Peter’s second letter, written between 65-68 AD is different from his first letter in both tone and theme. In his first letter, the audience of Christians is both wider and more diverse. In his second letter, Peter focuses in on Christians living in the western region of Asia minor and strikes out to teach them some very stark truths about faith and false teaching. Like Colossians, Peter validates the importance of returning to the core values of the faith and strengthening the foundation so that when false teaching presents itself, one has the battle-tested courage to see it and confront it. Unlike Colossians, Peter isn’t writing in response to a heresy in the church as Paul was, but creates a tapestry that the Christian can understand about God’s divine strength and nature and how we can partake in it.
Peter was one of the 12 original apostles and perhaps the most fleshed-out in scripture. His story contains a “Pre-Disciple, Disciple and Post-Disciple " storyline:
Pre-Disciple
Simon meets Jesus through the help of his brother Andrew who was a follower of John the Baptist. John 1:40-41
While Peter and Andrew are fishing at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sees them and asks them to follow Him. Matthew 4:18, Mark 1:16-18
Peter casts his net in the deep sea after being told by Jesus to do so. He tells Jesus that they have tried all night to do so and without success. When he did as he was told, they caught a great number of fish. Luke 5:4-7
Jesus add to the name of Simon, Peter (from the Greek word petros meaning rock or stone). Mark 3:16, Luke 6:14, John 1:42
The apostles and Simon Peter see Jesus walking on water, Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk to Him. Peter tries to walk on water, but he fails. Matthew 14:28-29, John 6:19-20
Jesus tell Peter that he will build his church on him.Matthew 16:18
After Jesus proclaims that He will be killed and then rise on the third day, Peter rebukes Him.Matthew 16:21-23, Mark 8:31-33
Peter, along with James and John, witness the transfiguration of Jesus and the appearance of Moses and Elijah on a mountain. Matthew 17:1-3, Mark 9:2-3, Luke 9:29-32
Post-Disciple/Apostle
By default, Peter becomes the leader of the remaining disciples who had been with Jesus and tells them they should choose someone to replace Judas Iscariot, who had committed suicide. Acts 1:16-26
Now filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter gives a message to the people in Jerusalem. Acts 2:14-36
John, along with Peter, encounter a man who had never walked since birth, and Peter heals him and the man is able to walk. Acts 3:6-8
One of the ruling parties of that time, the Sadducees, take John and Peter into custody.Acts 4:3
Peter, John with him, are told by the Sadducees to stop telling people about Jesus. Acts 4:18
Peter confronts a husband and wife regarding property they lied about. Both end up dead. Acts 5:3-9
Peter and John are sent to Samaria to teach about the word of God. Acts 8:14
Peter travels to different places to teach and to encourage other believers in Jesus Christ. Acts 9:32
What we can discern from these many stories is that Peter was present at many of the main events in the life of Christ and beyond, from resurrection to the beginnings of the Christian church. Although his death isn’t recorded in scripture. It is considered church tradition that Peter was crucified head down, under the orders of Nero in the Circus Maximus, about 68 AD. Paul too was beheaded around this same time in this same place.
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
In Peter’s introduction we see a few interesting ways in which Peter lays out both his servitude and who the letter is designed for. First, verse one tells us that Peter’s servitude is more important that his apostleship. Why is this? Remember, Christ had to become a servant first before he extolled the virtues of God to others. This is submission. We all must submit to God before we can truly teach or preach His word. Submission (the trust we develop in Christ leading our life) was the first element of Peter’s spiritual foundation.
Verse one also tells us who he is writing the letter to. It is to Christians (to those who have received righteousness) who understand that faith was obtained through God, not through any effort of our own. Verse two tells us a very strident truth: as we know God, we experience the foundation of grace and peace to help us in our daily lives.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
There are two items in these verses we need to unpack and define properly for a deep understanding of what Peter is conveying.
Divine Power
Matthew 28:18-20, Philippians 2:9 and Colossians 2:10 all give us an idea of what this term means:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, - Philippians 2:9
10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. - Colossians 2:10
Divine Power refers to Christ’a authority over everything. And even though all authority belongs with Christ, this power can work in our life.
God has given us all that we need to live a Godly life. In our effort to “attain” things in our life, and especially in our western culture, this seems incorrect. Why would we need to attain, or strive for anything, if it has already been given? Because most of the time we don’t realize that what we need has been there all along. Whether it was a latent talent we didn’t know we had or a God-given gift we never understood, it is there, waiting to be uncovered in our life. The idea is this: we only begin to understand and grow it in our life once we reconnect with the vine in a substantial way. Our knowledge of God increases our ability to see situation, troubles or triumphs through God’s eyes. We begin to see the world in a Godly way, and that comes through knowing Him. In seeing things His way, through his word, prayer and community, we begin to understand the “tool chest” that we’ve had all along. The tools aren’t necessarily there to make money or to satisfy our selfish interest but to build God’s kingdom. We can only see that through a knowledge of Him.
Verse 3 also tells us that through this knowledge we must understand something very important: God called us. It seems backwards, doesn’t it? God called us first? 1 Corinthians 1:9 tells us this truth. God called us to be in communion with Him. Of course it’s our decision to come into relationship or not. This was not something done through our efforts. It was through God’s goodness that he called us into relationship.
Verse four gives us another very important piece of information. Through His divine power, His calling and us reaching out to Him through knowledge, He also imparts to us promises. The promise of salvation is important, because without its anchor in faith we cannot participate in the divine power which God offers to us through Jesus. If we can’t believe in the promise of salvation, how can we fully trust Christ This relationship, the understanding of the goodness of God, who has called us and promised us salvation, cannot be complete without the full trust in the savior.
Divine Nature
Divine Nature is the holy life that God wants us to live. This, coupled with Divine power, is the full-bodied faith that we all desire, a faith that can stand up to the world and avoid the corruption of it. The bible, of course, gives us a roadmap to what this divine nature entails.
Dealing with sin (corruption) Acts 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.
First, to participate in a divine nature, we must believe. Belief leads to repentance. Repentance leads to salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
We are a new creation, one that has put the sin of the old life away. It doesn’t mean we are sinless or we don’t struggle, but the power of sin is broken.
Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
We are protected by God.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
As we move through life and run the race in the best and most earnest way we can, we aren’t condemned by our shortcomings, because we are in Christ’s protection.
Colossians 2:13-14 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Because Christ has removed our guilt of sin, because he has paid the price for it, we can move away from the sin nature that ruled us in the old life.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
God will not tempt us so that we will always fall. In fact, He will always give us a way out and a strength to endure it.
1 John 2:17 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Because the world is temporary, it is important to follow those things which are eternal.
Transformation
John 1:121 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
You’ve been made part of a new family.
1John 3:9 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
If we have chosen Christ and trust Him with our life, then the result is that habitual sin will cease because it doesn’t have the power over you any longer. Your life will change.
Romans 8:9 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
If we have accepted Christ and our life has changed and we are growing in spirit, we are in the realm of the spirit, or led by the spirit.
John 14:16 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-- God hasn’t left us alone, but given us a helper, the Holy Spirit, to help guide us.
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. God has built us with a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. We have the power, through Him, to conquer.
Peter gives us this information for a definitive reason: he wants us to become conquerors of this world. The world wants to destroy us spiritually. But what does Peter attribute this world view to: the corruption of the world is caused by evil desires (lusts). These are the selfish motivations of billions of people who make compromises to morality on a daily basis. These small compromises result in a ripple effect across many people, governments, countries, until we are left with a world that does not value a good moral base, that does not recognize God. It shows up as subjective truth. It shows up in crushed value systems. It is the same problem of the heart the people of the bible have been fighting throughout history. It isn’t a problem of democrats or republicans, of policy or laws, but of the corrupt human heart.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we understand that we are part of God’s spiritual family, sharing in Christ’s authority, a part of the divine nature of God, we must work to grow. We must supplement our faith with growth toward God. How do we do that? Through committing ourselves to the good attributes of Christ. Verse 5 tells us the make every effort to add to your faith. That doesn’t sound like a passive route. In fact, it’s a very direct route to establishing deeper relationship with Christ. These “supplements” Peter talks about are items to add to our faith. If we already believe and already know our destination, if we already understand that we have transitioned into a “New Self”, then we must also understand the need to build on our faith.
Philippians 2:12-13 says this: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Working out our salvation means to work through our salvation, to understand the price that was paid and to spend our days not in opposition to it, but to find ways that add to and strengthen it. God wants to do a work in us, the passage goes on to say (to fulfill his good purpose), but there is work we must do on our end.
This is the idea James touches on in James 2:17: In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. This means that faith must first be acquired. We must believe first. The works we do are born out of the belief, not the other way around. Many religions believe that we must first acquire God’s approval through our deeds. This is a works-based religion. But a faith-based religion, of what both Peter and James are speaking of, entails that we first believe, and then, from that belief, works grow out of it. This strengthens our faith through connection.
Peter lists 7 attributes to faith:
Faith itself is the foundation of our divine nature
Goodness is the virtue of not being able to live in knowing disobedience
Knowledge is the word of God’s influence in our life and behavior
Self-Control is when we apply our faith and knowledge to a temptation or trial
Perseverance is when faith, knowledge and self-control are needed during lengthy tests
Godliness is living in reverence to God
Mutual affection is the brotherly love in Godly relationships
Love itself is the self-sacrificing practice for all
These 7 attributes are essential to build in our faith and strengthen our divine nature. It does not make us gods, but conforms us to the likeness of Christ. These qualities you are to abound in (must work at) so that we can be effective and productive in understanding who Christ is.
9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Peter also offers the reverse of a character moving toward Christ. Those who choose not to build on their faith are nearsighted and blind. Nearsighted people only see what’s in front of them; the blind see nothing at all. Those who can’t see who Christ is in a proper way have forgotten the promise.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter again warns us to make every effort. Building our faith is confirmation of our calling. Remember, Christ called us as his own. How do we know we are truly called? The way we can tell is through our eagerness to know Christ and build on the faith he has offered us. If we have no desire to grow closer and conform to his image, then we must ask ourselves if he has called us at all. This shows us the condition of our heart and those things we build become evidences of our spiritual health.
Because we are eager to grow and conform to Christ’s likeness, there is a far less likelihood that we will stumble. If we are making every effort to the 7 points Peter listed, then we won’t have the time, energy and focus to be dragged away by sin. If our focus is on building our faith, then we can see that as evidence that our faith is genuine and secures the certainty of our calling.
Prophecy of Scripture 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
Peter reminds that as long as he is alive, he will continue to remind those of the grace and mercy of Christ and of the things we must do in our life to grow toward holiness. It is important to remind ourselves of the basics of our faith because we are easily distracted by the word around us. The goal is to cement the ideals of the faith so that we aren’t swayed by the world.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Peter again reminds us of his authority. He was there as Christ called and taught him, he witnessed the miracles. Peter was at the transfiguration. He was also there when Christ was crucified and rose. He was there at the Ascension and Pentecost. He went out to heal with the power of God inside him. He would ultimately meet a grisly death preaching the word of God with his last breath. Peter’s authority is solid, ranging through all of the gospels, his letter and the Book of Acts.
17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
This is Peter’s recollection of the Transfiguration when he, Andrew and James witness Christ filed with God’s glory, saw Moses and Elijah appear, and heard the voice of God speak his approval.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit
Peter speaks of the reliability of the message. How is the message reliable? The 66 books of the bible were written over thousands of years by kings, prophets, regular people apostles and those free and imprisoned. Throughout all of the books we have a synchronized message that points to Christ the Messiah coming to this world and speaking to the human race about the heart of God. Peter was one of the closest to this message, a man transformed by it, a man who spent time with Jesus, witnessed his majesty, and died for it. He did not interpret these things personally; no prophet of God does that. In fact, Deuteronomy 18:20 tells us that a prophet of God must be accurate all the time. Why? Because the true prophet of God is led by the spirit, not by their world views.