2 Peter 1
CHAPTER 1
Spiritual growth
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those that have obtained the same precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God, and the Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
3 Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the precise and correct knowledge of Him that called us by His own glory and virtue. 4 Whereby He has granted to us His precious and exceedingly great promises, that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust.
5 Yes and for this very cause you on your part should show all diligence; to your faith add virtue, and to virtue, knowledge. 6 And to your knowledge self-control, and to your self-control patience, and to your patience, reverence toward God. 7 And to your reverence toward God, brotherly kindness, and to your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful in the precise and correct knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he that lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. 10 Wherefore brothers, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never stumble. 11 For thus shall be richly supplied to you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The certainty of truth
12 Wherefore I shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth which is with you. 13 And I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. 14 Knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ indicated to me. 15 Yes, I will give diligence that at every time you may be able after my death to call these things to remembrance.
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 we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, delivered to him by such a voice from the Majestic Glory: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice we heard, delivered out of heaven, when we were with him on the holy mount.
19 And we have the word of prophecy made yet more sure; to which you do well that you take heed, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the day-star arises in your hearts.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
1:3 “Precise and correct knowledge” is important; it therefore does matter what and how we believe and understand God and His word. It’s not that academic purity of understanding is important in itself; but this “correct knowledge” is useful for practical Godliness. This knowledge produces fruit in practice (:8).
1:5,6 There is an upward spiral in spiritual life, just as there is a downward spiral. One spiritual strength is connected with and leads to others.
1:21 The Bible was written by inspiration of God- the writers were moved by God’s Spirit so that the words they wrote weren’t merely their private views, but the word of God. This is why the Bible is so unique and needs to be read and meditated upon daily. The word of God is to be the light for us in the darkness of this world, until the “day” of Christ’s return dawns (:19).
