Book of 2 Peter
Summary of the Book of 2 Peter
This summary of the
book of 2 Peter provides information about the title, author(s), date of
writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the
chapters of the Book of 2 Peter.
The author identifies
himself as Simon Peter (1:1). He uses the first person singular pronoun in a highly
personal passage (1:12-15) and claims to be an eyewitness of the
transfiguration (1:16-18 [see note on 1:16]; cf. Mt 17:1-5). He asserts that this is his second letter
to the readers (3:1) and refers to Paul as "our dear brother" (3:15; see note there). In short, the letter claims to be Peter's,
and its character is compatible with that claim.
Although 2 Peter was
not as widely known and recognized in the early church as 1 Peter, some may
have used and accepted it as authoritative as early as the second century and
perhaps even in the latter part of the first century (1 Clement [a.d. 95] may
allude to it). It was not ascribed to Peter until Origen's time (185-253), and
he seems to reflect some doubt concerning it. Eusebius (265-340) placed it
among the questioned books, though he admits that most accept it as from Peter.
After Eusebius's time, it seems to have been quite generally accepted as
canonical.
In recent centuries,
however, its genuineness has been challenged by a considerable number of
interpreters. One of the objections that has been raised is the difference in
style from that of 1 Peter. But the difference is not absolute; there are
noteworthy similarities in vocabulary and in other matters. In fact, no other
known writing is as much like 1 Peter as 2 Peter. The differences that do exist
may be accounted for by variations in subject matter, in the form and purpose
of the letters, in the time and circumstances of writing, in sources used or
models followed, and in scribes who may have been employed. Perhaps most
significant is the statement in 1Pe 5:12that Silas assisted in the writing of 1 Peter.
No such statement is made concerning 2 Peter, which may explain its noticeable
difference in style (see Introduction to 1 Peter: Author and Date).
Other objections arise
from a secular reconstruction of early Christian history or misunderstandings
or misconstructions of the available data. For example, some argue that the
reference to Paul's letters in 3:15-16 indicates an advanced date for this book
-- beyond Peter's lifetime. But it is quite possible that Paul's letters were
gathered at an early date, since some of them had been in existence and perhaps
in circulation for more than ten years (Thessalonians by as much as 15 years)
prior to Peter's death. Besides, what Peter says may only indicate that he was
acquainted with some of Paul's letters (communication in the Roman world and in
the early church was good), not that there was a formal, ecclesiastical
collection of them.
2 Peter was written
toward the end of Peter's life (cf. 1:12-15), after he had written a prior letter (3:1) to the same readers (probably 1 Peter). Since Peter was
martyred during the reign of Nero, his death must have occurred prior to a.d.
68; so it is very likely that he wrote 2 Peter between 65 and 68.
Some have argued that
this date is too early for the writing of 2 Peter, but nothing in the book
requires a later date. The error combated is comparable to the kind of heresy
present in the first century. To insist that the second chapter was directed
against second-century Gnosticism is to assume more than the contents of the
chapter warrant. While the heretics referred to in 2 Peter may well have been
among the forerunners of second-century Gnostics, nothing is said of them that
would not fit into the later years of Peter's life.
Some have suggested a
later date because they interpret the reference to the fathers in 3:4 to mean an earlier Christian generation. However, the word
is most naturally interpreted as the OT patriarchs (cf. Jn 6:31, "forefathers"; Ac 3:13; Heb 1:1). Similarly, reference to Paul and his
letters (3:15-16; see Author) does not require a date beyond
Peter's lifetime.
There are conspicuous
similarities between 2 Peter and Jude (compare 2Pe 2 withJude 4-18), but there are also significant differences. It has been
suggested that one borrowed from the other or that they both drew on a common
source. If there is borrowing, it is not a slavish borrowing but one that
adapts to suit the writer's purpose. While many have insisted that Jude used
Peter, it is more reasonable to assume that the longer letter (Peter)
incorporated much of the shorter (Jude). Such borrowing is fairly common in
ancient writings. For example, many believe that Paul used parts of early hymns
in Php 2:6-11 and 1Ti 3:16.
In his first letter
Peter feeds Christ's sheep by instructing them how to deal with persecution
from outside the church (see 1Pe 4:12); in this second letter he teaches them how
to deal with false teachers and evildoers who have come into the church
(see 2:1; 3:3-4 and notes). While the particular
situations naturally call for variations in content and emphasis, in both
letters Peter as a pastor ("shepherd") of Christ's sheep (Jn 21:15-17) seeks to
commend to his readers a wholesome combination of Christian faith and practice.
More specifically, his purpose is threefold:
IV.
Warning against False
Teachers (ch. 2)
From the NIV Study
Bible, Introductions to the Books of the Bible, 2 Peter
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
2 Peter 1 NLT
1 This letter is from Simon Peter, a
slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same
precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and
fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
2 May God give you more and more grace
and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
3 By his divine power, God has given us
everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by
coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous
glory and excellence.
4 And because of his glory and
excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises
that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption
caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every
effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous
provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,
6 and knowledge with self-control, and
self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with
godliness,
7 and godliness with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more
productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
9 But those who fail to develop in this
way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from
their old sins.
10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work
hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do
these things, and you will never fall away.
11 Then God will give you a grand
entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore, I will always remind you
about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in
the truth you have been taught.
13 And it is only right that I should
keep on reminding you as long as I live.
14 For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown
me that I must soon leave this earthly life,
15 so I will work hard to make sure you
always remember these things after I am gone.
16 For we were not making up clever
stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes
17 when he received honor and glory from
God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is
my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
18 We ourselves heard that voice from
heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 Because of that experience, we have
even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay
close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in
a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your
hearts.
20 Above all, you must realize that no
prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,
21 or from human
initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke
from God.
2 Peter 2 NLT
1 But there were also false prophets in
Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly
teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this
way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
2 Many will follow their evil teaching
and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will
be slandered.
3 In their greed they will make up
clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and
their destruction will not be delayed.
4 For God did not spare even the angels
who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are
being held until the day of judgment.
5 And God did not spare the ancient
world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world
of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world
of ungodly people with a vast flood.
6Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of
what will happen to ungodly people.
7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom
because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the
wicked people around him.
8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was
tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.
9 So you see, the Lord knows how to
rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under
punishment until the day of final judgment.
10He is especially hard on those who follow
their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are
proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much
as trembling.
11 But the angels, who are far greater
in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy
against those supernatural beings.
12 These false teachers are like
unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed.
They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed.
13 Their destruction is their reward for
the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad
daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception
even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.
14 They commit adultery with their eyes,
and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into
sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.
15They have wandered off the right road and
followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing
wrong.
16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad
course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.
17 These people are as useless as
dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest
darkness.
18 They brag about themselves with
empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure
back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of
deception.
19 They promise freedom, but they themselves
are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls
you.
20 And when people escape from the
wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then
get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.
21 It would be better if they had never
known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they
were given to live a holy life.
22 They prove the
truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A
washed pig returns to the mud.”
2 Peter 3 NLT
1 This is my second letter to you, dear
friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking
and refresh your memory.
2 I want you to remember what the holy
prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your
apostles.
3 Most importantly, I want to remind
you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following
their own desires.
4 They will say, “What happened to the
promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors,
everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
5 They deliberately forget that God
made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth
out from the water and surrounded it with water.
6 Then he used the water to destroy the
ancient world with a mighty flood.
7 And by the same word, the present
heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day
of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
8 But you must not forget this one
thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand
years is like a day.
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow
about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
10But the day of the Lord will come as
unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise,
and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and
everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
11 Since everything around us is going
to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live,
12 looking forward to the day of God and
hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the
elements will melt away in the flames.
13 But we are looking forward to the new
heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s
righteousness.
14 And so, dear friends, while you are
waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living
peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
15 And remember, our Lord’s patience
gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote
to you with the wisdom God gave him—
16speaking of these things in all of his
letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are
ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite
different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result
in their destruction.
17 You already know these things, dear
friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of
these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.
18 Rather, you must grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to
him, both now and forever! Amen.
