2 Peter
1:1-2
(A
Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)
February
6, 2014
Background
to 2 Peter
If you
are the kind of person who naturally pulls for the underdog, you will feel an
affinity for the little letter of 2 Peter.
Along with James, Jude, 2 John, and 3 John, this letter falls into that
category of New Testament books whose authorship and authenticity were
questioned from the early days of the Christian era. However, over time, the usefulness of these
books to the early church caused them to be included in the canon of the New
Testament. By the time of the Council of
Carthage in AD 397, the place of all of these books had been firmly established
among the 27 books of the New Testament. However, that did not end the debate
regarding 2 Peter. Even great reformers
such as Martin Luther and John Calvin tended to view 2 Peter with
suspicion.
I will
not go into all the critical arguments for and against the authenticity of 2
Peter. If you are interested in that
sort of thing, there is plenty of material in commentaries and on the web for
you to explore. My position is that 2
Peter is an authentic part of the New Testament and that Peter wrote this book
somewhere in the late 60’s AD, not long before his martyrdom in Rome.
Purpose of 2 Peter
Peter knew that his time of death
was rapidly approaching (see 2 Peter 1:14).
His desire was to impart as much knowledge and direction as possible to
the struggling Christian congregations before his departure from this
world. “The message of 2 Peter is one of
pastoral encouragement, support for living the Christian life, prophetic
warning against false doctrine, and concerned attention to proper preparation
for the day of judgment.” [LBC, Valentine, p.121] 2 Peter 3:1-2 summarizes the purpose of this
letter.
General Outline of 2 Peter
Chapter 1 – An overview of the
Christian life
Chapter 2 – Warnings regarding
false teachers and dangerous heresies
Chapter 3 – Words of encouragement and assurance in light
of the promise of the Lord’s return
2
Peter 1 reveals seven specific things about the Christian life. In this chapter Peter reminds his readers
that the Christian life if a life:
·
Of
equal standing before God (v.1)
·
Of
grace, peace, and knowledge (v.2)
·
Of
power and promise (vv.3-4)
·
Of
personal discipline (vv.5-9)
·
Of
perseverance (vv.10-11)
·
That
is rooted in an historical event (vv.12-18)
·
That
is focused on God’s Word (vv.19-20)
Verse 1 – The Christian life is a
life of equal standing before God
In
many ways, this verse is typical of the salutation in most New Testament
letters.
·
The
writer – “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…”
o
“Simon” – This is literally “Simeon.” This is Peter’s
Hebrew name, and the name of one of the Twelve tribes. This same form appears
only in Acts 15:14. If this letter were a pseudonym, the author surely would
have used the more common spelling “Simon.”[1]
o
“Peter” - This
is literally Petros, which is Greek for a large rock or boulder. It was the
nickname given to Simon by Jesus in Matt. 16:18 and also John 1:42. In this
passage in John the Aramaic term Cephas is mentioned. In daily conversation
Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Hebrew nor Greek. Paul often uses Cephas (cf. 1 Cor.
1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gal. 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14).[2]
o
“a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ” - Notice the order of the words. Near
the close of his life, at the apex of his apostolic authority, he was Christ’s
servant first, and His apostle second.[3]
·
The
readers – “…to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours…”
o “to those” – Since Peter mentions in
chapter 3 this is “the second letter I am writing to you” it is presumed the
recipients were those same churches scattered throughout the provinces of Asia
Minor (see 1 Peter 1:1)
o “received” – The word carries the idea that
the thing being received is not the result of the activity of the one receiving
but of the one giving. It is a reminder
that in Jesus we are the recipients of “the free gift of God [which is] eternal
life.” (Romans 3:23).
o “faith” – This word (from the Greek word
pistis) is used several ways in
Scripture
§ Sometimes it refers to what a
person believes or the content of belief.
The Greek word can be translated both belief and faith.
§ Sometimes it refers to the act of
believing, like when we say “I have
faith” meaning “I believe.”
§ Sometimes faith is a synonym for
salvation. That is how the word is used
in this verse. This letter is written to
those who have received salvation.
o “of the same kind” – This phrase translates a
single word, isotimos. This is a compound word, the first part
meaning equal and the second part
meaning value. It carries the idea of having equal value or
worth or standing.
o “as ours” – A reference to the Apostles.
Putting all that together, Peter
is making an amazing statement to his readers.
He is saying that every believer in Jesus Christ has the exact same
standing in the eyes of God. There is no
privileged class and there are no second or third class citizens in the kingdom
of God. Not even the Apostles like
Peter—those who were privileged to walk with Jesus, to see Him with their own
eyes, to witness His miracles, to see and touch the resurrected Lord—have any
special advantage of any other believer!
One writer put it this way: “Even the weakest believer holds in his
hands all that the mightiest saint ever possessed.” [Ray Stedman]. That is an amazing thought. Everything that Peter or Paul or James or
John had, we also possess! We have
received from God the exact salvation, the exact standing that they received.
Verse 2 – The Christian life is a
life of grace, peace, and knowledge - This verse is typical of many NT salutations in
that it mentions “grace and peace.”
Every
one of Paul’s letters, except the two letters to Timothy, begin with a
pronouncement of “grace and peace” upon the readers. Peter
follows that same formula in 1 Peter and here in 2 Peter. In that sense, this
salutation is typical. But it is unusual in that it is the only salutation in
the NT in which “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” is
mentioned.
The
concept of knowledge permeates the book of 2 Peter. No less than 13 times in the 3 chapters of 2
Peter you will find the words “know” and “knowledge.” This letter opens with a reference to
knowledge and closes with a reference to knowledge. And in between, time and time again, Peter
addresses that subject. Verse 2 tells us
two significant things about the knowledge that should characterize those who
follow Christ.
·
The
knowledge of the Christian life is a growing knowledge as opposed to a static
knowledge
o
In Greek the basic word for knowledge is “gnosis”...most
of the time that is the word used in the NT to convey the idea of
knowledge...but there is another word which is sometimes used...not “gnosis”
but “epignosis”...that is the word Peter uses here...the word “epignosis”
is formed by taking the preposition “epi” which means “toward” or
“in the direction of” and placing it before the normal word for
knowledge, “gnosis”...thus “epignosis” means a knowledge which is
moving toward or in the direction of that which it seeks to know...”epignosis”
of God is knowledge which is constantly moving toward God...it’s not stuck in
one place...it is ever growing...
o
Point I want to make is that our lives should be
characterized by an ever increasing knowledge of God...at the very end of this
book Peter instructs us to “...grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...”...we should never be content with
where we are...we should never be content with what we know of Him...we should
always be striving, always be growing, always be maturing in our knowledge of
God...
·
The knowledge of the Christian life
is more relational than informational
o
When Peter speaks of “the knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord” he is not talking about a head knowledge...he
talking about a heart knowledge...he’s not intellectualizing
Christianity...he’s not saying the essence of being a Christian is what you
know...basically, he’s saying the essence of being a Christian is WHO you
know!...
o
Now don’t misunderstand me at this point...the
Bible does not teach that Christianity is anti-intellectual...does not teach
that Christians should be intellectually lazy...I fear that too many Christians
know too little about the belief they profess to have...while we should guard
against a type of Christianity which is characterized by a “head knowledge
which never touches the heart” we should also guard against a “heart
knowledge which never touches the head”...we must understand intellectual
what God has done and what God desires from us if we’re going to explain and
defend our faith to the world...
o
However, we must never forget that the knowledge
of the Christian life must never be restricted the realm of the mind or the
intellect...it must extend to the heart or the emotions...the kind of knowledge
Peter is referring to in this verse is the kind which grows out of personal
relationship with the Lord...it’s not so much knowing about Him as it is
knowing Him...it’s the kind of knowledge Paul was talking about in 2 Timothy
1:12 when he said, “I know [not what but] whom I have believed...”
Some years ago at a drawing-room function, one of
England's leading actors was asked to recite for the pleasure of his fellow
guests. He consented and asked if there was anything special that his audience
would like to hear. After a moment's pause, an old clergyman present said: "Could
you, sir, recite to us the Twenty-third Psalm?" A strange look
passed over the actor's face; he paused for a moment, and then said: "I
can, and I will, upon one condition; and that is that after I have recited it,
you, my friend, will do the same." "I," said the
clergyman, in surprise. "But I am not an elocutionist. However, you
wish it, I will do so." Impressively, the great actor began the
psalm. His voice and his intonation were perfect. He held his audience
spellbound; and as he finished, a great burst of applause broke from the
guests. Then, as it died away, the old clergyman arose and began the psalm. His
voice was not remarkable; his intonation was not faultless. When he had
finished, no sound of applause broke the silence, but there was not a dry eye
in the room, and many heads were bowed. Then the actor rose to his feet again.
His voice shook as he laid his hand upon the shoulder of the old clergyman and
said: "I reached your eyes and ears, my friends; he reached your
hearts. The difference is just this: I know the Twenty-third Psalm, but he
knows the Shepherd." [The War Cry, from the web site elbourne.org]
2 Peter 1:1-2 reminds us
that it is the privilege of every follower of Jesus to have a growing, personal
knowledge of the Lord.
[1]
Utley, R. J. D. (2000). Vol. Volume 2:
The Gospel according to Peter: Mark and I
& II Peter. Study Guide Commentary Series (274). Marshall, Texas: Bible
Lessons International.
[2]
Utley, R. J. D. (2000). Vol. Volume 2:
The Gospel according to Peter: Mark and I
& II Peter. Study Guide Commentary Series (274). Marshall, Texas: Bible
Lessons International.
[3]
Gangel, K. O. (1985). 2 Peter. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
Exposition of the Scriptures (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Ed.) (2 Pe
1:1a). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
