2 Peter

Book Outhne

Key theme: Spiritual knowledge

Key verse:

I. Explanation: The Knowledge of Christ ()

A. The gift of knowledge ()

B. The growth in knowledge ()

C. The ground of knowledge ()

II. Examination: The False Teachers ()

A. Their condemnation ()

B. Their character ()

C. Their claims ()

III. Exhortation: The True Christian ()

A. Be mindful ()

B. Be not ignorant ()

C. Be diligent ()

D. Beware ()

Book Overview

If anybody in the early church knew the importance of being alert, it was the apostle Peter. He had a tendency in his early years to feel overconfident when danger was near and to overlook the Master’s warnings. He rushed ahead when he should have waited; he slept when he should have prayed; he talked when he should have listened. He was a courageous, but careless, Christian.

But he learned his lesson, and he wanted to help us learn it too. In his first epistle, Peter emphasized the grace of God (), but in this second letter, his emphasis is on the knowledge of God. The word “know” or “knowledge” is used at least thirteen times in this short epistle. The word does not mean a mere intellectual understanding of some truth, though that is included. It means a living participation in the truth in the sense that our Lord used it in —“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

The Christian life begins with faith, but that faith must lead to spiritual growth—unless it is dead faith. But dead faith is not saving faith (). Faith leads to growth, and growth leads to practical results in life and service. People who have this kind of Christian experience are not likely to fall prey to apostate false teachers.

The best defense against false teaching is true living. A church filled with growing Christians, vibrant in their faith, is not likely to fall prey to apostates with their counterfeit Christianity. But this Christian living must be based on the authoritative Word of God. False teachers can easily seduce people who do not know their Bible but who are desirous of experiences with the Lord. To build on subjective experience alone and ignore objective revelation is dangerous.

As we review this important epistle, we cannot help but be struck by the urgency of the message. The apostates are here! They are busy! They are seducing immature Christians! We must be guarding ourselves, growing in faith, and glorifying the Lord, making the most of every opportunity to win the lost and strengthen the saved.

“Be Transformed”

The purpose of prophetic truth is not speculation but motivation; thus Peter included in his second letter the kind of practical admonitions that all of us must heed. He was writing to believers who were naturally frustrated about living in the in-between times before Christ’s return. What God has told us is not primarily intended to clarify what Christ will do and when He will do it but to clarify what we will do and for how long we will do it (until He comes).

Unfortunately, some people run from one prophetic conference to another, filling their notebooks, marking their Bibles, drawing their charts, and yet they do not live to the glory of God. In fact, some of the saints battle each other more over prophetic interpretation than perhaps any other subject.

All true Christians believe that Jesus Christ is coming again. They may differ in their views of when certain promised events will occur, but they all agree that He is returning as He promised. Furthermore, all Christians agree that this faith in future glory ought to motivate the church. This does not mean that we should stop studying prophecy, or that every opposing viewpoint is correct, which is an impossibility. But it does mean that, whatever views we hold of the end times, they ought to make a difference in the way we live each day, as we in “giving all diligence, add to [our] faith virtue, to virtue knowledge” ().

Greeting the Faithful

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in 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,

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

6to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

7to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

8For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

11for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s Approaching Death

For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

13Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,

14knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

15Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word

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.

17For 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.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

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.

Destructive Doctrines

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.

2And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

4For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

11whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

Depravity of False Teachers

12But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

14having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

15They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

17These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Deceptions of False Teachers

For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

20For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

God’s Promise Is Not Slack

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

6by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

7But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

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,

16as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17You 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. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Annotations for 2 Peter

, A savior is “one who brings salvation,” and the word “salvation” was familiar to the people of that day. In their vocabulary, it meant “deliverance from trouble,” particularly “deliverance from the enemy.” It also carried the idea of “health and safety.” A physician was looked on as a savior because he helped deliver the body from pain and limitations. A victorious general was a savior because he delivered the people from defeat. Even a wise official was a savior because he kept the nation in order and delivered it from confusion and decay. It requires little insight to see how the title “Savior” applies to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is, indeed, the Great Physician who heals the heart from the sickness of sin. He is the victorious Conqueror who has defeated our enemies—sin, death, Satan, and hell—and is leading us in triumph.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has three spiritual commodities that can be secured from no one else: righteousness, grace, and peace. When we trust Him as Savior, His righteousness becomes our righteousness, and we are given a right standing before God (). We could never earn this righteousness; it is the gift of God to those who believe: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” ().

The Christian life begins with saving faith, faith in the person of Jesus Christ. But when we know Jesus Christ personally, we also experience God’s power, and this power produces “life and godliness.” The unsaved sinner is dead (), and only Christ can raise him or her from the dead (). When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He said, “Loose him, and let him go” (). Get rid of the grave clothes; it’s time for godly living!

God has not only given us all that we need for life and godliness, but He has also given us His Word to enable us to develop this life and godliness. These promises are great because they come from a great God and they lead to a great life. They are precious because their value is beyond calculation. If we lost the Word of God, there would be no way to replace it.

We have God’s nature within, so we ought to have an appetite for that which is pure and holy. Our behavior ought to be like that of the Father, and we ought to live in the kind of spiritual environment that is suited to our nature. We ought to associate with that which is true to our nature (see .). The only normal, fruit-bearing life for the child of God is a godly life.

Where there is life, there must be growth. The new birth is not the end; it is the beginning. God gives His children all that they need to live godly lives, but His children must apply themselves and be diligent to use the means of grace He has provided. Spiritual growth is not automatic. It requires cooperation with God and the application of spiritual diligence and discipline.

Fallen human nature cannot manufacture the seven qualities of Christian character in these verses. They must be produced by the Spirit of God. To be sure, some unsaved people possess amazing self-control and endurance, but these virtues point to them and not to the Lord. They get the glory. When God produces the beautiful nature of His Son in a Christian, God receives the praise and glory. Because we have the divine nature, we can grow spiritually and develop this kind of Christian character. This growth takes place through the power of God and the precious promises of God.

, Christians who are sure of their election and calling will never “stumble” but will prove by a consistent life that they are truly God’s children. They will not always be on the mountaintop, but they will always be climbing higher. If we do “these things” (the traits listed in vv. ), if we display Christian growth and character in our daily lives, then we can be sure we are converted and will one day be in heaven.

The church of Jesus Christ is always one generation away from extinction. If we had no dependable written revelation, we would have to depend on word-of-mouth tradition. In the party game “Telephone,” a simple sentence can be radically changed when passed from one person to another! We do not depend on the traditions of dead people; we depend on the truth of the living Word. People die, but the Word lives forever.

The transfiguration also had a special significance for Jesus Christ, who was nearing Calvary (). It was the Father’s way of strengthening His Son for that terrible ordeal of being the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The law and the prophets (Moses and Elijah) pointed to His ministry, and He would fulfill those Scriptures. The Father spoke from heaven and assured the Son of His love and approval. The Transfiguration was proof that suffering leads to glory when we are in the will of God.

Peter used this event in his letter to refute the false teachings of the apostates that the kingdom of God would never come (.). These false teachers were denying the promise of Christ’s coming! In the place of God’s promises, these counterfeits put “cunningly devised fables” () that robbed the believers of their blessed hope.

Peter called the world “a dark place,” and the word he used means “murky.” It pictures a dank cellar or a dismal swamp. Human history began in a lovely garden, but that garden today is a murky swamp. What we see when we look at this world system is an indication of the spiritual condition of our hearts. And we have the privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life—God’s light—so that people might see the way and be saved ().

, This is one of two important Scriptures affirming the divine inspiration of the Word of God. The other is . Peter affirmed that the Scriptures were not written by humans who used their own ideas and words, but by prophets of God who were “moved by the Holy Spirit.” The word translated “moved” means “to be carried along, as a ship is carried by the wind.” The Scriptures are “God-breathed”; they are not human inventions.

People die, but the Word lives. Experiences fade, but the Word remains. The world grows darker, but the prophetic light shines brighter. Believers who build their lives on the Word of God and who look for the coming of the Savior are not likely to be led astray by false teachers. They will be taught by the Spirit and grounded on the sure Word of God.

Not only were these teachers’ messages false, but their methods were false. Instead of openly declaring what they believed, they had come into the church under false colors and were giving the impression that they were true to the Christian faith. “They secretly bring in alongside” is the literal translation. They do not throw out the truth immediately; they simply lay their false teachings alongside the truth and give the impression that they believe the fundamentals of the faith. Before long, they remove the true doctrine and leave their false doctrine in its place.

True ministers of Jesus Christ have nothing to hide: Their lives and ministries are open books. They preach the truth in love and do not twist the Scriptures to support their own selfish ideas. They do not flatter the rich or minister only to make money. Contrast that description with what Peter wrote in this chapter, and with what Jude wrote, and we will see the difference. We must be alert and refuse to support ministries that exploit people and deny the Savior.

We don’t have to debate the hidden mysteries of this verse in order to get the main message: God judges rebellion and will not spare those who reject His will. If God judged the angels, who in many respects are higher than human beings, then certainly He will judge rebellious humans.

Certainly Peter was assuring his readers that when the great day of judgment does come, they would be kept safe. Jesus Christ is our “ark” of safety. He delivers us from the wrath to come (). God has promised that the earth will never again be judged by water, but a judgment of fire is coming (.). But those who have trusted Christ will never face judgment () because He bore their judgment on the cross.

God enabled Lot and his family to remain unpolluted, even though they were living in the midst of a cesspool of iniquity. God also rescued Lot and two of his daughters before the judgment fell on Sodom and the other cities of the plain (). Lot was not rescued because of any merit on his part. He was rescued because he was a believer and because his uncle Abraham had prayed for him.

God’s people, as weak as they are, will be delivered from judgment by the grace and mercy of God. God could not judge Sodom until Lot and his family were out of the city. Likewise, I believe that God will not send wrath on this world until He takes His own people out and home to heaven.

Peter was disturbed by the inroads the false teachers were making into the churches. He knew that their approach was subtle but their teachings fatal, and he wanted to warn the churches about them.

Certainly our churches need to exercise authority and practice discipline. Christian love does not mean that we tolerate every false doctrine and every so-called “lifestyle.” The Bible makes clear that some things are right and some things are wrong. No Christian whose belief and behavior are contrary to the Word of God should be permitted to share in the Lord’s Supper or to have a spiritual ministry in the church. That person’s defiling influence may not be seen immediately, but ultimately it will create serious problems.

, Do not be impressed with religious oratory. Apollos was a fervent and eloquent religious speaker, but he did not know the full message to preach (). Paul was careful not to build his converts’ faith on either his words or his wisdom (). He was a brilliant man, but his ministry was simple and practical. He preached to express and not to impress. He knew the difference between communication and manipulation.

, The passage gives no indication that the false teachers had ever experienced the new birth. They had knowledge of salvation and could use the language of the church, but they lacked that true saving experience with the Lord. At one time they had even received the Word of God (v. ), but then they turned away from it. They never trusted Christ and became His sheep. Instead of being sheep, they were pigs and dogs—and keep in mind that the dogs in that day were not pampered pets. The Jews called the Gentiles “dogs” because a dog was nothing but a filthy scavenger who lived on garbage. It was hardly a title of respect and endearment!

A person can have a pure and sincere mind and yet have a bad memory! Peter wrote this second letter primarily to awaken and arouse his readers (). Our heavenly Father sacrificed so that we might have the truth of the Word and the freedom to practice it, but too often we take this for granted and become complacent. The church needs to be aroused regularly lest the enemy find us asleep and take advantage of our spiritual lethargy.

Because God’s Word is true, we must pay attention to it and take its message seriously. New converts must be taught the Word and established in the doctrines of the faith, for new Christians are the apostate teacher’s primary targets. But older Christians must also be reminded of the importance of Bible doctrine and, in particular, the doctrines that relate to the return of Christ. Prophetic teaching must not lull us to sleep. Rather, it must awaken us to live godly lives and to seek to win the lost ().

A scoffer is someone who treats lightly that which ought to be taken seriously. The people in Noah’s day scoffed at the idea of a judgment, and the citizens of Sodom scoffed at the possibility of fire and brimstone destroying their sinful city. If we have tried at all to witness for Jesus Christ, we have no doubt met people who scoff at the idea of hell or a future day of judgment for this world.

Peter’s argument can be summarized as this: The same God who created the world by His Word can also intervene in His world and do whatever He wishes to do! His Word made it and holds it together, and His Word is all-powerful.

Peter exposed the ignorance of the scoffers. Not only were they ignorant of what God had done in the past (v. ), but they were also ignorant of what God was like. They were making God in their own image and ignoring the fact that God is eternal. This means that He has neither beginning nor ending. Human beings are immortal: they have beginnings but no endings. They will live forever either in heaven or hell. But God is eternal, without beginning or ending, and He dwells in eternity. He is not limited by time the way we are, nor does He measure it according to human standards. When we study the works of God, especially in the Old Testament, we can see that He is never in a hurry, but He is never late.

We must avoid two extremes in ministry. One is the attitude that we are locked into God’s sovereign plan in such a way that nothing we do will make any difference. The other extreme is to think that God cannot get anything done unless we do it! While God’s sovereign decrees must never become an excuse for laziness, neither must our plans and activities try to take their place.

, Note that Peter classified Paul’s letters as Scripture, that is, the inspired Word of God. Not only did the teaching of the apostles agree with that of the prophets and our Lord (v. ), but the apostles also agreed with each other.

Since this is the day of salvation, we must be diligent to do all we can to win the lost. We do not know how long the Lord will be patient toward this evil world. We must not presume on His grace. We must understand what the Bible teaches about God’s program for this present age, and we must be motivated by a love for the lost () and a desire to be pleasing to Him when He returns.

We must grow in the special favor of God that is called “grace.” This has to do with Christian character traits, the very things Peter wrote about in , and that Paul discussed in , . God gives these to us, but we need to develop continuously our practice of them. We were saved by grace (, ), but grace does not end there! We must also be strengthened by grace (). God’s grace can enable us to endure suffering (). His grace also helps us to give when giving is difficult () and to sing when singing is difficult (). He has grace for every situation and every challenge of life.

2 Peter 1

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2 Peter 2

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2 Peter 3

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