My Commentary On 2 Peter
ch
1:1-2 h.
1:3-11 ch.
1:12-21
ch.
2:1-22 ch.
3:1-18
This commentary is based on the 1984 edition of the NIV. The chapter
titles are the same as the NIV chapter titles which make for easy
comparison.
Introduction
Second Peter was probably written around 66 or 67 AD, soon before
Peter was executed for his faith. At this point he was an older man.
The authorship of 2 Peter has been in much dispute over the
centuries. This letter was not accepted into the Canon of Scripture until
397 AD. Many have said because of its different writing style from Peter’s
first letter, that most likely someone else wrote it. I am not a
historian, but it would seem logical to me that since Peter had help from
Silas writing his first letter, he may have had help from someone else in
the second letter, thus making the writing style different.
The first known direct quote from this letter was written by Origen
in 240 AD. This is another reason why some suggest that Peter did not
write this letter, but someone else did at a later date.
Introductory Remarks (ch. 1:1 - 2)
In his first letter Peter introduces himself as "Peter, an
apostle of Jesus Christ". In his second letter he introduces himself
as "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ".
There’s not much difference in the two introductions, but there is
enough that causes some to speculate that Peter did not write this second
letter. In this second letter Peter calls himself "Simon Peter",
and not just Peter. To me this by no means is sufficient criteria to
dismiss Peter’s authorship.
This second letter is a general letter, not addressed to anyone of
any certain location. It is addressed to "those who through the
righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ…". This is a
very important verse. One reason for its importance is that Peter states
that righteousness is only found through Jesus. This is the true gospel.
There is no other way to stand before God as one who is righteous other
than to accept the righteousness that He has placed on us. Even though we
are far from righteous, God views us as righteous because Jesus was
punished for our unrighteousness.
The other major importance of this verse is that Jesus is called
"our God". This is one of 7 or 8 verses in the New Testament
that claims Jesus to be God in such a clear way. There is no doubt in
Peter’s mind that "Jesus is God". Christians call this
"the Deity of Christ".
Peter also says in verse 2 that through Jesus we have "received
a faith as precious as ours". As I always say, faith means trust. The
faith that Peter is speaking about is the trust that we have in Jesus.
Peter actually says here that we have "received" this faith, or
this trust. This is very similar to the thought Paul expresses in Rom.
12:3 where he says that "we have been given a measure of faith".
It is my opinion that our natural tendency to believe, or trust in Jesus
is quite defective because of our fallen condition. Therefore God needs to
help us out along by actually giving us some ability to trust Him. This
faith grows through trials and opportunities that Jesus provides for us.
In verse 2 Peter says that "grace and peace" come through
the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Knowing God and Jesus bring both His
grace and peace into our lives. God has extended much grace towards us
through Jesus, both in His life and in His death. Inner peace is a
by-product of this grace. Christians in Peter’s day had little outward
peace, but they did have access to inner peace.
Making Ones Calling And Election Sure (ch.
1:3 - 11)
In verse 3 Peter says that "He has given us everything we need…"
to live a godly life. Peter is not saying that the Lord gives us
everything we need in a material or monetary sense, but in a spiritual
sense. Everything we need to live a good Christian life is available to us
through Jesus.
Peter uses the word "called" in verse 2. Those who have
come to true trust in Jesus came to this trust because God
"called" them. If not for God calling people to Himself, people
cannot come to God. But you might say that the Bible says for us to call
on the Lord and we will be saved. So who calls on who? Does God call us,
or do we call on Him? This is a good question.
It is my thinking that God calls everyone to salvation. This is a
general call that was demonstrated at the cross. The cross in fact was a
call to all mankind to be saved. Yet beyond this general call, I believe
God calls specific people at specific times through His Holy Spirit. I
think Scripture is clear in that we need to have the Holy Spirit speak to
our hearts in order for us to reach out or call on Him. So God makes the
first move by His call, and we respond by our call back. At that moment
Jesus helps us trust as we should and salvation comes into our lives.
Like in Peter’s first letter, some of his sentences are long and
say a lot. These verses are no exception. In verse 4 he says that God has
given us divine promises. There are many promises that God has given. I am
sure we could make a long list.
These promises are given for a reason Peter says. The reason is so
that "we can participate in the divine nature". What does this
mean? Peter is saying that the Christian life is in fact a
"participation in the divine life of God". God’s divine life
has come to us through His Holy Spirit. The English word
"participate" comes from the Greek word "koinonia".
"Koinonia" means to have and to hold in common. Therefore,
because of the Holy Spirit we as Christians can all have in common the
divine life that is found in God through the Holy Spirit. This is what
being born again is all about. We have been born into a whole new life of
the Spirit. This new life is very different from the natural earthly life
we live. Therefore one who is really born again will exhibit the
characteristics of this new life of the Spirit.
Peter is not finished with verse 4. He adds that we have
"escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desire".
Once again we see Peter’s attitude towards the world. We see it in his
first letter and in the things he says in the book of Acts. Peter feels
that he is a stranger in this world and that this world is full of
corruption. He feels by being born again, we "escape" the
corruption of the world. He uses the word "escape". It is like
the world has us trapped in sin and when Jesus comes to us, He rescues us
out of a horribly sinful place. I am not sure that modern Christians
really understand this point. We are too much in love with this world to
even realize that we need to be "rescued from it".
Peter starts verse 5 with the words "for this reason".
What reason is he speaking of? The reason is that we have been rescued
from a corrupt world and have been relocated into God’s divine life.
Therefore he says to his readers to add to your faith, or trust, goodness,
knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and
then love. The addition of these things to our trust in Jesus tells us
that there is growth to be made as a Christian. We are to mature in all of
these areas of life. Growth in these areas must be seen as a product of
our faith, or our trust in Jesus. That is why Peter says to add these
things to your faith. If these things are not added because you trust in
Jesus, then growth in these areas are purely humanistic.
Verse 8 says, "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". Note that Peter’s hope is
that these qualities are in us in "increasing measure", that is
to say, these qualities are maturing within us. These qualities shouldn’t
be stagnant, they should be growing.
The growth of these qualities in our lives will help us be effective
and productive in our knowledge of Jesus. What does this mean? It means as
these qualities mature in our lives, we will come to know Jesus and the
way He does things better, resulting in us being effective and productive
in everything pertaining to Jesus in our lives. Do we think in terms of
being effective and productive in our lives as Christians? I believe our
modern North American church does not think in these terms. I think of
being a Christian in terms of being a spectator. For example, we
"attend church", that is, "we sit and watch". Yet we
should be thinking in terms of doing participating in the work of the
Lord, and being effective and productive in this work. The church was
never meant to produce spectators, but workers in the Kingdom of God.
On the other hand, Peter goes on to say that if we do not have these
things in our lives, we are blind and have forgotten that we have been
cleansed from sin. This paints a picture of a person who has merely gotten
saved and has stopped growing in salvation. This also means that if we
have no hint of being effective and productive workers in God’s kingdom,
then we also are blind and have forgotten the sinful state we were saved
from.
In verse 10 Peter says that in light of these facts we should make
"our calling and election sure". What does he mean by these
words? God calls us all. Those who respond favourably to His call are
elected, or chosen by God. We need to make this sure in our lives. We need
to be sure that God has indeed called and chosen us. We need to know
beyond a doubt that we are indeed saved. For most of my life as a child
and a youth I was never sure that I was a real Christian, until Feb. 1970.
One day in a moment of time I became sure, and from that assurance came a
new life. We cannot be effective and productive in God’s kingdom if we
are not sure of our salvation.
Also in verse 10 Peter says that if we do these things, that is the
things that are added to our faith, we won’t fall. This is simple. If we
are progressing in the things of the Lord, we won’t fall back into
unbelief. You can’t go forward and backward at the same time. Its only
simple logic.
Peter also says that we will "receive a rich welcome in the
eternal kingdom". When this life is over for us, Jesus will welcome
us richly, arms open, into His eternal kingdom.
Note that the kingdom spoken of here is the kingdom "of our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ". Jesus is both Lord and Saviour, or
Christ. As Christ, He offers us salvation. As Lord, we offer Him our
lives.
Prophecy Of Scripture (ch. 1:12 - 21)
In verses 12 and 13 Peter tells his readers that he is reminding
them of truth that they already know and are very much grounded in. There
is never any problem with refreshing people’s memory when it comes to
the things of our Lord. Really, the one way in which people learn is by
repetition. If people hear something one or two times, they will forget.
Yet if they hear something over and over again, it will sooner or later
sink in and become a part of them. Many thing that we hear, we often don’t
retain. There is a process of integrating knowledge into our lives. First
we need to hear, or see the knowledge. Then we need to retain and
understand it in our thinking process. Then the knowledge needs to begin
to be a part of our daily lives and existence. The difficulty is that the
knowledge that is presented to us, doesn’t always end up at this last
step.
Peter says that he believes it is right to refresh the memory of his
readers "as long as he lives in this tent". Note the word
"tent". He does not use the word "building", or even
the word "temple" as Paul does. A tent is different from a
building in that it is temporary and moveable. Peter viewed his existence
in this world as temporary. He did not have a very high estimation of the
world system as we have noted before. He would have liked the Larry Norman
song that ends with the words, "this world is not my home, I’m just
passing through".
We often see the word "world" used in Christian
terminology. This word has a very wide meaning to it in Christian circles.
John says, "love not the world". (1 John 2:15) What is meant by
"the world"? One thing that is meant is the "world
system", that is, government, society, or anything having to do with
mankind. Yet it is entirely possible that world can also mean the very
world we live in, that is, trees, sky, water, mountains, and so on. As
beautiful as God’s creation is, it is defective, and is in a fallen
state as we are. Man is totally depraved and I suggest to you that the
earth we live in is depraved as well. It is a fact that "all
creation" fell when man fell from God’s grace in the garden. So
even in the midst of earthly splendor we need to know that it is fallen
splendor. Someday God’s creation will be restored and what we see now
will not have any comparison to what we will see. Peter might well have
thought that he was an alien, not only to man’s system of doing things,
but to nature as well.
Peter says that "he will soon put it aside, (his body) as the
Lord has made clear to me". (ch. 2:14) This remark by Peter could
easily be an illusion to what Jesus told him in John 21:18. Jesus said,
"when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you
wanted, but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone
else will dress you, and lead you where you don’t want to go. Jesus said
this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God." If
Peter was thinking of Jesus’ remarks, then he realized his time was
coming to an end. When Jesus said that someone else would lead Peter where
he did not want to go, that most likely meant that someone would lead
Peter, possibly from a prison cell to a cross of crucifixion. Peter knew
that the end was near for him.
In verse 15 Peter says, "I will make every effort to see that
after my departure you will always be able to remember these things".
Just what preparation Peter meant, I am not certain. The fact that he was
writing this letter might well have been one way that he could refresh
their memory after he died. Maybe by training others in the ways of the
Lord would be another way in which his teaching could continue after his
death.
In verses 16 to 19 Peter tells his readers that he did not
"follow cleverly invented stories". I like these words, for many
today believe that Christians follow such "cleverly invented
stories." Our faith is not based on such stories. It is based on
universal truth, that can be proven by many historical facts.
In these 4 verses Peter speaks of what is called the
transfiguration. (Luke 9:30 - 37) Jesus appeared along side Moses and
Elijah. A voice from Heaven was heard to say, as Peter quotes, "this
is my Son, whom I love, in Him I am well pleased". To me this event
represents a revelation from Heaven. Moses represents the Law, while
Elijah represents the prophets. God in the O. T. spoke to His people
through the Law and the Prophets, but as of this time (Luke 9) God now
speaks to people through His Son. The Law and the Prophets have thus been
fulfilled in Jesus. No longer are the Law and Prophets the centerpiece of
our religion. Jesus is the centre of all we believe, trust and hope in.
Back to verse 16 where Peter speaks of the power and the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ. I like when Peter uses Jesus’ name with His full
title. Jesus is both Lord and Christ, and it is this Jesus who will return
in great power. When Jesus came to earth as a baby, the event was
unassuming, but when He returns it will be with great power. The Bible
says that every eye will see Him. When you think that our earth is shaped
like a ball, you might wonder how every eye will see Him. Scripture has
also said that His return would be like lightning crossing the sky. It is
thus very possible that in a twinkling of an eye Jesus will circle the
earth upon His return, demonstrating this great power that Peter speaks
of.
More than Peter’s experience of the transfiguration, his readers
have the prophets that speak about Jesus, Peter says. The O. T. predicts
both the first and second coming of our Lord , and Peter says that his
readers would do well "to pay attention" to these prophecies.
In our day there are people who pay a great deal of attention to
these prophecies, sometimes to the exclusion of other things. On the other
hand, there are people who don’t feel it necessary to study the
prophecies of Jesus’ return. They think that looking into the future
takes away from present work to be done. This shouldn’t be. There should
be a balance between the 2 groups of people.
As a matter of fact, if you do pay close attention to these
prophecies, you will be "as a light shining in a dark place".
Once again, Peter speaks of the world as a dark place, but for those who
know the prophecies and keep watch for that day to come, they will indeed
be a light in a dark world. So it is clear that waiting expectantly for
Jesus’ return is a good thing, and is also a form of witnessing.
We can be this light, "until the day dawns, and the morning
star rises in our hearts". The dawn obviously refers to Jesus’
return, while the morning star is Jesus Himself. Jesus will rise in our
hearts. Some in these days take this verse to mean that Jesus will not
literally return to earth, but only figuratively return. This return will
be in the hearts of people, making the world a better place to live. But
this is false teaching. When you read other Scriptures, it is very clear
that Jesus will physically return to earth.
Peter ends this chapter by speaking a few words about the nature of
prophecy. Prophecy was not an invention of man’s own mind. Peter says
that prophets did not prophecy from "their own interpretation".
Prophets of old were moved upon by the Spirit of God, and they spoke what
the Spirit of God told them to say. Peter says that these prophets were
"carried along by the Spirit". You get the picture that in a
spiritual sense, the Holy Spirit picked these men up out of the world and
told them things that could not be found or heard in the world.
Prophecy is a message that a person gives that is inspired by the
Holy Spirit. The way I believe it works, at least in my case, is that you
feel the special presence of the Holy Spirit. He gives you words to say
that are known to you. That is to say, he uses your vocabulary to say what
needs to be said at the time. The Spirit does not take control of your
tongue and make you say words that you may or may not know. The prophecy
is filtered through the persons vocabulary and thought process. So if the
Holy Spirit inspired 2 people to say the same thing, it most likely will
come out different. By this I mean, the words might be different, yet the
thought would be the same.
In 1 Cor. 14 Paul speaks of the "spirit of the prophets being
controlled by the prophets". This means that the one giving the
prophecy has a measure of control in the situation, that is, when and how
to say what should be said.
False Teachers And There
Destruction (ch. 2:1 - 22)
Peter has just spoken about the prophets of God of the Old Testament
who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yet not everyone who
claimed to be a prophet in those days were really prophets of God. There
were false prophets, speaking false prophecy as well. Peter uses this to
say that just as there were false prophets in the Old Testament, there
will be false teachers in New Testament times.
Peter says that these false teachers "will secretly introduce
false heresies". The Greek word "lathra" is the word that
is translated as "secretly". It gives the picture of a false
teacher sneaking into a church, in a covert style, to infiltrate the
people and win them over with false teaching.
We should note that Jesus does nothing in secret. Those who live in
the kingdom of God should be like Jesus and do everything above board and
in the open.
Peter says that these men "will introduce destructive heresies,
even denying the sovereign Lord". There have been many
"destructive heresies" over the centuries, but denying the
"sovereignty of Jesus" is especially bad. The "sovereignty
of Jesus" means that Jesus is God. The Deity of Christ is one of the
main tenants of Christian teaching.
Peter uses the term "who bought them". Jesus bought all
mankind by His sacrificial blood. He paid the price to God His Father in
order for those who trust in Him to be reconciled to God.
Still in verse 1, Peter states that these false teachers "will
bring swift destruction on themselves". They won’t only destroy the
church, but in the process they will destroy themselves. Such destruction
could easily be seen as a judgment by God.
Verse 2 says that "many will follow their shameful ways and
will bring the way of truth into dispute." It is sad to say that one
of the churches most serious enemies is the church itself. False teachers
in the church have caused the churches reputation to fall. Even the
actions of real Christians have brought down the reputation of many
churches. God’s people are often scorned, not because of the gospel, but
because of foolish action, and false teaching that comes from the church.
This problem does not effect the reputation of the church alone. As
Peter says, it "brings the truth into dispute". People will
dispute the truth of the gospel. People will deny the truth of the gospel
because of the bad behaviour of those in the church, and also those who
claim to be Christian and are not, as in this case of false teachers.
In verse 3 Peter sheds some light on the motives for some of these
false teachers. He says that "greed" is the motive for many of
these false teachers. Peter says that these teachers will actually
"exploit" Christians "with their stories". Their
teaching is only made up stories that they know will interest people. I
think of today’s explosion of "positive thinking and motivational
speakers" in the church as an example of such teaching. The gospel of
Jesus is far more than a "motivational speech".
Peter pictures the condemnation of these men as a dark cloud hanging
"over them that has not been sleeping". Sooner or later these
men will reap what they sow. Some men reap what they sow in this life,
while others will reap what they sow in the next, or a combination of
both. But they will be rewarded for their evil work. Peter assures us all
of that.
We should distinguish here from overt heresy and wrong teaching that
is based on a lack of understanding, yet with good motives. Wrong
teaching, no matter where it comes from is not good. But Peter is
specifically pointed out false teachers who know what they are doing. He
is not speaking about Christians who say something that is not doctrinally
correct. Many of us are wrong on some point in our beliefs, but we are not
classified as false teachers.
In light of the fact that these false teachers will be judged, Peter
points out the sinful angels who in the past of have been judged. So if
angels are judged, so will false teachers be judged. Peter said that God
"sent these angels into hell". The Old Testament does not
clearly state this as being the case, although that does not mean it wasn’t.
The Greek word "tartarus" is translated as
"hell". There are various meanings to this word, depending on
its context. Many believe this word is used of a place below Hades, the
place of departed souls. The Bible does not really give a full and clear
picture of hell, or Hades, or any of the other words used for the place of
the dead.
Peter says that these angels were "put into gloomy
dungeons", waiting for judgment. This would suggest that these
particular angels are locked up and are now ineffective. This also shows
us a little about what "tartarus" is all about.
Verses 4 through 9 is one of Peter’s famous very long sentences.
He is giving examples of God judging people for their sin. This is to be a
warning to these false teachers. The first example is the angels we just
spoke about. The other examples are God judging the pre flood world and
Sodom and Gomorrah. If God brought judgment on these people, and this judgment
was not delayed to the Day of Judgment, then He can still bring judgment on anyone He sees fit now, before that Final Judgment.
Peter also says other things in this long sentence. He says that
even though all of mankind was killed by the flood, Noah and 7 others were
saved. And even though Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot was saved.
Peter mentions this because he says that if God has rescued these men,
then He will rescue any Godly man from their trials. Some use this verse
for proof of a pre-tribulation rapture, but the context does not make this
idea clear.
It is interesting to see how Lot felt about sin. Peter says that Lot
"was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men". I believe
Peter had the same distress. I also believe that many, if not most
Christians today are not so effected by the filthy actions of lawless men.
Unless this filth lands on our door step, we often feel little distress
over it.
The filth definitely fell at Lot’s doorstep. Peter says that Lot
lived among them "day after day, and was tormented in his righteous
soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard".
The last part of verse 9 tells us that even though these people
experienced God’s judgment, they had more judgment to come. He says
that these people are held for the "day of judgment, while
continuing their punishment". This tells us that sinners who are
presently being judged will not escape that future judgment on that Great
and Terrible day of the Lord.
Peter ends this paragraph by saying that this is especially true for
those who follow the corrupt desires of sinful nature and despise
authority". Despising authority is fundamental to evil natural
desires. One who despises authority is rebellious, and self seeking, the
basic sin of Adam and Eve.
In verses 10 through 12 Peter says that these men are not afraid to
slander "celestial being". What is Peter speaking of when he
uses the term "celestial beings". Jude sheds light on
this. In the same context Jude speaks of Michael the archangel and
the devil, who is an angel himself. So we can understand these being
to be angels.
Peter goes on to say that these false teachers "blaspheme in
matters that they don’t understand". They don’t understand
because the motive of their teaching has more to do with greed than with
understanding what they teach. This is the way of the world. So often on
news reports of Christian things, reporters and others make statements
that are clearly incorrect from a Biblical stand point. The reason for
their error is their lack of understanding of Biblical things.
Peter has no love for these false teachers. He compares them to
"brute beasts, creatures of instinct". These men are like
animals that follow natural instincts and not solid mental understanding.
Humans use their thinking capabilities along with natural instincts, while
animals follow basic instincts more than mental abilities. The problem
with human natural instincts is that they are inherently sinful.
In verse 13 Peter says that these men "will be paid back".
He is most likely speaking of the Day of Judgment. The Bible teaches
Christians to not repay evil with evil, because God Himself will do the
repaying on the Day of the Lord.
Peter points out the many sins that go far beyond the teaching of
these false teachers. He says that they "carouse in broad
daylight". Many pagans would openly have wild sex parties in the city
center. These teachers obviously were involved in such activity.
Peter says that they are "blots and blemishes". They stain
the society around them, as well as themselves with their sinful
lifestyle. And while they are in the process of such staining, they feast
with Christians. How hypocritical.
In verse 14 Peter says, "with eyes full of adultery, they never
stop sinning". These sexual sins are not an every so often event.
Their eyes are always looking for new adulterous situations to be involved
in.
He continues to say that they "seduce the unstable, they are
experts in greed, and they follow the way of Balaam, Balaam was an O. T.
prophet who turned from godliness to greed. Peter reminds his readers that
Balaam had to be rebuked by a donkey. This is clearly meant to show how
foolish Balaam’s actions were.
Peter doesn’t end in his railing against these men. He says in
verse 17, "these men are springs without water", meaning these
men are empty. They claim something they don’t have. "They are
mists driven by a storm". These men have no stability and when the
storms of life come are blown about by them, not being able to stand firm.
Because of this, "blackest darkness" is reserved for them. Peter
uses 2 words here, "blackness and darkness" for emphasis sake.
This darkness is reserved for them once Jesus returns and they are judged.
Peter says that they "mouth empty and boastful words that
appeal to human nature". Once again, basic human nature is evil, not
good. Therefore the things these men speak are spoken in order to entice
those who follow their sinful nature. The situation is circular. That is,
they speak things that sinful nature wants to hear, sinful nature hears
the words and ask for more, then they speak more of these empty words. And
on and on it goes.
Peter says that these teachers entice those who have just escaped
from their lives of error. These men prey on new Christians who are in the
process of escaping the corruption of the world. Once again we see Peter’s
use of the word "escape". He feels that Christians should
understand that they need to escape from the things of the world. These
false teachers are trying to seduce new Christians back into the world.
In verse 19 Peter says that these teacher offer their listeners
"freedom while they themselves are slaves to depravity". You see
Peter’s thinking on the theological doctrine of "the depravity of
man". Both Peter and Paul agree that man is depraved. Paul clearly
points this out in Romans chapters 1 and 2. Mankind is trapped in their
fallen state of depravity. This means that there is no good within man,
especially compared to God’s standard of goodness. We cannot get out of
this depraved state on our own. We need to escape by the help of the Holy
Spirit. This happens when one is truly born again.
Peter continues by saying that "a man is a slave to whatever
has mastered him". A smoker is a slave to his cigarettes. Anyone who
is addicted to anything is a slave to that thing. When it comes to our own
sinful human nature, we are all addicted to it. We all tend towards
serving ourselves.
Verse 22 speaks to the issue of ‘once saved, always saved". I
do not believe the doctrine of "eternal security". I do believe
however, that if you continue to trust in Jesus, you are secure. We are
originally saved by faith alone, and not by works. By the same token, we
are unsaved by unbelief, not by bad works. Faith is the way into
salvation, and unbelief, or rejection of Jesus is the way out.
Peter says that these false teachers at one time escaped from the
world, and now they have gone back to the world and have been overcome by
it. Peter then concludes that these men are now in worse shape than they
originally were before they first came to Jesus. Peter clearly understands
that one can loose his salvation.
In verse 23 Peter says that it would have been better for these men
to have not come to know the truth of Jesus, than to know it, except it,
and then turn from it. This tells me that there are different intensities
of torment for those in the next life who have rejected Jesus. I believe
that there will be rewards for Christians once they get to Heaven. I also
feel that there will be greater sorrow for some in hell than others,
depending on what they have done in this life. For these men, they will
receive much sorrow.
Peter quotes a Proverb to make his point. Prov. 26:11 says, "a
dog returns to his vomit, and a sow who is washed goes back to wallowing
in the mud". These false teachers in Peter’s estimation are like
dogs and pigs.
Day Of The Lord (ch. 3:1 - 18)
In verse 1 Peter acknowledges the fact that this is his second
letter that he has written to these people. So even though he does not
tell us clearly in his opening remarks just who he is specifically writing
to, we know now.
He says the reason for his letters is "to stimulate" his
readers to "wholesome" thinking. Peter knew that the thought
process of people are important. The old phrase, "what you think, you
become" is so true. Or, "what goes into your mind, will come out
in your actions".
In verse 2 Peter says that he wants to "recall the words spoken
in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and
Savior through your apostles". There are a couple of points to note
here. One point is that Peter links the first century apostles with the
Old Testament prophets, in the sense that they speak the word of God. You
might say the New Testament apostles were the Old Testament prophets for
our age. This elevation of New Testament apostles to the same level as Old
Testament prophets has made some think the place of apostles ended with
these New Testament apostles. It is fairly clear that there were other
apostles mentioned in the New Testament, other than the 12 plus Paul. It
is my thinking that the ministry of apostles have continued on until
today.
Yet with this in mind we need to make a distinction between the 12
and Paul and other apostles, including those of today. The 12 and Paul
should be elevated to a higher level than what I would call secondary
apostles, those other apostles mentioned in the N. T. and those of today.
Today’s apostles merely repeat what the 12 and Paul have already said.
They do not speak forth new teaching that is not in Scripture.
Note also the phrase, "your apostles". With the addition
of the word "your", we see a possessive understanding of
apostles. By this I mean, apostles are given to people". This can be
clearly seen in Eph. 4:11. As a matter of fact, any of the leadership in a
church should be seen as servant, those who have been given to the people
to help them mature as Christians.
In verse 3 Peter says, "first of all". He is now going to
tell his readers what the prophets of old and the apostles teach,
especially concerning the return of Jesus. Concerning His return, Peter
says that "scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil
desires". The Greek word "empatzo" is translated as
"scoffer". This word is made up of two other Greek words, one
meaning "to play as a child", and the other, "to make fun
of".
There were scoffers in Peter’s day and there are scoffers today
when it comes to Jesus’ return. These scoffers make fun of the idea that
Jesus could possibly return. Beyond these scoffers, there is an element in
the church that almost come close to scoffing. These are people who say
that we should not pay much attention to the return of Jesus because it
takes away from our daily witness. These people would say that those who
look forward to the return of Christ, don’t live for today, and fail to
be a good witness. This is not necessarily scoffing, but it is heading in
the same general direction, especially if they make light of those who
preach the return of Jesus a lot.
In this small letter, Peter is spending a fair amount of time
speaking of the return of Christ. Jesus’ return was a very important
factor in the apostolic teaching in the first century. We should not leave
this teaching out of our pulpits either.
The scoffers of Peter’s day did more than scoff. They continued on
in their indulgence of their "evil desires". These people were
far from being godly. These scoffers were most likely the false teachers
of the last chapter.
In verse 4 Peter gives an example of what these scoffers say. They
say, "where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died,
everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation". Now if
people were saying this back in the first century, what would they be
saying if they lived in today’s world, 2000 years later. Yet the same
way of thinking still exists, and even more so. Even so-called Christian
groups have changed their thinking on just what the return of Christ
really means. They have no patience to wait, so they change their doctrine
on this subject.
Peter says that these scoffers "have deliberately"
forgotten some things in their thinking. The scoffers say that everything
has remained the same since creation. But Peter says that is not true. He
says that long ago, "the heavens existed and the earth was formed
from water". This suggests to me that the heavens existed before the earth was created.
What Peter says also goes along with the Genesis account in many
respects. In Genesis 1 :1 we see that God created the heavens and
the earth. It may not mean anything, but the word heavens comes before the
word earth in this sentence. Genesis 1:2 tells us that the earth was
formless and empty, but there was water covering the earth. It
wasn't until later that God separated the waters on the earth from the
waters in the heavens with the creation of the sky. It also wasn't
until later that God created dry land to separate the water on the earth
from the newly formed dry land. I believe what Peter is saying here
is correct and helps us understand the Genesis account better.
Scripture does interpret Scripture, and this is one example. The
earth might well have been formed from the water that already existed in
the universe, or heavens, or so it appears to me at this present
time.
Peter then says that the earth was formed "of and by
water". Some suggest that before the flood there was a heavy mist on
the surface of the whole earth.
Next comes the point to Peter’s answer to the scoffers. He says
that the same water that the earth was made of destroyed the earth in the
days of Noah. God in fact brought judgment to the earth, so the scoffers
are wrong. Things have not been as they were since creation. God sent
major judgment to the earth.
In verse 7 he says that if God destroyed the earth once, He can, and
will do it again. "The heavens and the earth are reserved for
fire". God will judge both the heavens and the earth once again, but
this time it will not be by flood, but by fire.
Verse 8 is a well known and much quoted verse. It says, "with
the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a
day". This verse is quoted many times, and it is also misunderstood.
Many people say that in the eyes of the Lord a thousand earth years is one
day in His time. Therefore, since two thousand earth years have pasted
since Jesus’ first coming, that is seen as only 2 days in the eyes of
Jesus. But this is not what Peter is saying.
The verse does not say that a thousand earth years equals one day in
God’s sight. What it says is that a thousand years is as one day, and
one day as a thousand years. The two statements cancel each other out.
This means that when it comes to God, there is no such things as time. He
lives outside of time. So a thousand years is like a day, or a day is like
a thousand years. The two are the same because He does not live within our
time constraints.
So Peter says that the "Lord is not slow as some count
slowness". But what some suggest as being slow should be viewed as
"being patient". Jesus is not slow. He is patient, "not
wanting anyone to perish".
No matter what you think, "the Day of the Lord will come…"
Peter says, and it will come as "a thief". For those who are not
looking for His return, it will be a great surprise, very much unexpected.
Yet for us who wait for His return, it should not be a real surprise,
although I think it will anyway. We can’t really imagine what that day
will be like.
Peter says that "the heavens will disappear with a roar".
I imagine that this roar will be unbearable to the human ear. We learn
something here about the second coming of Jesus. We learn that the
element, or planets will all be destroyed. They (the elements) will be
destroyed by fire.
Beyond these elements, Peter says that the earth will be "laid
bare", or burned, as some manuscripts say. This suggests to me that
the earth will still exist but will be burned up, ready for a recreation.
In verse 11 Peter asks, "what kind of people should we
be"? We should be holy and godly people "as we look forward to
the Day of God". There are two things to note here. We should be
godly, and we should "look forward to the Day of God. There is
nothing wrong with looking forward to the return of Jesus.
Note the usage of the words "Day of God". Man and the
devil has had many days to do their thing, but there will come a day when
God will be doing the doing, and all of creation will sit and watch.
In verse 12 Peter repeats himself by saying "that day will
bring about destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt
in the heat". But after this Peter adds a new thought which is the
creation of new heavens and a new earth. The old will totally be replaced
by the new.
In verse 14 Peter says that we "should be looking forward to
that day". While we look, we should be "spotless, blameless, and
at peace with Him". Looking forward to Jesus’ return does not give
a license to neglect the present. It should spur us on to holiness because
we will soon see Him who is Holy.
Peter then goes on to say that "our Lord’s patience means
salvation just as our dear brother Paul wrote…" Peter quotes from
Paul, and calls him a dear brother. Peter goes on to say that Paul writes
these things in all of his letters, some of which are hard to understand.
Could it be that even Peter at times had a hard time understanding Paul?
We do know that "ignorant and unstable people distort"
what Paul says. We know for sure that these people don’t understand
Paul. Paul spent much of his time refuting these false teachers as you can
see in his letters.
Verse 16 says a very important thing concerning what we call the
"canon of Scripture". Peter says that some distort Paul’s
writings "as they do other Scriptures". The words "other
Scriptures" is generally thought to be at least the Old Testament.
Some might suggest that Peter had in mind other New Testament writings,
but we don’t know that for sure. So in Peter’s mind, Paul’s writing
were ranked alongside the Old Testament writings. They were just as
inspired as the generally accepted Old Testament writings.
Peter closes his letter by acknowledging that his readers know all
of what he has talked about, therefore should not be carried away by false
teachers.
Peter says that his readers should not follow false teachers in
order not "to fall from their secure position". Is Peter talking
about "once saved, always saved"? No. As long as we do not stray
from the truth of the gospel. we are secure. But if we stray, and reject
the truth of the gospel, we will loose our security. This is Peter’s
point.
Verse 18 ends Peter’s second letter. It says, "but grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . To Him be
glory, both now and forever, Amen.
Jesus is both Christ and Lord. As Christ, He offers us salvation. As
Lord, we offer Him our lives.
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