2 PETER 1: 1-2 [Our Precious Faith Series]
OUR PRECIOUS FAITH
[Matthew 16:13-19]
The apostle opens and closes 2 Peter with the theme of victory. It opens with how to gain the victory of grace and peace and then closes with the victory of the ages for those who have grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (3:18). But within the epistle we find Christianity being besieged by problems from without and eroded by problems from within. So 2 Peter focuses primarily on how to grow when surrounded by problems and perplexities. That emphasis fits well with the situation and need of the Church in America today [proving the essential character of the world and the church has not changed].
Three main thoughts dominate this letter. First, the writer has not long to live in this world, and has a pastoral concern that believers should keep on growing in their discipleship. Second, false teaching that could prevent spiritual grow was spreading like a weed, and third, people must be ready for the certain return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To face and overcome the problems within and without the Christian needs to grow spiritually. Peter would have believers learn the lesson of faithful living in difficult times through his insightful letter. [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy; The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983, 858]
I. Some BACKGROUND.
II. THE AUTHOR (1:1a).
III. THE AUDIENCE (1:1b).
IV. THE BLESSING (1:2).
Before we dig into the text let’s look at some background that influenced the writing of 2 Peter.
Date
Two references in 2 Peter give some indication of THE DATE of the epistle. In 2 Peter 1:13-15, Peter indicated that the time of his death was near. The traditional date for Peter’s death is late a.d. 67 or early a.d. 68. [The reference to Paul’s epistles in 3:16 would seem to indicate a date some time after a.d. 60.] Since 1 Peter is normally dated around a.d. 64, 2 Peter should be placed some time after the writing of 1 Peter and before Peter’s death, between a.d. 64 and 68. This places the book during the latter part of the reign of the infamous Nero as the persecution of Christians was beginning to intensify.
The text of 2 Peter suggests no specific PLACE for its composition. However, since 1 Peter was written in Rome [symbolized by Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13] and Rome is traditionally held to be the place of Peter’s crucifixion, it is reasonable to assume that 2 Peter was written in Rome as well. [Walvoord & Zuck, p. 862]
Purpose
The PURPOSE of 2 Peter is to call Christians to spiritual growth. Christians needed to mature so that they can combat apostasy [falling away] from the church and immoral practices within the Church. Such persistence in faithfulness to the Word will be rewarded at the Lord’s return.
II. THE AUTHOR (1:1a).
The opening of 2 Peter is along the conventional line of a New Testament letter, giving author, recepients and greeting. THE AUTHOR identifies himself as Simon Peter. Simon (Gk. Symeon) is a straight transliteration of the Hebrew name [as used in Acts 15:14]. “Peter,” the Greek translation of “Cephas” and the name given to Simon by Jesus. The use of Simon and Peter together (as in e.g. Mt. 16:16) reminds us of the change grace had brought about in the apostle’s life. [Peter’s combining these distinctly Hebrew and Greek names may also be an indication of the mixed audience (Hebrew and Greek Christians) he addressed.]
As we read the Gospel accounts, we see Peter talking when he should have been listening, sleeping when he should have been praying (Mark 14:37), stepping out when he should have held back (John 18:10), and holding back when he should have stepped out (John 13:8).
That’s why I can identify closely with Peter. I see in his characteristics and tendencies my own walk and history. Maybe you see them in yours as well. But here’s the great news, the amazing truth, the glorious fact: Even with all of his failures and denials, even with all of his setbacks and stumbles, Simon made it through.
Why? Because he was such a great guy? No. Simon made it through because Jesus prayed for him (Luke 22:32). And guess what. The same thing is true of you and me. We’re all people who want to do right, but who invariably mess up. We’re all people whose spirits are willing, but whose flesh is unbelievably weak. Yet even right now, Jesus knows the temptation we’re facing, the fears we’re feeling, the questions that are churning. He knows them all, and He’s praying for us (Hebrews 7:25)—not because we’re worthy, but because Jesus’ is faithful.
Do you recall when Jesus renamed Simon as Peter? He said, “You are Simon, but you shall be Petros, Peter, or Rock,” as if to say, “You’re shifting sand now, but I know what I’m going to do with you, and I know what will be accomplished in you.”
When was Simon’s name officially changed to Peter? It happened at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13).
Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I am?”
“Some say You’re Elijah; some say You’re John the Baptist; some say You’re Jeremiah; some say You’re the promised prophet of Deuteronomy 18, ” they answered.
“Yes, but who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked His guys.
It was Peter who answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Then Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in heaven. Thou art Peter. Upon the rock of your confession, I will build My church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Peter discovered his identity. Peter would be changed from shifting sand to rock because he understood who Jesus was. And the same is still true today. I’ve known men fifty years old who were still trying to figure out their identities. Confused about who they are, they try to drive the newest car, marry the youngest wife, and line up the easiest job. But they remain unhappy and unstable because it’s only when a man, woman, or teenager finally realizes who Jesus Christ is that life begins to make sense. It’s only when we understand that God doesn’t exist for us, but that all things were made by and for the One who died for us (Colossians 1:16) that we see who we are in Him and who we can become with Him. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 1584]
[There is no other book as much like 1 Peter as 2 Peter. The differences that do exist may be explained by a change in subject matter, by time and circumstances of writing, and by the part played by a secretary [amanuensis]. First Peter 5:12 may suggest that Silvanus was a secretary. Second Peter has no such reference. Therefore, differences in style and vocabulary could be attributed to Silvanus as a scrible for the writing of 1 Peter; whereas Peter himself is probably responsible for the actual penning of 2 Peter. There is no compelling reason for rejecting Peter as it’s author. The letter is authentic and comes from the apostle whose name it carries.]
Next in his greeting, Peter exposes his humble spirit by referring to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ (doulos, “slave”; Mt. 23:11) before he identifies himself by the title an apostle (Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1). This is the conviction of his life. Near the close of his life, at the apex of his apostolic authority, he was Christ’s servant first, and His apostle second. As Peter’s life was coming to a close, he had a clear understanding of who he was and who his Master was. He walked humbly with Jesus Christ as his Lord.
Servant (Gk doulos) is a word of deep humility meaning literally “slave” and implying total and permanent ownership by a master. Paul also used this word to describe his relationship to the Lord (e.g., Rom 1:1), as did Jude the brother of the Lord.
[Sinners are born into slavery to sin at physical birth, and into a loving, willing, glad service to Jesus Christ at regeneration. The word doulos referred to one whose will is swallowed up in the will of another. Before salvation, the sinner's will is swallowed up in the will of Satan. After salvation has wrought its beneficent work in his being, his will is swallowed up in the sweet will of God. The word spoke of one who is bound to another in bands which only death can break. The sinner is bound to Satan in bands which only death can break. In the case of the believing sinner, his identification with the Lord Jesus in His death on the Cross broke the bands which bound him to Satan. Now, the believer is bound to Christ in bands which only death can break. But the Lord Jesus will never die again, and since He is the life of the saint, that saint will never be severed from his Lord, but will be His loving bond-slave for time and eternity. [Wuest, Kenneth. Wuest’s Word Studies. Vol 2. IN THESE LAST DAYS. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids, MI.1942. p.15]
“Apostle” means “sent out one” or commissioned one. Of the hundreds of disciples, or “disciplined ones,” who followed Him, Jesus chose twelve apostles to bring into His inner circle, and then to send out into ministry.
Not only was he numbered as one of the Twelve (1:1; 3:2), Simeon was brought into the inner circle of the inner circle. Simon Peter stood with James and John as one of the unique eyewitnesses to Christ’s transfiguration (1:17-18; Mark 9:2-7) and was invited to watch and pray with Christ as He sought strength for His crucifixion. He knew the Apostle Paul as a “dear brother” (3:15). Peter had heard the manner of his own death foretold by his Lord as they walked together along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (1:14; John 21:18)
III. THE AUDIENCE (1:1b).
This very Peter who had written earlier (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:1), now shortly before his death addresses Christendom at large. He addresses the letter in verse 1 to “those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The recipients of the letter are described as “those who . . . have received a faith as precious as ours. The letter is addressed not to people in a specific location or area but to those with a precious faith like Peter has.
Within his greeting, Peter refers to the precious faith he “shares” (isótimos) with his readers. Precious faith is the common denominator that brings true believers together. “Precious” literally means “beyond calculation.” [The words “as precious” translate the compound word isotimon, used only here in the New Testament. It comes from isos (“equal”) and timē (“honor, value”).] This word precious [isotimon, equal honor or value] was used for foreigners who had been granted the privileges of citizenship which were equal to those of the native born. How priceless is our faith which grants us entrance into the eternal salvation of God.
As Peter shared in his first letter that this precious faith had been bought by the very blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:19). This precious faith comes not through human righteousness but “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (1:1).
This is a marvelous truth. Most of us have enjoyed the experience of visiting a group of Christian believers in another community, state, or even in another country. If they are true believers in Jesus Christ, and we both are walking in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we enjoy immediate fellowship—even when we do not understand the language of one another. This is the unity of the Spirit which is unique to the Christian family. We are all members of the body of Christ with Jesus Christ being our Head.
The faith given them by God was of equal honor or privilege with that of the apostles’ faith. Here Peter foreshadowed his purpose by stressing that the faith of the apostles was no different from the faith of any believer. We all have the same precious faith. It’s common to us all.”
The word “faith” (pistin) is used without the article; thus it could refer to the objective content of faith (Jude 3) or, more likely, to the subjective ability to believe. This faith is given through (or, on the basis of) the righteousness (dikaiosynē, “justice” or “uprightness”; Rom. 1:17; 3:22). Personal saving faith though precedes personal righteousness.
This received righteousness is “of our God and Savior [Acts 5:31] Jesus Christ.” The grammar here clearly indicates that “God and Savior” are one Person, not two (there is one article with two substantives). So “our God and Savior Jesus Christ” is a reference to Jesus alone, and so is important evidence for an early belief in the deity of Christ (1:11; 2:20; 3:18 and Tit. 2:13). This passage plainly teaches that Jesus Christ is coequal with God the Father (Mt. 16:16; John 1:1; 20:28; Titus 2:13). This means Peter is calling Jesus—with whom he lived and walked for three years—God. [“Savior,” a surprisingly rare term in the NT, is used of Christ five times in this short epistle (2 Peter 1:1, 11; 2:20; 3:2, 18).]
“Received” or obtained is from the unusual verb lagchanō, “to obtain by lot” (Luke 1:9; John 19:24, Acts 1:17). This implies that salvation must be obtained or received rather than coming from anything they might have done to deserve such a gift (John 12:32).
IV. THE BLESSING (1:2).
Peter begins his letter by conveying to his readers the incalculatable blessing of grace and peace in verse 2. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;”
Grace and peace [charis . . . kai eirēnē] though usual greeting [Paul’ letters, Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2; etc.] were the characteristic Greek and Hebrew greetings [eirēnē being the Gk. of the Heb. šālôm]. Though grace and peace are a common greeting, here they also introduced the thrust of this letter. A right knowledge is necessary to grow in grace and peace.
[The verb translated be in abundance (plēthyntheiē; -1 Peter 1:2; Jude 2) is in the optative mood, thus stressing a sincere, prayerful wish for his readers.]
If you are growing both grace and peace will be multiplied into your life. So this blessing of grace and peace is more than a formula of greeting. These virtues come through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. This statement claims that God and Jesus are equal and equally God.
“Through the knowledge” stresses here the means by which grace and peace can abound in the believer’s life. This full “knowledge” [epignōsei, epi “full or additional knowledge”] indicates an intimate and personal relationship. Such knowledge springs from a personal relationship with God in Jesus our Lord (Jn. 17:3; Phil. 3:10). A growing personal relationship is the means by which God’s grace and peace may be received and experienced. [Peter used this term epignōsis again in 2 Peter 1:3, 8; and 2:20. The shorter form (gnōsis) is found in 1:5-6 and 3:18.]
Christians are urged to take advantage of the “full knowledge” available to them through Christ Jesus. In this way they could combat false teachers who claimed to have “special” knowledge [gnōsis -each occurrence of epignōsis in 2 Peter is related to Christ] but who openly practiced immorality because they refused to be lead by the Word and Spirit of God. [Paul’s usage of epignōsis to combat incipient Gnosticism: Col. 1:9-10; 2:2; 3:10.] [Walvoord &Zuck, p. 863.]
This exact or full knowledge of God and His ways follows as a consequence of conversion to Christ. A deeper personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus is the certain safeguard against false teaching, a note on which the letter will end (3:18). What this knowledge entails in practical terms of Christian living is expounded in the following verses, and the whole passage introduces Peter's purpose of warning believers against falling away [apostatizing] on account of a false beliefs which amounts to turning away from this true knowledge of Christ (2:2).
IN CLOSING,
The Christian life is never static but is to be growing. Growth is dependent upon knowledge. If I desire to grow as a believer I must have both biblical knowledge and relationship knowledge of God. By studying the Scriptures I come to learn more and more, coming to a fuller and fuller knowledge [information] about God which is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth (John 5:39). This knowledge comes by abiding in the Word (Jn. 15:).
However I must also know Christ by developing a deeper, fuller personal relationship with Him. This relationship grows by walking with Christ. Like Enoch, we must walk daily with God [till He takes us home].
Are both parts of growing in Christ occurring in your life? Are you in the Word daily? Are you walking in the Spirit each day with Christ?
If either part is lacking or needs strengthening, I encourage you to respond to God right now. You can do so either by responding to God right there where you are or by coming forward for prayer and direction. As we rise, will you seek God, while He may be found?
