowledge. In contrast to the teachings of Gnosticism, Peter wants to show that the only true knowledge is “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (1:2-3). Knowledge of Jesus is the only knowledge which can give us everything we need through His divine power.

The letter begins, continues and ends with this theme of knowledge. Peter concludes the final verse of the letter writing, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (3:18). The entire letter is unified as one continuous thought about what true knowledge is, and where it is to be found. From the outline which follows we will see this progression of thought.

Recipients

Peter simply addresses this letter to: “those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (1:1). The introduction is not as specific as that given in his first letter, but we can be fairly confident that this letter was written to the same group Peter wrote his first letter to (3:1). Most likely these two letters of Peter were written at the close of Peter’s life and very close together. A short time span between the two letters would explain the lack of a more specific description of whom this letter was addressed to.

Why would Peter be writing a letter to a group of people who would have been under the spiritual care of Paul? Remember that the believers to whom Peter was writing were in regions where Paul had labored and started many congregations. Peter seems to be writing in the stead of Paul, and possibly in his absence: “And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation----as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things.” There is no division between these two men, but Peter shows that they are both teaching the same thing - the true knowledge which the Holy Spirit has revealed to them.

Outline and Contents

I. Salutation (1:1)

II. The Growth of True Knowledge (1:2-11)

In the first chapter Peter lays the foundation for our salvation. God grants us true knowledge and empowers us to godliness, providing our entrance into the eternal kingdom through the knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

III. Our Certainty in this True Knowledge (1:12-21)

Peter expresses his confidence in the life to come through the knowledge of Jesus as his Savior. Because he was an eyewitness of the life of Jesus he says, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place” (1:19).

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter also defends the verbal inspiration of the Bible, writing, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (1:20-21). The Word of God is not up for grabs to let anyone interpret it as they see fit. Every verse of Scripture is to be interpreted in the light of the rest of Scripture, letting the Holy Spirit as the real author interpret them for us through the immediate context of individual verses and by the entire context of Scripture as a whole.

IV. The Peril of Abandoning Knowledge (2:1-22)

In chapter two of this letter, we have yet another descriptive warning of the dangers of false teachers. Peter warns of the intrusion of error and its effects among those who believe, warning: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2:1-2). But false teachers will be judged as were Satan and his evil angels, the world of Noah’s day, and the ungodly people of Sodom and Gomorrah. These false teachers are described, and the consequences of their deception revealed.

The parallels between 2 Peter chapter two and the letter of Jude are so striking that they cannot be overlooked. There are phrases similar to Jude in 13 of the 22 verses of chapter two of 2 Peter. Some have even said that Peter had Jude’s epistle in front of him as he wrote this letter. It is possible that Peter had received the letter of Jude as a warning of such false doctrine, which Peter then passed on to his immediate readers (we will discuss this in more depth when we cover the book of Jude).

V. The Confidence in True Knowledge (3:1-18)

In all of this we take comfort in the confidence of Christ’s return, knowing that He will come again in His own good and proper time, when He will destroy this present evil world and create the new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness dwells. Peter concludes the letter, “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:17-18).

Note: This study was prepared for the Bible Class at Zion Lutheran Church, Lawrenceville, GA by Pastor Nathanael Mayhew.

If you would like more information about this study,
please contact Pastor Mayhew