2 Peter 1

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:

The way grace and peace come to believers

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

What God has given believers and the reason for it

3 just as his divine power has given to us all things that we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who has called us by his glory and virtue. 4 Through these, great and precious promises have been given to us, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through evil desire.

How to make sure of our salvation

5 For this very reason, giving all your effort, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, 6 and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control patient endurance, and to patient endurance godliness, 7 and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

1:5-7 Because Christ has given us everything we need, we should lay hold of what He has given and make earnest efforts to grow in all the good qualities of the Christian life.⚜

8 For if these things are in you, and are increasing, they will cause you to be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he who lacks these things is blind, and cannot see far off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, give even more effort to make your calling and election certain. For if you do these things, you will never fall. 11 For in this way an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided to you.

The importance of remembering the truth

12  Therefore I will not neglect to remind you always of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it fitting, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by giving this reminder, 14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me.

1:14 In other words, Peter was expecting to die soon. See John 21:18-19. Compare 2 Tim 4:6. Then Peter was not expecting the return of Christ in his lifetime.⚜

15 Moreover, I will make an effort to see that you will always be able to keep these things in memory after my decease.

The apostles were eye-witnesses to Christ’s glory

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when such a voice as this came to him from the majestic glory: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.

1:17 See Matt 17:5. The voice came out of heaven, God’s dwelling place.⚜

18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven, when we were with him in the holy mountain.

1:18 Matt 17:6. Peter is not reporting something he heard from someone else. He was there. He saw that Jesus was transfigured. He heard the voice from heaven. This is one factor that made the witness of the original apostles so powerful. Compare Acts 1:8; 2:32.⚜

Prophecy in the Bible

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy. And you do well to take heed to it, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star arises in your hearts. 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For prophecy did not come in olden times by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.