The Second Epistle Of Peter

by Chris Simmons

As in the first letter, Peter claims authorship of this second letter and evidence suggests that he wrote it to the same audience. He writes in 3:1, “this now, beloved, is the second letter I am writing to you” indicating it’s the same “scattered” and sojourning Christians addressed in the first letter. In this letter the audience is described as those, who through their faith and obedience, had already been called and chosen of God (1:10) and now shared a “like precious faith” (ASV, 1:1). Obviously written after the first letter (64 or 65 AD), this letter suggests it was written just prior to his death as Peter describes the “laying aside” of his “earthly dwelling” as being “imminent” (1:13). It is generally concluded, without dispute that Peter died the death of a martyr before Nero’s suicide in 68 AD. Where it was written from is uncertain though Peter may have become a prisoner by the time of its writing.

The purpose of the letter is clear. As Peter reflected on the fact that his days upon earth were soon to cease, he told his audience, “I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder” (1:13; cf. 3:1-2). Peter knew that after he was gone, these brethren would need the ability “to call these things to mind” (1:15). How critical it is that we too be able to call to mind the truth of God’s word throughout our life. Jesus illustrated the need to call to mind scripture when facing temptations brought upon us by our adversary the Devil (Matthew 4:1-11). We need to be able to call to mind God’s word when we have an opportunity to teach the lost or to be “correcting those who are in opposition” (II Timothy 2:24-26). We need to be able to call to mind scripture when we are defending our faith and our hope (I Peter 3:15). It’s certainly not effective with those we hope to teach to simply say, “I know it says it in the Bible somewhere”! We need to be a people equipped to give those we study with “book, chapter and verse” for what we believe, teach and practice. We ought to encourage our children to learn their “memory verses” and lead by example in being able to “call these things to mind.” Paul reminded Timothy that there is no shortcut in committing God’s word to our memory when he said to “be diligent to present yourself to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). It takes diligent effort on our part and we need to be thankful for those like Micky who have patiently and persistently worked with us to commit to memory those passages of scripture we need to hold on to and use in our interactions with others.

A second key theme of this second letter is the need for a life-long commitment to spiritual growth. Peter stated in 1:5-8, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peter reminds his audience that it was their responsibility to continually build upon their faith the qualities of moral excellence, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love throughout their lives. We are either living a spiritual life of growth or regression – there is no standing still! If we’re not growing in our knowledge, we’re forgetting those things we once knew. If we’re not growing in our self control, we’re losing the discipline we need to be successful. If we’re not growing in our perseverance, we’re succumbing to the trials and temptations of life. There are only two choices and Peter ends his letter by reminding us of that very point. “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:17-18).

One of the reasons we need to continue to grow spiritually is that there always have been and always will be false teachers who will seek to lead us astray. Peter wrote in 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” In the second chapter he refers to some specific false teachers but also identifies some common, fundamental characteristics they all share. First, false teachers “despise authority” (verse 10) as they cannot promote their false teaching while they abide in the doctrine of Christ (I Timothy 4:6; 6:3; II John 9). Second, they are “self-willed” (verse 10), seeking to promote what seems right to them (Proverbs 14:12) and not humbling themselves before God (I Peter 5:6). Third, they are referred to as “unreasoning animals” (verse 12). Contrast that with Paul who “reasoned … from the scriptures” (Acts 17:2; cf. 17:17; 18:4; 26:28) when he had the opportunity to teach. Fourth, Peter says that false teachers are those who “revel in their deceptions” (verse 13). For this reason, we must have a “love of the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:10) even as Paul warned Timothy in II Timothy 3:13 that “evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Finally, false teachers are characterized as those who are continually “forsaking the right way” (verse 15). They are those who reject divine patterns and any divine “standard of sound words” (II Timothy 1:13). We must grow so we can avoid the spiritual destruction that such false teachers spread.

Finally, there is the theme in this letter to focus on the spiritual and not the physical. One day, according to God’s word, everything that is physical will “pass away” and be utterly “destroyed” (3:10-11) at which time the “day of judgment” will come (3:7). Based on these facts, Peter challenges us all with a very simple question: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” We need to learn that our time upon earth is a gift from God to give us the time to repent (3:9) and to exercise diligence to take advantage of the cleansing blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and “be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (3:14). We must view the patience of God to be our opportunity to make our lives right with God and obtain the salvation He has offered in His Son (3:15).