“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
In Matthew chapter 16 verse 19 Jesus told the Apostle Peter, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This was because Peter knew who He was. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 It was a question of identity. As a result, the Apostle Peter had the authority to be the first one to open the door for the Gospel to be preached after the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. The other disciples and apostles then followed and evangelized the whole world. Peter first went to the Jews in Jerusalem, then the Samaritans, and finally the Gentiles. Read about this in the book of Acts. The point being made here is that even though the Apostle Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament and there are only two books bearing Peter’s name that contribute to the New Testament, the Apostle Peter was very instrumental in paving the way for evangelism to take place, and the information contained in his writings, especially this second epistle/letter, is invaluable.
Verse 1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
An apostle was/is a messenger or one who is sent forth. In the natural realm, a servant is a slave, an attendant, or one who serves others for wages. In the spiritual realm, a servant of the LORD Jesus Christ is one who gives himself/herself up to another’s will, in this case the will of God, and who is devoted to the LORD regardless of one’s own interests. Remember, there are servants of Satan also operating in the natural and spiritual realms who are just as fervent in their beliefs and service to the world of devils as Christian believers are to the LORD.
Application: This epistle/letter, like all the epistles in the New Testament was/is written to Christian believers. The Apostle Peter describes them as people who “have obtained like precious faith with us”. Therefore, if you the reader are a Christian believer, this is your mail. The unbeliever cannot fully understand these epistles as the meaning and significance of them is revealed by God to His children. The word translated as “like precious” in the above verse is the Greek word “isotimos” and it means to be esteemed equal to, to be equally honored or equally precious. It was that same faith and message as preached by the apostles.
Verses 2-3 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Grace and peace is given by God, gifts to His followers. However, as the Christian believer prays and reads Scripture and learns more and more about the great God he/she is following and serving, that grace and peace multiplies and the believer’s walk in the Spirit of the LORD gets easier and more peaceful. Trials and tribulations continue, but they are easier to deal with as the believer’s faith grows into a mountain which cannot be moved by Satan, the world, or the flesh.
Notice that the Apostle Peter and other writers of the New Testament books often use the words, “of God, and of Jesus our LORD”, or some other combination which, on the surface seems to indicate that there are two different entities. There isn’t. Jesus and God are one, just manifesting in different forms. If this was not true, the Apostle Peter would have stated in verse 3, “according as their divine power. . .”, indicating plurality. But he did not. He used the possessive pronoun, “his“, which is singular. So do not be confused into thinking there are “three persons in one”. That is a false teaching from Satan. God is not the author of confusion and He invented mathematics. Three does not and has never equaled one. This is confirmed by the Apostle Paul who wrote in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all who is above all and through all, and in you all.” Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit are the same divine entity.
Application: Please note that it is God who does the calling of His people. He does the calling and people can then respond. Not all people respond, unfortunately, but all people have the opportunity to respond. It is also God who chooses people, not people choosing Him. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Ephesians 1:4
Verse 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“Great and precious promises” are those that are absolute and certain. When a man or woman is converted, the Holy Ghost/Spirit comes and resides with and in them, often referred to as being ‘filled with the Spirit’. Then they can be partakers of the nature and character of Jesus Christ. Jesus healed, so the true believer can heal. Jesus preached, so the true believer should be preaching or sharing the Gospel. Jesus prayed a lot, so the believer should want to pray a lot. Jesus tolerated hardships, so the believer can have the strength through the presence of the Holy Ghost/Spirit to tolerate hardships. Jesus loved everyone, so the believer should love the lovely and the unlovely, the friend and the enemy. Jesus was in the world, but not of the world. Likewise, the true Christian believer lives in the world, but does not partake of the sinful things of this world.
Verse 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
The promises of God are taken and believed by faith. If God said it, He meant it. Once a man or woman is walking with the LORD, their faith grows. Faith is a gift from God, and everyone has a measure of faith, some more and some less. It takes faith to believe the Gospel message and it takes faith to trust Jesus Christ. That faith to be converted comes from God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 Once faith is in place and the Holy Ghost/Spirit is in partnership with the new believer, a process should take place which the Apostle Peter presents in this and in the next few verses.
The Greek word translated as “virtue” is “arete” and it means a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action. Virtue is moral goodness such as modesty and purity. So the Apostle Peter is telling believers to not engage in sin and to have faith that the LORD will keep them from thoughts, feelings, and actions/behaviors that are the opposite of godliness. Notice that the word “add” is used which clearly puts the responsibility of developing behaviors that are pleasing to God on the Christian believer. When temptations come long, the believer still has the choice to submit or the choice to say, “No, I will not allow my mind to think those thoughts, and I will not allow my emotions to control me, and I will not act upon the temptations to sin.” The Holy Ghost is there to help, but choices are still left to each individual. God did not create robots that comply to His will, but people that, by faith, endeavor to comply to His will which is to love Him and to love others.
Once the Christian believer has faith that is growing and is able to resist the temptations of this world, then knowledge is to be added. The Greek word translated as “knowledge” is “gnosis” and it means understanding, and the deeper more perfect and enlarged knowledge of the Christian faith. This is achieved by the study of Scripture, by prayer, and by the gathering together with other believers. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Notice that the word “workman” is used. The Christian Faith and walk takes work on the part of the believer. It doesn’t just happen, which is why throughout the New Testament there are verses that speak about working out salvation and persevering to the end. It is a process and it never stops if the believer wants to maintain his/her relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verse 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
The Greek word translated as “temperance” is “egkrateia” and it means self-control. This quality appears to be lacking to today’s cultures or societies as evidenced by the rudeness, various displays of anger, and foul language that is prevalent everywhere. But as the Christian believer exercises his/her faith and virtue and gains godly knowledge, the things of this world become less important and spiritual things become more important and it becomes easier and easier to exercise self-control. When a driver exhibits what has been termed as road rage and almost creates an accident involving the believer, the natural fleshly response is to make rude gestures, say rude things, and to have vindictive thoughts. The spiritual response is to pray for that driver’s safety and for a peace and calmness to come and prevent a calamity to both the driver and to other drivers on the road. When someone cheats a believer, the fleshly response is to sue or to confront the individual. The spiritual response it to turn the situation over to the LORD and to pray that the individual will repent and meet Jesus. The Christian believer is to demonstrate the same control Jesus demonstrated when He was treated unfairly and cruelly by the Jewish religious leaders.
When all these things are in place, then the Christian believer can develop patience, another thing lacking in today’s societies. The Greek word translated as “patience” is “hupomone” and it means steadfastness, constancy, endurance, and perseverance. People today want instant results: instant breakfast “foods”, instant computer connections, instant customer service, and so forth. No one wants to wait for anything. Instant gratification is the desire of people in the world’s system. But the Christian believer needs to develop patience as, in God’s Kingdom, most of the time things are not instant. Most of the time answers to prayers are not instant. Most of the time, responses to the Gospel are not instant. If things in the spiritual realm were instant, there would be no need for faith. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 Faith is belief in God to perform or provide that which is not yet available to or seen by the Christian believer. It is future, and since there is no way to know when God will answer, patience is required. God’s timing is not that of His children. He can see the future and knows when to answer prayers and requests.
The Apostle Peter then commands believers to add godliness. The Greek word translated as “godliness” is “eusebeia” and it means reverence, respect, and piety towards God. The Christian believer will behave in a Christ-like manner out of respect for the One who has saved him/her from sin, death, and Hell and because of love and faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.
Verse 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
The Greek word translated as “brotherly kindness” is “philadelphia” and it is love of the brethren or brothers and sisters in Christ. Charity is from the Greek word “agape” and it is nonsexual love, affection, good will, and benevolence. This type of love is not just for fellow believers, but for unbelievers also. It is an unselfish love freely given without conditions attached: unconditional love.
Verse 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Greek word translated as “barren” is “argos” and it means free from labor, at leisure, lazy, and shunning the labor which one ought to perform. Unfruitful is used metaphorically in this verse to mean not yielding what ought to be yielded. The Apostle Peter is saying that if the Christian believer works with the help of the Holy Ghost/Spirit to add all these qualities to their character and to their life, they will want to work to know and understand more and more about the God they serve, and they will work for the Kingdom of God. They will not be lazy, just warming a pew on Sunday and giving lip service to their Faith. They will continue to search the Scripture, pray, and learn. They will work for the LORD, which doesn’t just mean preaching the Gospel. It can be any kind of work in any place that furthers the Gospel to the unsaved and that blesses fellow believers and unbelievers alike. Being kind to an unbelieving neighbor is working for the Kingdom. Rescuing a stray cat or dog is caring for God’s creatures and is working for the Kingdom. Keeping marriages and families strong in the LORD is working for the Kingdom. Visiting shut-ins or nursing home residents is working for the Kingdom. Anything that is done in the name of Jesus and that is pleasing to Him is bearing fruit for the Kingdom.
Verse 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
The Greek word translated as “blind” is “tuphlos” and it means both physically blind and mentally blind. In the context of the verse above, the Apostle Peter means mentally blind. Without a growing faith in the LORD, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, the believer will be unable to comprehend the greater things of the Kingdom of God. The believer lacking these qualities and the Christian character they develop will not be like Christ, but will be more akin to worldly characteristics. There is then the danger of that believer falling away from the Faith. In other words, these attributes develop the fleshly mind into the mind of Christ. The believer, as he/she practices and develops these things begins to see the physical world as Jesus Christ sees it, begins to prioritize the spiritually important things over the things of this world, begins to have Scripture come alive in his/her life, and begins to walk closer and closer with Jesus because he/she is becoming like Jesus.
Verses 10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
God calls and God chooses. But the people being called and chosen have to be proactive and do something to retain that calling and election. So the Apostle Peter commands Christian believers to give diligence, (the word meaning to hasten, make hast, to exert one’s self, and to give diligence), to their faith and to their salvation which is a result of God’s calling and election. Practicing and gaining the attributes or things already discussed in the verses above accomplishes this command and keeps the believer from falling away from the LORD and from failing to serve Him.
Application: The topic of eternal salvation, that which lasts forever and is without end regardless of what the believer does in this life, has been discussed before. This is often referred to as the “once saved always saved” doctrine or belief. But this writer will, whenever a verse or passage from the Bible pertains to this false doctrine, discuss it again as it is so important. People professing to be Christians and living like devils truly believe they will go to Heaven because this incorrect doctrine of man has been taught to them from the pulpit or from the radio and TV evangelist. They raised their hand at an alter call in a church or they asked Jesus into their life at some time. As a result, they do not see the need to repent of sins and to work for their salvation which is a free gift from God but which is conditional. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7 “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” Revelation 2:11 “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations” Revelation 2:26 “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white rainment;and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5 It could not be clearer. The Christian believer has to overcome. The Greek word used is “nikao” and it means to conquer, to come off victorious, to hold fast the Christian faith even unto death against the power of the enemies, against temptations and persecutions. The Christian believer has to be victorious over sin and walk in the Spirit, has to develop the mind of Christ and therefore be Christ-like, and has to keep the faith from conversion to physical death. Only then will the believer see the tree of life in Heaven, be clothed in white which is metaphor for being pure and righteous, be able to rule and reign with Jesus Christ, and to be sure of his/her name being in the book of life.
Verse 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
The Greek word translated as “negligent” is “ameleo” and it means to be careless of or to neglect. The Apostle Peter wanted to repeat his instructions even though he indicates that he has already taught these principles so that the people will be reminded and remain stable or firmly fixed in the truth of the Gospel message and not deviate from the truth they have learned. Peter, like all the apostles, was serious about his commitment to Christian believers and wanted to be sure they would continue in the Faith.
Application: The Apostle Peter understood the nature of man and he understood the learning process. He knew that repetition was the best way for people to learn. Likewise today, it is not enough to read Scripture once through and think that the doctrine, history, or moral lessons contained therein will be remembered. This writer has read through the entire Bible at least four times cover to cover, and at least one more time if all the individual studies are compiled into one. But what was learned? A mere fraction of the truths contained therein. It takes continual study to refresh the mind so that a closeness develops between the LORD and each believer. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Repetition is very good.
What was the present truth? Prior to the coming of Jesus, the Old Covenant governed the religious life of the people of God. The Ten Commandments and the Mosaic law with all its statutes and ordinances was what the people attempted to follow and it was that which helped give the Hebrew people their identity as a physical nation. After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a New Covenant was put in place and it was/is the covenant that the Church follows and that gives the Church its identity as a spiritual nation. This New Covenant established with the blood of Jesus Christ governs both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scripture and was/is the present truth. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will i remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. ” Hebrews 8:10-13
Verses 13-15 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. 15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
The Greek word translated as “stir” is “diegeiro” and it means to wake up, awaken, and to arouse. Metaphorically it means to arouse the mind and make it active. The tabernacle the Apostle Peter was referring to was his fleshly body. He knew he was going to be executed in the not too distant future and wanted to have the principles in this epistle/letter down in writing so that they could always be read and understood after his death. This was not leaving a legacy, but leaving a tool by which the Christian believers he was writing to and all the believers down through time to this present day could benefit from his walk with and knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ
Verse 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
The Greek word translated as “cunningly devised” is “sophizo” and it means to invent or to devise cleverly. This would be the very opposite of truth. What the Apostle Peter is saying here is that he and other people did not make up false stories about the advent and the power and ability of the LORD Jesus Christ as he and others saw with their own eyes and heard with their own ears everything that they were reporting. Therefore, their account of historic events and of the truth of the Gospel was accurate and reliable.
Verses 17-18 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
“And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.” Mark 9:2-3
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his rainment was white as the light, and, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.” Matthew 17:1-3, 5-6
Verses 19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1)
Besides the personal experiences of the Apostle Peter and of other disciples while walking with Jesus during His earthly ministry, Christian believers also have all the trustworthy words of the prophets which believers should also read and study and pay attention too. The words of Scripture are light in a dark world of sin and death. The words of Scripture are truth in a world full of deception. They are reliable because, even though they were penned by the hands of men, the message was given to them by God Almighty.