2–Peter
Introduction to the book of 2–Peter
As the Christian movement gained steam, churches began to encounter more false teachers in their midst. Second Peter was written to warn about one of these groups—people who were essentially saying that Jesus would not return, so they could live any way they liked. Against this view, 2 Peter argues that the Day of the Lord is surely coming, and that believers should live in light of this truth. Second Peter discusses the need to grow in Christ’s grace and warns against false teaching that threatens that growth. Many world views, religious perspectives, and cultural values clamor for attention. This letter warns against compromising the Christian faith by mixing it with ideas that are foreign to Christianity. We need to take this warning seriously. Second Peter emphasizes practical Christian living. To this end, Peter wrote to warn against false teachers and the negative influence they can have on moral living. The letter emphasizes true knowledge of God while facing false teaching and encourages readers to maintain Christian virtue in the midst of the world’s vice.“We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2–Peter 1:19).
Theme & Overview
Peter teaches how to deal with false teachers and evildoers who have come into the church. It is vital to proper living to be able to discern between right and wrong; between what is true and what is false. The danger of receiving false information exists even in the church. That’s why the message of 2 Peter is so critical today, according to the “NIV Quest Study Bible.” This book alerts readers to the dangers of wrong teaching and shows how to stay true to the Word of God. The apostle Peter wrote to the same people who received his first letter: believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, in what is present-day Turkey, to warn them against false teachers who had invaded the Christian community. His hope was that by being forewarned, the believers would be forearmed and not be taken in by the errors of false teachers. As an antidote against false teachers, 2 Peter urges believers to remember who they are in Christ and trust in the promise of Jesus’ coming. The fact that Christ has not returned yet is actually an act of grace, offering more people the opportunity to receive salvation—before evil itself is purged from the world and God’s justice is restored over heaven and earth (2–Peter 3:9, 3:13). This changes everything. We should recognize that although some people celebrate the freedom to do whatever they want, they end up becoming slaves to their appetites (2–Peter 2:19). Some even do this in the name of God. We can recognize these false teachers by their greedy and lustful actions; they seek their own benefit and live for that purpose instead of the betterment of others (2–Peter 1:4–7). We should combat false teachings by both speaking against these heretics and living in the freedom of Jesus, as those saved. We should live for the eternal purposes of God, as if Jesus could return tomorrow, for He could (2–Peter 3:10, 3:13). Second Peter teaches that the grace of God in Christ truly transforms and empowers Christians to live righteously, even in the face of opposition. This grace, introduced in 2–Peter 1:2–4, serves as the foundation for the remainder of the exhortations. The indwelling Holy Spirit (cf. 2–Peter 1:4, which characterizes Christians as “partakers of the divine nature”) produces virtuous “qualities” in followers of Christ (2–Peter 1:8–12), which in turn results in fruitful lives.Author
The apostle Peter. Simon Peter, one of the leaders among the twelve apostles. Peter was the main speaker at Pentecost (Acts 2), and fled Jerusalem after a miraculous escape from Herod around AD 42 (Acts 12). Little is known of his ministry after this time. Peter was at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and in Antioch around the same time as Paul (Galatians 2:11–14). Tradition notes that Peter died as a martyr under Nero in Rome around AD 65. Authorship of this letter was somewhat controversial in early church history. The weight of evidence strongly supports the letter of 2 Peter being written by the same author as 1 Peter (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:1), but subtle differences in style between the two have led to doubts. The consensus view is that this is Peter's letter. Within 2 Peter itself there is strong evidence for authorship by the apostle Peter. In 1:1 the author claims to be “Simeon Peter … apostle of Jesus Christ.” Moreover, he claims to have been an eyewitness of the transfiguration (2–Peter 1:16–18; cf. Matt. 17:1–8), an event where Peter is featured prominently in the Gospel accounts. If someone other than Peter wrote the letter under his name, as some scholars have claimed, it would be a case of deliberate deception, especially given the author’s claims to have witnessed the transfiguration. But there is no historical evidence in support of such a theory. Furthermore, writing in another person’s name was condemned among early Christians (cf. 2 Thess. 2:2; 3:17). Some have suggested that the literary style of 2 Peter, which differs from that of 1 Peter, indicates an author other than Peter. But Peter may have used a secretary to help write this second letter, which would not affect the genuineness of his authorship if he ultimately approved what was written. Scholars have also questioned Petrine authorship of 2 Peter because of the similarities between chapter 2 of this letter and the book of Jude. But this is not a problem for apostolic authorship, since Peter may have included in his letter elements from Jude that he thought would be helpful for his readers. It also could have worked the other way, with Jude using Peter’s letter as his source. The parallels are close but almost never exact, so it is difficult to sort out the relationship between 2 Peter and Jude with any degree of certainty. It is reasonable in light of all the evidence, and clearly supported by the claims of the letter itself, to conclude that the apostle Peter wrote 2 Peter.Recipients
General Epistles are also known as "catholic epistles," meaning they are written to a general audience, rather than to a specific person or church. Second Peter is most likely written to the same audience as that of 1 Peter (2 Peter 3:1). This included Gentile and Jewish believers, even though Peter's ministry was focused primarily on Jews.Date
Peter probably wrote this letter from Rome not too long before his martyrdom, sometime during A.D. 64–67. Elements within the letter lead many scholars to conclude that Peter wrote during a time of persecution by Rome (perhaps during the persecution by Nero, who died in A.D. 68), while Peter himself was in a Roman prison awaiting imminent execution (cf. 1:12–15). The dating of the letter, then, depends largely on the dating of Peter’s death.Background
Second Peter is attributed to Simeon Peter, an apostle of Jesus (2 Pet 1:1; for more on Peter, see the “Introduction to 1 Peter”). He speaks of having witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16–18) and is familiar with Paul and his letters (2–Peter 3:15–16). However, 2 Peter seems very different from 1 Peter, and consequently there was some debate in the early church about 2 Peter’s authorship. The attribution to Peter does not necessarily mean it was compiled or finalized by him; it could indicate the letter is based on Peter’s eyewitness account of Jesus and Peter’s teachings (likely just prior to his death). However, the differences between 1 Peter and 2 Peter could be due to Peter using different secretaries for the two letters—which is what the church father Jerome suggests (compare 1 Pet 5:12, which names Silvanus, also known as Silas, as Peter’s secretary for 1 Peter). The act of faithfully compiling a letter based on a teacher’s words, and thus carrying forward the teacher’s tradition, was a great compliment in the ancient world. When a teacher’s authority was correctly evoked, it was done on the basis of a disciple succeeding the teacher or extending the teacher’s reach. If Peter authored 2 Peter, it must have been composed by the mid-60s AD, when he was martyred in Rome. If one of Peter’s disciples wrote the letter in his name, then 2 Peter would have been written no later than the early second century AD (it is quoted before the mid-second century AD). Second Peter identifies its recipients as people who have faith through the righteousness of God and Jesus (2 Pet 1:1), and the author mentions that it is his second letter to them (3:1). If the earlier letter was 1 Peter, then both letters were written to the same audience. The recipients of 2 Peter apparently were struggling with false teachers who denied that Jesus would come again, causing some believers to lose faith. The false teachers also appear to have been encouraging immoral behavior in response to the allegedly strict ethics taught by Peter.The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Second Peter is a vital reminder of how dangerous it is to deviate from the truth. The church must always be on guard against those who twist the truth of the Good News and whose lives so sadly misrepresent it. This letter is dominated by concern over the presence of false teachers in the church. Although these profligates were claiming to be Christians (2:1, 21–22), Peter leaves no doubt that in reality they were destined for condemnation as rebels against the Lord (2:3, 10). Peter writes this letter to warn his readers to reject these false teachers and their teaching, and to remain faithful to the Good News. Peter cautioned believers to beware of false teachers with their bogus doctrines and licentious lifestyles. The temptation to a sinful lifestyle so concerned Peter that shortly after his first letter, he followed up with this one. Peter also warned against denials of Christ’s return with its accompanying judgment. He urged his readers to make every effort to grow in the knowledge and practice of the Christian faith.False Teachers
The false teachers that Peter denounces cannot be identified with any known heresy in the ancient church. With their immorality and skepticism, these false teachers were libertines: They assumed that God’s grace gave them the liberty to do anything they wanted to do (2:19–20). They had no use for authority (see 2:10–11). They engaged in “sins of the flesh” such as illicit sex, excess drinking and eating, and greed (2:13–20). They might have been precursors to the later, second-century Gnostic heresy.Key Verses (ESV)
2 Peter 1:3–4: "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, 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." 2 Peter 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."2 Peter 2:2: "And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed."2 Peter 2:9: "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment."2 Peter 2:19: "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved."2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."2 Peter 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."Key Passages (NLT)
1 Pe 1:1 "This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia."2 Pe 1:1–3:18"This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. May God give you more and more grace and…."Structure
After the greeting, Peter reminds his audience of their Christian identity—as those saved from their sins by Jesus—and calls them to be godly people who live as if Jesus’ return is a reality (1:3–21). Peter then warns about false teachers who are motivated by greed and lust rather than by love for God (2:1–22). Much of this section and the start of the next section have strong similarities with the letter of Jude (compare 2 Pet 2:1–18; 3:1–3 with Jude 4–18). There are several explanations for these overlaps: 2 Peter relies on Jude, Jude relies on 2 Peter, or both Jude and 2 Peter rely on a common source (perhaps oral tradition). Peter then offers an additional argument against false teaching, assuring his readers that Christ will surely come again (2 Pet 3:1–13). The letter closes with a final instruction for the believers to depend on what they know to be true, refusing to be led astray by the false teachers (3:14–18).Outline 1
• Greeting (1:1–2) • Call to develop Christian character (1:3–21) • The danger of false teaching (2:1–22) • Hope in the Lord’s return (3:1–13) • Closing commands (3:14–18)Outline 2
Peter's focus in this letter is on false teaching and the dangers which it presents. The letter can be divided into three sections, corresponding to its three chapters.The first chapter encourages the reader with a reminder that they are already equipped, by Christ, to lead the life God intended of them. The emphasis here is on living out a vibrant Christian faith, adding the characteristics of Christ to one's example to the world (2 Peter 1:1–15). Peter then adds to this encouragement with a reminder about evidence of fulfilled prophecy. Chief among these, for Peter, was his first-hand eyewitness of Jesus Christ's transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16–21).The second chapter warns against the influence of false teachers. These deceptive voices draw people away from Christ, and into sin, by speaking about issues which they do not understand. Peter delivers a dire warning for these teachers, who will be judged harshly by God (2 Peter 2:1–9). Those who fall for these schemes are enslaved to sin, something they prove by continually returning to their own moral filth (2 Peter 2:10–22).The third chapter directly counters the claims of the false teachers. Peter again states that those who pervert the message of God will be subject to extreme judgment. Everything which is not preserved by Christ will be utterly destroyed (2 Peter 3:1–13). Peter concludes the letter with a final reminder that saved Christians can set aside sin and focus on preparing to live in peace with God. Notably, Peter also refers to the writings of the apostle Paul as "Scripture," supporting the doctrine of divine inspiration (2 Peter 3:14–18).