Overview of 2 Peter for New Testament Reading
“I’m
warning you Billy, stay away from them boys. They’re up to no good, they’ll be
the ruin of ya. If you know what’s best you’ll listen to your mama.” Statements
like this one remind us of the wisdom of good ole mom and our younger days.
Messages such as this served as a warning to impending demise if we decided
that we would neglect such wise-sage counsel and venture down the road to
danger. Wise young men steer clear of doom after taking heed to the words of
caution.
In the same
way, Peter realized the impending danger of the early church as it grew up in
the 1st Century. Earlier the apostle had written a letter of encouragement
and comfort during a time of intense suffering and persecution from primarily
the outside, but now he writes a letter of warning from an internal attack from
within the church, namely complacency and heresy. He speaks in this letter of
holding fast to the nonnegotiable facts of the faith, of growing and maturing
in the faith, and of rejecting all who would distort the truth. To follow his
advice would ensure Christ exalting individuals and God honoring churches. This
was his primary purpose for writing as he clearly saw his earthly ministry
coming to an end in the near future (1:13-15). In fact it did come to an end
through martyrdom shortly after this work somewhere around the year 67 AD,
probably in Rome. In Peter’s last days he looked forward to the future of the
church as Christ’s apostle and leader. He desperately wanted the faith to
advance and not be polluted by those who would try to come in secretly to
profane the name of Jesus Christ and His magnificent work of salvation.
This book
was one of the last books included in the biblical cannon, but after close
scrutiny from the early church fathers it was incorporated into the New
Testament. It has many similarities to the book of Jude and no doubt either
borrowed from or contributed to that book in the New Testament as far as source
goes.
Peter uses
blistering and potent language to a high degree grammatically as he makes his
case for the purity of the church during these fledging years. This is a
hard-hitting book that will exhort one to greater Christian maturity and
prepare one for the onslaught of the enemy.
Major Themes:
Diligence- If our
faith is real, it will be evident in our godly behavior. If people are diligent
in Christian growth, they won’t backslide or be deceived by false teachers.
Growth is essential in the walk with Jesus. It obviously begins with faith and
progresses to the point of agape type
love, the highest degree of love, which is seen in our Heavenly Father. Keep on
growing and display His fruit!
True Knowledge- True
knowledge only comes from God who called us by His own glory and excellence
(1:3). It will give us everything we need that pertains to real-spiritual life
and joy abounding. This comes through the faithful promises God has made to us
through the Scriptures and allows us to partake of the divine nature as we
trust in Him (1:4). Peter begins and ends with this concept of knowledge in his
writing (3:18). True knowledge comes from the Holy Spirit and it is He who
moved men to write God’s Word (1:20-21).
False Teachers- Peter
warns the church to beware of these false teachers who are proud of their
position, promote sexual sin, and advise that keeping the commandments of God
are optional. Peter counters them by pointing to the Spirit-inspired Scriptures
as our authority. Christians need discernment to be able to resist false
teachers. God can rescue us from their lies if we stay true to His Word, the
Bible, and reject those who deceive and distort the truth.
Christ’s Return- One
day Christ will return. In that day He will create a new heaven and a new
earth, where we as His children will live forever. As Christians, our hope is
in this blessed promise. But, with Christ’s return comes His judgment on all
who refuse to believe. The cure for complacency, lawlessness, and heresy is
found in the confident assurance that Christ will return. God is still giving
unbelievers time to repent. He is patient with us and desires all to
come to repentance (3:9). To be ready, Christians must keep on trusting and
resist the pressure to give up, waiting for Christ’s return.
Structure:
After a brief greeting (1:1), Peter
gives the antidote for stagnancy and shortsightedness in the Christian life
(1:2-11). Then he explains that his days are numbered (1:12-15) and that the
believers should listen to his messages, reminders, and the words of Scripture
(1:16-21).
Next, Peter unleashes a blunt
warning about false teachers (2:1-22). They will become prevalent in the last
days (2:1-2), they will do or say anything for money (2:3), they will spurn the
things of God (2:2, 10-11), they will do whatever they feel like doing
(2:12-17), they will be proud and boastful (2:18-19), and they will be judged
and punished by God (2:3-10, 20-22).
Peter concludes his brief letter by
explaining why he has written it (3:1-18), which is to remind them of the words
of the prophets and apostles that adamantly predicted that false teachers would
come, to give the reasons for the delay in Christ’s return (3:1-13), and to
encourage them to beware of heresies and to grow in their faith (3:14-18).
Listen carefully to Peter’s message
as it does apply very much to the days that we live in presently. Our world is
filled with false prophets and teachers, who claim to have the truth and who
clamor for our attention and allegiance. Determine that you will grow in your
knowledge of Christ and reject all those who preach anything inconsistent with
God’s Word.
Key Verse:
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
*Notes from this overview were aided by:
New American Standard
Bible: Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich.: 1995,
pgs. 2209-2210.
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