TOM · The Owner's Manual · New Testament

2 Peter 1

Before you read 2 Peter: who, when, why

BOOK 61 OF 66 · NEW TESTAMENT · LETTER

Grow in Grace

AUTHOR: Simon Peter, 1:1, shortly before his death, 1:14. It is the most debated letter in the New Testament, and many scholars think a later follower wrote it. See The Big Question pages.
WRITTEN FROM: Probably Rome, while Peter waited to die.
DATE WRITTEN: About AD 64 to 68, just before Peter was killed under Nero. Critical scholars say about AD 80 to 150.
WRITTEN TO: The same believers as 1 Peter, 3:1, in what is now Turkey.
WHY HE WROTE: To warn against false teachers who mocked Jesus' return and lived for pleasure, and to remind believers to keep growing.
KEY VERSE: 2 Peter 3:18. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Oldest Copy of 2 Peter

Papyrus 72, copied about AD 300 and found in Egypt. This page holds the end of 2 Peter, 3:16 to 18. In the box is the title, Of Peter, Letter 2. Under it is the same blessing the copyist wrote after 1 Peter: Peace to the one who wrote and to the one who reads. Kept in the Vatican Library. Public domain.

The Setting

Peter knows he is about to die, 1:14. Like Paul in 2 Timothy, he writes a farewell letter. Jesus had not come back yet, and some teachers said He never would, 3:4. They turned grace into an excuse to sin, chased money and pleasure, and promised freedom while they were slaves themselves, 2:19. Peter answers with three things: what he saw with his own eyes on the mountain, what the prophets wrote, and how God has judged and rescued people before.

What Was Going Wrong

False Teachers. They slipped in quietly and denied the Master who bought them, 2:1.
Greed. They used people to make money, 2:3 and 2:14.
Anything Goes. They promised freedom but lived as slaves to their desires, 2:18 to 19.
Scoffers. Where is His coming? Nothing ever changes, 3:3 to 4.
Twisting Paul. Unstable people distorted Paul's letters, 3:16.
Forgetting. Some forgot they had been cleansed from their old sins, 1:9.

Where to Find Jesus

2 Peter 1:1. Our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:16 to 17. Peter saw His majesty and heard the Father call Him My beloved Son.
2 Peter 1:19. The morning star that rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 3:18. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Cool Stuff Most People Miss

Paul Is Scripture. Peter is the first writer to put Paul's letters next to the rest of the Scriptures, 3:16.
Tartarus. 2:4 is the only place in the Bible that uses the Greek word for Tartarus, the deepest prison in Greek stories. See What Hesiod Wrote.
The Talking Donkey. Balaam got scolded by his own donkey, 2:16 and Numbers 22:28.
A Washed Pig. The second proverb in 2:22 is not from the Bible. It comes from an old story called Ahiqar. See its pages.
Last Words. 3:18 may be the last words Peter ever wrote: grow.

What Happened Next?

Early writers say Peter was crucified in Rome under Nero, as Jesus had told him, John 21:18 to 19. The church argued for a long time about whether this letter was really his, but by AD 367 it was on the New Testament list of Athanasius of Alexandria, and soon in Bibles everywhere.

Chapter 1 in 30 seconds

Peter's last letter starts with a gift list: God has given you everything you need. Now build on it: goodness, knowledge, self control, endurance, godliness, kindness and love. Peter knows he will die soon, so he says remember this. He saw Jesus shine on the mountain. This is no fairy tale.

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In this chapterThe Big Question · Christians disagreeWho Wrote 2 Peter? · after verse 15

A Greeting from Peter// 1 Peter 1:1–2

¹Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

2PE 1:1[NOTE]TWO TITLES, ONE PERSON. In 1:1, our God and Savior Jesus Christ, a single Greek the covers both God and Savior, so most scholars read it as calling Jesus God, like Titus 2:13. Granville Sharp made this point famous in 1798. Some read two persons. SIMEON. Some old copies spell his name Simeon, the Hebrew form, Acts 15:14. WHO WROTE IT? See The Big Question pages.

²Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Partakers of the Divine Nature

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ⁴Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2PE 1:3[NOTABLE]God has already given what it takes to live for Him, and even a share in His divine nature.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

2PE 1:5[NOTABLE]A ladder of seven steps from faith up to love. Keep climbing and you will not be useless.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble, ¹¹and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2PE 1:10[NOTABLE]Not to earn it, but to show it is real. Do these things and you will never stumble.
2PE 1:11[FULFILLS]His kingdom would be everlasting ← 2SA 7:13

¹²Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have. ¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body, ¹⁴because I know that this tent will soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵And I will make every effort to ensure that after my departure, you will be able to recall these things at all times.

2PE 1:14[PROPHECY]Peter would soon lay aside his body, as Jesus had shown him → HISTORY: Peter was put to death in Rome under Emperor Nero, about AD 64 to 68. Recorded in 1 Clement 5 and by Eusebius, Church History 2.25.
2PE 1:14[NOTE]THIS TENT. Jesus told Peter how he would die, John 21:18 to 19. See Peter's Tomb? and Nero's Circus in 1 Peter.

The Big Question · Christians disagree

Who Wrote 2 Peter?

The Most Debated Letter

2 Peter 1:1 · 1:14 to 18 · 3:1 · 3:15 to 16 · Jude 4 to 18

WHAT THE LETTER SAYS: The writer calls himself Simeon Peter, 1:1. He says Jesus showed him he would die soon, 1:14. He says he saw Jesus shine on the holy mountain and heard God's voice, 1:16 to 18. He calls this his second letter, 3:1, and calls Paul our beloved brother, 3:15.
SLOW TO BE ACCEPTED: Few early writers quote 2 Peter by name. Origen, about AD 240, said Peter left one letter everyone accepts, and possibly a second, but it is disputed. Eusebius, about AD 325, put it among the books some disputed, though he said many found it useful.
JEROME: About AD 392 Jerome wrote that most people denied the second letter was Peter's because its style is so different from the first. Elsewhere he suggested Peter used a different helper to write each letter.
ACCEPTED: Papyrus 72 already copied it about AD 300. Athanasius listed it in AD 367, and church councils at Hippo, 393, and Carthage, 397, did too. After that it stood in the New Testament everywhere.
THE REFORMERS: Erasmus doubted it. John Calvin, 1551, said he could not deny it was Peter's message, and thought a follower may have written it down at Peter's command. Luther kept it with no complaint, though he questioned Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation.
MODERN SCHOLARS: Many scholars today think someone wrote it after Peter's death, about AD 80 to 150. Their reasons: the Greek is very different from 1 Peter, chapter 2 looks borrowed from Jude, Paul's letters are already a collection, 3:16, and the fathers have fallen asleep, 3:4, sounds like a later generation.
THE OTHER SIDE: Other scholars answer each point: a different helper explains the style, Peter may have used Jude, Paul's letters were copied early, and the fathers can mean the Old Testament fathers. The next page gives every view.

Every View · The Case Each Side Makes

2 Peter 1:1 · 1:12 to 15 · 3:1 · 3:4 · 3:16 · 1 Peter 5:12

PETER WROTE IT: Peter wrote it near his death, about AD 64 to 68, just as it says. Held by most of the church through history and by scholars like Michael Green. Best case: the letter plainly claims to be his, the early church in the end accepted it, and it would be strange for a fake to warn so hard against deceivers.
PETER THROUGH A HELPER: Peter gave the message, and a different secretary wrote it out than the one who helped with 1 Peter, Silvanus, 1 Peter 5:12. Jerome suggested this, and Calvin thought something like it. Best case: it explains the different Greek and keeps Peter as the true author.
A FAREWELL BY A FOLLOWER: After Peter died, a close follower wrote down Peter's teaching as his last testament, a style of writing readers would have recognized. Richard Bauckham argued this in 1983. Best case: it explains the style and the later details without calling anyone a liar.
A LATER FORGERY: Someone in the 100s used Peter's name to win an argument, and the church was fooled. Bart Ehrman argues this. Best case: it explains why so many in the early church doubted it.
WHY IT MATTERS: If Peter wrote it, we have the last words of Jesus' closest friend. If not, the church still judged that it teaches the faith the apostles taught.
WHAT ALL SIDES AGREE ON: The letter is in every New Testament since the late 300s. Its message is clear either way: grow in faith, reject false teachers, and wait for the Lord's return, because God is patient.

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty// Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:1–13; Luke 9:28–36

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

2PE 1:16[MIRACLE]Peter saw Jesus' glory on the holy mountain and heard God's voice from heaven
2PE 1:16[NOTE]NOT FABLES. The Greek word is mythos, myth. Peter says the gospel is not a made up story like the Greek myths. He was there.
2PE 1:17[FULFILLS]Declared to be the Beloved Son of God ← PS 2:7
2PE 1:17[NOTE]THE FATHER'S VOICE. The red words here are the Father's voice from heaven, as in Matthew 17:5.

¹⁹We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. ²¹For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2PE 1:19[FULFILLS]Balaam's prophecy: a Star and Scepter to come out of Jacob ← NUM 24:17
2PE 1:19[FULFILLS]Morning light at sunrise ← 2SA 23:4MEDIUM
2PE 1:20[NOTABLE]How the Bible came to be: real men wrote, but the Spirit carried them like wind fills a sail.
2PE 1:20[NOTE]OWN INTERPRETATION. Catholics and Orthodox often read this as no one may interpret Scripture privately, apart from the church. Most Protestants read it with 1:21: the prophets did not make up their messages; they came from God. The Greek can bear both.
2PE 1:21[NOTE]TEXT. The KJV says holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Many old copies say men spoke from God.

2 Peter 1

The Oldest Copy of 2 Peter

The Setting

What Was Going Wrong

Where to Find Jesus

Cool Stuff Most People Miss

What Happened Next?

A Greeting from Peter// 1 Peter 1:1–2

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty// Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:1–13; Luke 9:28–36

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