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NEW TESTAMENT

2 Peter

Web reading editionPDF starts on page 589by Robert D. Price
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Web reading edition: The wording below is drawn from the corrected PDF edition. Formatting has been adapted for easier reading on screens.

2 Peter – An In-Depth Overview (KJV)

Part 1 – Chapters 1–3

2 Peter is the Apostle Peter's final recorded letter. Knowing that his death is near (2 Peter 1:14), Peter writes with urgency, encouraging believers to remain grounded in the truth, grow in spiritual maturity, beware of false teachers, and live in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ. While 1 Peter focused primarily on external persecution, 2 Peter emphasizes the danger of internal corruptionthrough false doctrine and ungodly teachers. Peter reminds believers that God's Word is trustworthy and that God's promises—including Christ's second coming—will certainly be fulfilled.

Key Verse (KJV):

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

(2 Peter 3:18)

Basic Information

Author:

The Apostle Peter.

Date Written:

Approximately A.D. 64–68, shortly before Peter's martyrdom.

Recipients:

Believers who had received the same precious faith through Jesus Christ.

Purpose

Peter wrote to:

Main Theme

Grow in Truth and Beware of False Teachers

Outline

Chapter 1 – Growing in Grace

Greeting

Peter reminds believers that they have received:

"like precious faith."

Salvation is equally precious for every believer because it is grounded in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Everything Needed for Godliness

Peter declares:

"His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness."

God has fully equipped believers to live lives that honor Him. Through His promises, Christians become:

"partakers of the divine nature."

This does not mean believers become divine. Rather, through the Holy Spirit they share in God's transforming work, escaping the corruption brought by sin.

Spiritual Growth

Peter urges believers to diligently cultivate Christian character by adding to their faith:

These qualities reflect increasing spiritual maturity.

Fruitfulness

Peter teaches that believers who abound in these qualities will be:

A lack of spiritual growth leads to spiritual shortsightedness.

Make Your Calling Sure

Peter writes:

"Give diligence to make your calling and election sure."

He is not teaching that believers earn salvation. Rather, believers confirm the reality of God's work in their lives by persevering in faith and displaying the fruit of spiritual growth.

Peter's Final Reminder

Knowing his death is near, Peter desires to leave believers with a lasting reminder of these truths. His concern is that they continue in the faith after he is gone.

Eyewitness of Christ's Glory

Peter reminds his readers that he personally witnessed Christ's majesty at the Transfiguration. He heard the Father's voice declare:

"This is my beloved Son."

The apostles proclaimed what they had seen and heard.

The Sure Word of Prophecy

Peter declares:

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy."

The prophetic Scriptures are completely trustworthy. They point believers to Christ like a lamp shining in darkness.

Inspiration of Scripture

Peter concludes:

"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

Scripture did not originate in human imagination. God superintended its writing through human authors by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the clearest biblical affirmations of the divine inspiration of Scripture.

Chapter 2 – False Teachers

False Teachers Will Come

Peter warns that just as false prophets arose in Israel, false teachers will also arise within the church. They secretly introduce destructive doctrines, leading many astray.

Their Motives

False teachers are often characterized by:

They use religion for personal gain rather than for God's glory.

God's Certain Judgment

Peter gives several historical examples demonstrating that God judges sin:

These events show both God's justice and His ability to rescue the righteous while judging the wicked.

Lot

Peter describes Lot as:

"just Lot."

Although surrounded by extreme wickedness, Lot was deeply distressed by the sinful conduct around him. God rescued him from the destruction of Sodom.

Characteristics of False Teachers

Peter describes them as:

Their lives contradict the truth they claim to teach.

Balaam

Peter compares false teachers to Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness and attempted to profit from disobedience. His greed serves as a warning against using spiritual ministry for financial gain.

Empty Promises

False teachers promise freedom, yet they themselves remain enslaved to corruption. True freedom comes only through Jesus Christ.

Returning to Sin

Peter concludes with two vivid proverbs:

"The dog is turned to his own vomit again."

and

"The sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

These pictures illustrate the tragic reality of returning to a sinful way of life after exposure to the truth.

Chapter 3 – The Day of the Lord

Scoffers

Peter warns that in the last days, people will mock the promise of Christ's return. They ask:

"Where is the promise of his coming?"

They wrongly assume that because judgment has not yet come, it never will.

God's Perspective on Time

Peter reminds believers:

"One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

God does not measure time as humans do. His apparent delay is not forgetfulness.

God's Patience

Peter explains:

"The Lord is... longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

God's patience provides opportunity for repentance. This verse expresses God's compassionate desire that people repent, while the Bible also teaches that not all will in fact do so. Peter's point is that the delay of judgment reflects God's mercy, not a failure to keep His promise.

The Day of the Lord

Peter declares:

"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night."

Christ's return will be sudden and unexpected. The present heavens and earth will ultimately give way to God's promised new creation.

Holy Living

Because everything earthly is temporary, believers should live lives marked by:

A New Heaven and New Earth

Peter writes:

"We... look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

God's future kingdom will be completely free from sin and corruption.

Paul's Letters

Peter acknowledges Paul's writings, noting that some passages are difficult to understand and that unstable people twist them,

"as they do also the other scriptures."

This is an important indication that Peter regarded Paul's writings as belonging with the Scriptures.

Final Exhortation

Peter closes:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

Spiritual growth is the believer's lifelong calling.

Major People

Major Doctrines

Lessons for Christians

2 Peter in the Bible's Story

Second Peter serves as Peter's final pastoral charge to the church. Facing his own death, he urges believers to remain rooted in the truth, mature in Christian character, and reject false teaching. He affirms the divine inspiration of Scripture, reminds the church that God's judgment is certain, and points believers to the sure hope of Christ's return and the promised new heavens and new earth. The letter concludes with a call to steadfastness and continual growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Looking Ahead to 1 John

The next book, 1 John, emphasizes assurance of salvation, fellowship with God, love for fellow believers, and discernment between truth and error. John repeatedly contrasts light and darkness, truth and falsehood, love and hatred, and obedience and disobedience. He writes so that believers may know they have eternal life, while warning against false teachers who denied essential truths about Jesus Christ. The letter presents some of the clearest tests of genuine Christian faith found anywhere in Scripture.

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