2 Peter I. Introduction A. The letter of 2 Peter B. Encouragement of believers, warnings regarding false teachers, the end C. Let us consider the book II. 2 Peter: The Details A. Authorship 1. 2 Peter 1:1: "Simeon Peter" 2. 2 Peter 3:1: indication that this is the second letter written 3. Some over time have doubted whether Peter actually wrote it; general consensus is that it is legitimately his B. Dating 1. As with all New Testament letters, no specific date 2. Traditional understanding of Peter is that he dies during persecutions in Nero's day (2 Peter 1:13-15; 63-68 CE) 3. Commendation of Paul's letters (2 Peter 3:15-16) seems to indicate that many of Paul's letters already in existence; thus, likely no earlier than late 50s CE 4. General view: written ca. 61-67 CE C. Audience 1. "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1) 2. If similar audience to 1 Peter, then Christians specifically in Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1) 3. Nevertheless, many applications for believers D. Purpose 1. To encourage Christians regarding their standing before God and salvation 2. To warn Christians about the dangers of false teachers 3. To exhort Christians about the end of time and the return of the Lord III. 2 Peter: The Story A. Making Calling and Election Sure (2 Peter 1) 1. Introduction: Peter a slave, apostle of Jesus; writing to those with faith of equal standing with his through God's righteousness; grace and peace multiplied in knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:1-2) 2. God's power gives all things of life, godliness to believers through knowledge of Him and His excellence; vehicle of great promise through which believers can partake of divine nature; escape from worldly corruption by sinful desire (2 Peter 1:3-4) 3. On account of these believers are to add to faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love; when these increase, believers kept from being unfruitful in knowledge of Jesus; those who lack qualities all but blind, forgetting about cleansing from sin (2 Peter 1:5-9) 4. On account of this, believers to be diligent to make calling and election sure; practicing the qualities above mean that they will not fall; through this entrance provided into eternal kingdom of Christ (2 Peter 1:10-11) 5. Peter intends to remind believers of these qualities even though they know them already; thinks it proper to continue to remind them while alive; knows he will soon be dying, as Jesus revealed to him; makes effort that believers will be reminded by letter after his demise (2 Peter 1:12-16) 6. Peter, Apostles were witnesses of Jesus' majesty, did not create clever myths when telling His story; he testifies to hearing the voice of the Father commending Jesus at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:17-18; cf. Matthew 17:1-8) 7. Testimony also comes from prophetic word; believers do well to pay attention to it like to a lamp in a dark room until dawn of the new day; prophecy of Scripture not from personal thinking of prophet; prophecy not from will of man, men spoke from God as carried by Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21) B. False Teachers: Warnings, Nature, Fate (2 Peter 2) 1. False prophets existed in Israel and among Christians; secretly bring heresies; denying Master who bought them; bringing destruction upon themselves (2 Peter 2:1) 2. Many will follow after their sensuality; truth will be blasphemed because of them; they will exploit believers in greed with false words; they will be condemned and destroyed (2 Peter 2:2; cf. Jude 1:4) 3. Confidence in their destruction: God did not spare angels when they sinned, cast into hell, imprisoned in chains, awaiting judgment; did not spare ancient world when He preserved Noah and family; condemned Sodom and Gomorrah, an example of what happens to the ungodly; rescued Lot who was distressed at the sensuality of the wicked, his righteous soul tormented by it; God can rescue godly from trial, will keep wicked in punishment until Judgment, especially the ones who engage in lust and who are rebellious (2 Peter 2:3-10a; cf. Jude 1:6-7) 4. They are bold, no fear in reviling glorious ones, even though angels, greater in power, would not do so; false teachers as irrational, beastly, reviling that which they do not understand; will be condemned; suffering wrong for wrongdoing; revel in daytime; stains among Christians; adulterous, sinful, gone astray; pursue greedy ways of Balaam who was rebuked by his own donkey (2 Peter 2:10b-16; cf. Jude 1:8-11) 5. False teachers as waterless springs, mists driven by storms; gloom of darkness for them; boasting of folly, entice young Christians by sensual passions; they promise freedom but bring slavery to corruption; whatever overcomes a man is his master (2 Peter 2:17-19; cf. Jude 1:12-13, 16) 6. Those who escape defilement of flesh by knowledge of Jesus but who are overcome by sin and return to it in a worse state than before belief; better to never know the way of righteousness than to turn back after knowing it; according to proverbs-- dog returns to vomit, sow returns to mire (2 Peter 2:20-22) C. The Coming End (2 Peter 3) 1. Peter writing a second letter, reminding Christians to remember predictions of prophets and commandment of Jesus through Apostles; believers to know that scoffers will come, following own sinful desires, wanting to know where Jesus is, since creation continues as before (2 Peter 3:1-4; cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-4, Jude 1:17-18) 2. These scoffers forget that creation was long ago, world made out of water and through water; God deluged earth with water, people perished; by God's word heavens and earth stored up for fire, reserved until day of judgment, destruction of ungodly (2 Peter 3:5-7) 3. Christians to remember that to God, 1 day as 1000 years, 1000 years as one day; Lord not slow to fulfill promise, is patient, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8-9) 4. Day of the Lord will come like a thief; heavens will pass away with roar; heavenly bodies will burn up; earth and its works exposed (2 Peter 3:10) 5. In view of upcoming intense destruction, believers should live holy and godly lives, waiting for and hastening the day of God; by God's promise believers wait for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:11-13) 6. Thus Christians, waiting for this, ought to be diligent to be found without spot and at peace (2 Peter 3:14) 7. Believers to count patience of Lord as salvation; Paul wrote about this according to wisdom given him; his letters have some difficult matters; ignorant and unstable twist them to their destruction, as with other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:15-16) 8. Since believers know this beforehand, they should not be carried away with error of lawless people, lose stability; instead, they should grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; to Him glory now and in eternity (2 Peter 3:17-18) IV. 2 Peter: Christology and Theology A. Jesus as Savior, Lord; divine power gives knowledge leading to salvation (2 Peter 1:1-4) B. Jesus as possessing eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:11) C. Holy Spirit as God, communicator of God's message (2 Peter 1:21) D. Jesus will return; Judgment; destruction of matter; new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3:8-13) E. Glory to Jesus now and in eternity (2 Peter 3:18) V. 2 Peter: Old Testament Citations/References A. 2 Peter 1:19-21 / all the prophets B. 2 Peter 2:4-5 / Genesis 6-8, [1 Enoch 6-10] C. 2 Peter 2:6-8 / Genesis 18-19 D. 2 Peter 2:15-16 / Numbers 22-24 E. 2 Peter 2:22 / Proverbs 26:11 F. 2 Peter 3:5-6 / Genesis 1:1-12, Genesis 6-8 VI. 2 Peter: The Kingdom A. All have equal standing through faith (2 Peter 1:1) B. Believers able to receive life, godliness through knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:3) C. Believers given great promises, escape corruption of sinful world (2 Peter 1:4) D. Conduct of believers 1. Because of promise and escape, believers to exhibit faith qualities (2 Peter 1:5-9) 2. Virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love 3. Where these abound believers are fruitful in knowledge of Christ; they make their calling and election sure; will never fall; entrance into eternal kingdom of Christ (2 Peter 1:8, 10-11) 4. Those without qualities forget the great price of forgiveness of sin, blind-- not a good condition to be in! 5. Definite expectation that believers must exhibit certain qualities to obtain final salvation-- they are to be called and elected, but they must make that calling and election sure to enter eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:10-11)! E. Foundation of Gospel 1. Gospel message not a myth, nor clever fables, but promoted on basis of eyewitness testimony of the Apostles (2 Peter 1:16-18) 2. Testimony also from prophetic word, produced by God (2 Peter 1:19-21) 3. Believers do well in considering, respecting both! F. False Teachers (2 Peter 2) 1. They will exist, attempt to exploit believers falsely (2 Peter 1:1, 3) 2. Truth will be blasphemed because of them; many will fall away (2 Peter 1:2) 3. God is able to save godly from trial, condemn the wicked (2 Peter 2:4-9) 4. False teachers as stains on believers (2 Peter 2:13) 5. Warnings to young Christians about not getting persuaded by such false teachers in their sensuality (2 Peter 2:18) 6. A warning to all: if you obey but return to sin, worse for you than if you had never known the truth (2 Peter 2:20-22)! 7. Others scoff at coming of Lord (2 Peter 3:1-3) 8. Many twist and pervert Paul's writings and other Scriptures (Paul's writing thus Scripture; 2 Peter 3:15-16) 9. Believers are not to be carried away by error of the lawless; should remain stable (2 Peter 3:17; cf. Ephesians 4:11-16) G. Christians and the End of Time 1. Believers should not be distressed at the idea that the return of Christ is taking too long-- time is meaningless to God, and He is patient toward people, not wanting any to perish but for all to repent (2 Peter 3:1-8) 2. His return to be a fantastic event-- will lead to the dissolution of all matter (2 Peter 3:10) 3. As a result, believers should live in holiness and godliness, without spot or blemish, at peace, counting God's patience as salvation (2 Peter 3:11-12, 14-15) H. Believers should find encouragement from Paul's letters (2 Peter 3:15-16) I. Believers should grow in grace, knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18) VI. Conclusion A. Thus we see the second letter of Peter 1. A reminder of words of Apostles, need for steadfastness in faith 2. Do not succumb to false teachings or false teachers-- grow in the true faith 3. The end will come in its own time; be ready! B. Let us be holy and blameless, awaiting the Lord's return! C. Invitation/songbook