2 Peter

Overview

Peter writes this letter knowing that the time of his departure is near, and he frames it as a final reminder to stir up the memory of his readers. He begins with a magnificent assurance: God's divine power has granted us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ, who has given us his precious and very great promises. On this foundation Peter calls believers to make every effort to add to their faith a growing chain of virtues, from goodness and knowledge to self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and love, so that they will be fruitful and never fall.

Peter grounds the certainty of the faith in eyewitness testimony and the prophetic word. He was there on the holy mountain when Christ's majesty was revealed and the voice came from heaven, and so he does not follow cleverly devised myths. The prophetic word is even more sure, for no prophecy ever came by human will, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. This solid foundation matters because false teachers are coming who will deny the Master and exploit believers with greed and sensuality.

The second chapter is a sustained warning against these false teachers, whose destructive ways and immoral lives bring the truth into disrepute. Peter assures his readers that God knows how to rescue the godly and to hold the unrighteous for judgment, drawing on the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the rescue of Noah and Lot. He describes the teachers vividly as waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, promising freedom while themselves enslaved to corruption. Their judgment is certain, even though it has long been hanging over them.

Finally, Peter addresses the scoffers who mock the delay of Christ's return, asking where the promise of his coming is. He answers that with the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and that what looks like slowness is in fact patience, for God does not wish that any should perish but that all should reach repentance. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and the heavens and earth will be renewed. In light of this, Peter calls believers to lives of holiness and godliness, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Context at a Glance

Author

The apostle Peter

Written

c. AD 64-67, near the end of Peter's life

Genre

General epistle (letter)

Audience

Believers threatened by false teachers and doubts about Christ's return

Central theme

Growing in grace and standing firm against error until Christ returns

Key Verse

2 Peter 3:9 (WEB)

The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Peter answers the scoffers by revealing God's heart: he is not slow but patient, not willing that any should perish but desiring all to come to repentance.

The Big Movements

• Growing in grace (ch 1:1-15) — God has given everything needed for godliness; believers must add to their faith a chain of growing virtues.
• The reliable word (ch 1:16-21) — Peter's eyewitness testimony and the Spirit-inspired prophetic word confirm the truth about Christ.
• False teachers exposed (ch 2) — Peter warns of greedy, immoral false teachers whose judgment is certain, while God rescues the godly.
• The certainty of Christ's coming (ch 3:1-13) — Against scoffers, Peter affirms the day of the Lord will come; God's apparent delay is patient mercy.
• A call to holy growth (ch 3:14-18) — Believers are to be found at peace, beware error, and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Key Figures

• Peter — The apostle nearing death, writing a final charge to remind believers of the truth and warn against deception.
• The believers — Recipients urged to grow in grace and stand firm against false teaching and doubt.
• False teachers — Greedy, immoral deceivers who exploit the church, deny the Master, and face certain judgment.
• Noah — The herald of righteousness whom God preserved through the flood, proof that God rescues the godly.
• Lot — The righteous man delivered from Sodom, a further sign that God knows how to rescue his people from judgment.

Pointing to Christ

2 Peter is saturated with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, whose divine power supplies all we need for life and godliness. Peter testifies as an eyewitness of Christ's majesty on the mountain of transfiguration, where the Father declared his beloved Son. The whole letter looks toward the day of the Lord, the return of Christ in glory, which false teachers deny but believers eagerly await. Far from being slow, Christ delays in mercy so that more may repent. The letter ends as it began, fixed on him, calling us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom belongs glory now and forever.

Big Lessons

• God's divine power grants everything we need for life and godliness in Christ.
• Genuine faith grows, adding virtue upon virtue toward maturity and fruitfulness.
• Scripture is no human invention but came from God through the Holy Spirit.
• False teachers are real and dangerous, but their judgment is just as certain.
• Christ's return is sure; God's apparent delay is patient mercy toward sinners.
• Knowing the day of the Lord is coming should fuel holy and godly living now.