2 PETER

Louis Barbieri

Author. While no NT book has any stronger external attestation for authorship than 1 Peter, 2 Peter probably has the weakest in the entire NT canon. There are early allusions to the book by church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Ignatius, and Clement of Rome. The first person to connect Peter’s name with this letter is Origen (c. 250), and he says it is disputed. However external evidence for authorship was often weak on shorter epistles.

Internally a number of things point to Peter as the best candidate for authorship. Certainly no forger would deviate from the known greeting of a recognized Petrine letter (1 Peter), but at the beginning of this letter the author refers to himself as "Simon Peter." The author knows many facts about Peter’s life (cf. 1:16–18) that are confirmed by gospel accounts (cf. Mk 9:2–8; Mt 17:1–8; and Lk 9:28–36). The author also is anticipating his imminent death (1:13–15) as he said was prophesied (cf. Jn 21:18–19). The writer seems familiar with the writings of the apostle Paul and with Paul himself (3:15–16). The reference to a first epistle (3:1) and the similarity with 1 Peter in subject matter (issues like eschatology, the flood, and Christian liberty) all lead to the conclusion that the same individual wrote both epistles.

Why do some object to the Petrine authorship of 2 Peter? Some believe that the similarity to the book of Jude demonstrates that a forger simply borrowed his material from Jude. It seems clear however that 2 Peter precedes Jude. 2 Peter says false teachers will be coming into the church (2:1) but Jude says they are in the church (Jd 3–4). Others believe the author "slipped" in 3:2 and failed to include himself in the apostolic circle when he referred to "your apostles." But the author’s wording does not demand that interpretation; furthermore he calls himself an "apostle of Jesus Christ" in 1:1.

The differences in writing style between the two epistles cannot be denied. However mention is made of an amanuensis, Sylvanus, who assisted Peter with writing the first letter (cf. 1Pt 5:12). No mention of assistance is found in the second letter. Perhaps the second letter is more characteristic of Peter’s true Galilean Greek.

Finally, some critics say the author is too eager to connect himself to Peter the apostle because of his many references to Jesus Christ. However, how many references are too many? If the writer had never mentioned Jesus or only mentioned Him a few times, critics would have rejected the authorship because of the few references. Despite the objections the best conclusion on authorship is that the same individual, Simon Peter, wrote both of the letters that commonly bear his name in the NT.

Date. Several factors must be kept in mind when a date for the writing of 2 Peter is suggested. If indeed the apostle Peter wrote this book, he stated that he believed his death was imminent (2Pt 1:13–15). The reference to this being the second letter he was writing to the same group (3:1) and his familiarity with the apostle Paul and his letters (3:15–16) would imply the passing of time. In light of all this, a date in either AD 67 or 68 would be acceptable.

Recipients. Because of the mention of a second letter in 3:1, it is generally concluded that this letter was sent to the same group of people who received Peter’s First Epistle. Therefore this letter was sent primarily to Jewish believers in the Dispersion (the Diaspora), scattered throughout what we know as modern-day Turkey.

Purpose. The statement in 2Pt 3:17–18 leads to the conclusion that his purpose in this letter is twofold: first to warn against false teachers and second to encourage spiritual growth.

1:1a. The unique signature, Simon Peter, argues for authenticity. No forger would alter the known introduction of 1 Peter. Peter could have begun any way he chose. He called himself a bond-servant (Gk. doulos) and apostle, demonstrating humility and showing the authority to write this letter.

1:1b. This letter is written to believers who have a faith that comes about through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, including the first letter’s recipients (cf. 3:1). Faith in this verse is without an article implying it might be the content of faith (cf. Jd 3) or the believer’s saving faith in Jesus Christ. The latter is preferable since Peter was talking about faith that comes through our God and Savior, one person, not two, Jesus Christ.

1:2. This greeting is identical with 1 Peter. Inserting knowledge is significant, for Peter was writing to people who claimed real knowledge. Experiencing God’s grace and peace is dependent on the knowledge about God. As the believer gains knowledge, grace and peace are multiplied in his life.

1:3–4. The writer presents an appeal for holy living based on the readers’ calling. Divine power has been given, not earned, and it supplies all that is needed for godliness. This comes through the calling of Jesus Christ, who is God’s glory and excellence. The person of Jesus attracts; His power produces response. Precious … promises have been given to believers, including the promise of becoming partakers of the divine nature. Believers do not become God, but they possess the righteousness that comes from God (see the comments on Rm 1:17; 3:21–26) and share fellowship with the godhead, enabling them to escape the world’s corruption caused by lust.

1:5–7. Having begun a new life in Christ, Peter admonished his readers to equip themselves with specific virtues of the Christian life that started with faith (v. 5) and continues with faithful daily dependence on God. The grace of God demands diligence ("doing one’s best") as believers grow. It leads to moral excellence (cf. 1:3), a Greek word used of that which fulfilled its designated purpose. But the Christian life is more than faith and practical goodness. There is also knowledge, which Christians need not fear, for truth will lead to understanding. Next is self-control, a Greek word meaning "to control the passions," which follows when believers submit to the control of the indwelling Spirit. From self-control springs perseverance, the ability to endure difficult things. To perseverance is added godliness or reverence toward God and fellow men. This leads to brotherly kindness, the outworking of the previous quality (cf. 1 Jn 4:20). The crowning Christian progress is love (Gk. agape), a deliberate desire for the highest good in the one loved (see the comments on 1Co 13:1–3).

1:8–11. The believer with true knowledge of Christ should possess these fruitful qualities. One who refuses to grow is blind, having purposefully forgotten his forgiveness. In a call for zeal, Peter encouraged his readers to pursue their calling, a beautiful blending of God’s sovereign call and the believer’s responsibility. Christian calling and Christian living go together. As one’s calling is confirmed, two results follow. First he will never stumble (v. 10), a metaphor picturing a horse’s surefootedness. Since Peter denied his Lord, and yet he was restored (cf. Jn 21:15–17), perhaps he means the believer will never fall in such a way as to lose his salvation. Instead the believer will finally achieve his lifelong goal, entrance into the Savior’s eternal kingdom (v. 11). While salvation is never by works, the believer who pursues the course Peter outlined (cf. vv. 5–6) anticipates an especially glorious meeting with his Savior in heaven (cf. 2Tm 4:7–8, 18; Ac 7:56).

1:12–15. To produce growth, believers need information. Peter sensed a responsibility to remind his readers of things he had learned, truths they knew but had not recently considered. Christians established in the truth (v. 12) can lapse into serious sin and error. That is why Peter wanted to stir … up their memory. This was his solemn duty, though he knew his death was imminent (v. 14) as revealed by the Lord (cf. Jn 21). Peter was working so that after his departure his knowledge would be available. That Peter preached in many cities including Rome is well documented. His public ministry was greatly appreciated. But there is also testimony from church history that he spent time in the last years of his life working with John Mark (see Introduction on Mark). He could possibly here be referring especially to Mark, who ministered with him (cf. 1Pt 5:13), but without excluding what he was writing to his readers as well. The second gospel (Mark’s) is often called "The Gospel According to Peter." Peter was filling Mark with his recollections of Jesus. The process of writing that gospel may have already started, but certainly following Peter’s death, there would have been a clamor within the church to make sure Peter’s remembrances of Jesus Christ and his teachings were written down.

1:16–21. These truths needed to be preserved because they were not fables. Peter was an eyewitness of Jesus’ majesty at the transfiguration (cf. the comments on Mt 16:28–17:8) when His glory was revealed and God spoke: This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased (v. 17). That Peter did not give the complete spoken statement is another argument for authenticity. No forger would have changed the complete statement known from the gospels. Through this the prophetic word (v. 19) was confirmed, or brought into clearer focus. For the disciples, Scriptures never originated as the product of human will (the likely meaning of one’s own interpretation [v. 20; i.e., the visions did not originate with, nor derive their meanings from, the prophets; cf. the NIV, NET, TNIV). Instead, men spoke God’s revelation as they were moved ("carried along," "driven in a certain direction") by the Holy Spirit. Paul said Scripture was "breathed out" by God (see the comments on 2Tm 3:16). In the process, the writers were directed by the Spirit so that the choice of their words formed exactly the message that God wanted communicated. A Christian’s faith is not based upon cleverly devised tales (v. 16) but on revelation from the Spirit conveyed through the prophets (vv. 20–21) and eventually recorded in Scripture.

2:1–3. With a drastic change of tone, Peter gave stern warnings against heretical teachings entering the church. That false teachers would come is not surprising, as they had arisen among the people of Israel in the past (v. 1). Destructive heresies come, the worst being denial of the Lord who accomplished redemption. The results are that they bring swift destruction upon themselves (v. 1), lead others away, and discredit the Christian cause (v. 2). In their greed they exploit many. But God’s judgment will fall. While these false teachers arise among the people and among you, God is able to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit teachers, as well as genuine and counterfeit believers—an important point in determining the identity of those in 2:20–22 who apostatize. They are not genuine believers. Since they were not believers, their denial of the Lord who bought them indicates that the Messiah’s redemptive death made provision not just for the elect but even for the lost. The fact that Jesus’ death has "bought" all men does not mean all men will be regenerated. It is not until an individual places his faith in Christ’s provision on the cross on his behalf that the accomplishment of Christ’s work is applied in him.

2:4–9. Genesis is cited, demonstrating while God’s certain judgment punishes sin, He remembers His own. One illustration is the angels who sinned, possibly when they followed Lucifer (cf. Is 14; Ezk 28; Rv 12:4). However these angels have been cast … into hell (the verb tartaroo), from which they never escape, indicating that this verse cannot describe the origin of demons, for none of these angels ever leaves Tartarus. Peter was probably thinking of Gn 6 when the sons of God cohabited with the daughters of men (see the comments on Gn 6:1–4). The point is clear: God punishes sin. A second illustration is the ancient world in the days of Noah. God delivered eight people but destroyed everything else. Judgment is certain, but He cared for His own. Finally Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned with the rescue of Lot (vv. 7–8), who was oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men. Second Peter presents facts not found elsewhere. Lot was tormented by his surroundings, yet he remained in Sodom. Peter may have been implying that Lot was God’s witness to that city, and that Lot was distinct from those who lived in the wicked city. Just as God rescued … Lot, distinguishing him from the unrighteous with whom he lived, so God will rescue His people and distinguish them from the false teachers whose end is unenviable (cf. the comments on 2:17–22). His conclusion is the Lord knows how to rescue the godly (illustrated by His deliverance of Noah’s family and Lot) from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment (as in the case of the demons, the wicked world, and Sodom and Gomorrah).

2:10–13a. False teachers are under God’s providential control. They indulge the flesh (see Peter’s development of this characteristic in vv. 13b–16) and despise authority (developed in vv. 10b–13a). One of the ways their scorn for authority is observed is by their disdain for angelic majesties (lit., "glories" or "glorious ones," a reference to evil angelic beings that are fallen but still give evidence of God’s creative power). Not even the good angels (v. 11), who are superior to the evil angels, denounce the fallen angels. This serves to indicate the extraordinary arrogance of the false teachers. They are like brute beasts following their passions (v. 12). They will be destroyed. Their lives will rob them, not pay them a reward. They receive a reward, but not the expected one (v. 13a). They sow unrighteousness; they will reap the same.

2:13b–16. Here Peter developed the theme of the false teachers’ indulgence of the flesh introduced in 2:10a. Going against societal norms, false teachers practice reveling in daylight hours (v. 13b). They are stains and blemishes on the world viewing individuals as sexual objects (v. 14). Their lusts are never satisfied; they are slaves to sin. They have trained themselves in unbridled desires seeking more things. They are viewed as accursed children, a Hebraism meaning "children whose mother was a curse." Peter was not being vindictive but descriptive. They have come under God’s curse, deliberately forsaking the right way, following the way of Balaam (v. 15), the Gentile prophet hired to curse Israel. He loved the wages of unrighteousness. His primary concern was his pay (cf. 1 Pt 5:2), but his counsel was godless. He encouraged the Moabites to enter into physical relationships with the Israelites, thus bringing immorality into the Jewish nation. False teachers were guilty of the same, for their preoccupation with things sexual was continuing to bring ruin to their followers (cf. v 13).

2:17–22. While vv. 10–16 describe the characteristics of false teachers, Peter began to describe their destructive influence upon others in vv. 17–22. They are springs without water and mists driven by a storm (v. 17), pictures of empty profession and parched lives. What good is a spring without water, or a promising storm producing no rain? False teachers promise freedom from moral restraints (v. 19) to new converts who have barely escape[d] their pagan backgrounds (v. 18) and do not know any better. Ironically, the false teachers themselves are enslaved by corruption. Their words are deceptive. The pronoun they in v. 20 has its closest antecedent in the false teachers in v. 19, not the victims of their deception. Because false teachers have some knowledge of the Lord, they have escaped the defilements of the world much as Christians have (see the similar terms in 1:3–4 for true believers). While they are similar in many ways to true believers, Peter noted that they are distinct from them (see the comments on 2:1, 4–9 above), and that God knows the difference between the two. He will rescue the truly righteous (see 2:7–9) but judge those who are false. Their "religious" associations have given them an air of spirituality, producing an escape from some of the corrupting influences of the world. However, consistent lifelong growth (cf. 1:5–11) is absent. Instead the false teachers become entangled again in the world’s defilements, resulting in a worse state (both greater moral corruption and eschatological judgment, 2:4–10; and cf. Jesus’ words, Mt 12:45ff.). Ignorance of the way of righteousness is preferable to apostasy from it. Christianity became known as the way (v. 21). Knowing the way but turning from it brings serious consequences. Scriptures suggest there will be degrees of punishment for the wicked. While all will be separated from God, those with rejected knowledge will suffer greater condemnation. Two "proverbs" (cf. Pr 26:11) describe false teachers, showing they will be given over to their chosen lot (v. 22). The dog has removed internal corruption only to return to it. The pig has been washed, but returns to the mire. Peter devoted many words to false teachers. He was clearly concerned about those masquerading in religious garb who were leading astray new converts.

3:1–2. Peter returned to the beloved, saying this is his second letter. He was writing reminding them of things heard from the holy prophets and Jesus’ words communicated through the apostles.

3:3–6. Mockers will come (v. 3) denying the Lord’s return (v. 4). These individuals live self-indulgent lives asking, Where is the promise of His coming? They believe the universe is unchanging, so Christ’s return is impossible. Peter’s answer is they have willingly forgotten a cataclysmic event, when the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water (v. 6, cf. Gn 6–8). The "unchanging" world was radically changed.

3:7. Present creation has been preserved, awaiting a different judgment. The world was destroyed by the word of God through water. Another judgment will occur by His word through fire, the destruction of the universe (cf. 3:12).

3:8–10. The delay in the Lord’s coming is a problem only from the human perspective. God and men look at time differently. The phrases one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day (v. 8) reflect Ps 90:4. God views time with a perspective humans lack. For people time sometimes flies, and sometimes it drags. While it appears God is working slowly, God is never slow about His promise (v. 9). His delay should be viewed as an illustration of patience. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in mercy He gives you time to repent. In the context, you refers not to people in general but to believers (see the occurrences of second person plural verbs and pronouns, as a reference to believers, in 3:1, 2, 8), providing sufficient time for those chosen for salvation to come to faith before they die or before His coming. The sense of v. 9 is thus: God is "patient toward you, not wishing for any of you (God’s chosen) to perish but for all of you to come to repentance."

But like the unexpected arrival of the destroying water, the day of the Lord will come like a thief (see the comments on Mt 24:36–41; 1Th 5:1–4). As that day proceeds, the earth and its works will be consumed with intense heat (cf. 3:7). Some scholars contend that the day of the Lord will cause the burning of this earth, which will then be replaced by the new heavens and new earth. They also note that there is no mention of a millennial kingdom and claim that this passage refutes the notion. In response, it is true that Peter excludes any explicit mention of the millennial kingdom, but it is an argument from silence to say that there is no such thing. The following argues in favor of a future millennial kingdom: (1) Peter’s omission of the unambiguous mention of the millennial kingdom was a result of his conflating the end-time events, presenting a simple panorama of the end without every detail included. The prophets commonly compressed events in this way. (2) The millennial kingdom is implicit in this text by use of the phrase the day of the Lord. This day brings this world to a close and, according to the OT, contains the idea of a messianic kingdom within it (see the references below). There are two parts to the day of the Lord: It has an evening, which is the time of judgment, known prophetically as the great tribulation period (cf. Jl 2:1–2; Am 5:18–20; Zph 1:14–15; 1Th 5:1–11), and it has a day that follows it, a time of profound worldwide blessing (Jl 3:17–21; Zch 14:6–9), which is the one-thousand-year reign of Messiah Jesus on this earth that follows the tribulation. When the day of the Lord is complete, i.e., when the millennial kingdom is complete, this world will be destroyed by fire. (3) Peter has presented a simple, panoramic, end-time scenario, without explicit mention of the millennium because his emphasis has been on what has lasting value. The millennium will come to a close (see the comments on 1Co 15:20–28), but the new heavens and the new earth will last forever.

3:11–16. Peter’s application demonstrates a link between what one believes and how one lives. What effect should these events have on believers? These should not lead to apathy or despair, but to an expectant hope of the Lord’s coming. When that day arrives, there will be a new beginning, as promised (cf. 1:4; Is 65:17ff.; 66:22). The present heavens and earth will be destroyed with intense heat so that the new heavens and earth can appear (v. 12; see the comments on Rv 21:1ff.). There righteousness will dwell. Since only righteousness will survive, believers are encouraged to live righteously and be found by God in peace, spotless and blameless (v. 14). These are characteristics a true believer should demonstrate and that will mark him in clear contrast to unbelievers who live ungodly lives. The delay in the Lord’s coming is His way of giving men time to come to salvation (v. 15). These ideas were also presented in Paul’s letters. That Peter called Paul our beloved brother demonstrated his love for Paul. They did not always agree (cf. the comments on Gl 2:11–14), but Peter recognized in Paul’s writings scriptural authority. Some of Paul’s writings were hard to understand (v. 16), a sentiment shared by every NT student and scholar today. Untaught, unstable individuals were twisting Paul’s teachings, as they did also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. Clearly Peter acknowledged Paul’s words as "Scripture."

3:17. The recipients of this letter have been warned about false teaching by Peter and by Paul in his many epistles, some of which the readers were probably aware. They are responsible to guard themselves against the arguments of wicked individuals. Error has many attractive faces, and even experienced believers can be deceived, falling into error.

3:18. Peter concluded as he began—with growth. Grow, a present tense imperative verb, could be translated, "make it your habit to always be growing." If one is not growing, he is stagnant. Growth must always be in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The more one knows of Christ, the more His grace is invoked. Knowledge of Christ becomes the safeguard against error. Growth is always in direct relationship with time spent in Scripture. A fitting closing is a reminder that glory belongs to Christ. False teachers were seeking glory for themselves, but glory is truly His both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.