2 Peter

This is Peter's second letter. It has many similar things to the letter of Jude. There were false teachers in the first century church. They were causing serious problems. And Peter wanted to warn church members about them. Their message tried to destroy the truth.

The Special Work for Believers (Chapter 1:1-21)

God does what is right (1:1). He is kind (1:2). He is powerful (1:3). And this God calls believers to be like him (1:4). Some wicked teachers taught an idea. They said ‘Trust in Christ, and then behave as you want to’.

Here, Peter declared the truth. A true believer does not just hear God calling.

He or she obeys God. He or she makes it a reality (1:19). And they do this by constant good behaviour. Peter's message was necessary. People who read his letter believed certain things. And Peter wanted to correct them. These people had the wrong ideas. They thought that it was easy to be a Christian. It did not need any effort (1:5). They thought that there was no need to be useful (1:8). And they forgot about any moral responsibilities (1:9).

But the true Christian life is not like this. Its moral quality will always be good. But this is only possible because of:

• God's promises that never fail (1:4).
• who Christ is and what he came to do (1:16-19).
• the Holy Spirit's word (the Bible; 1:20-21).

Peter knew that he would not live much longer (1:14). So he wanted to remind believers of what was important. They should listen to God's word. And they should not listen to strange ideas. People who had these ideas were dangerous. They did not believe God's truth.

Something special happened to Peter. This was when Christ was on earth. Peter heard God speak about Jesus. God said: ‘This is my Son. Listen to him’ (1:17. Read Matthew 17:5).

Peter wrote about the Old Testament writers. They did not suddenly declare their own religious ideas to the Jewish nation. They only shared what God gave to them.

The Holy Spirit ‘carried them along’ (1:20-21. These words are like a picture. They are about a ship. The strong wind that is in its sails ‘carries it along’). God did not speak to the false teachers. And believers must recognize that their message was dangerous nonsense.

The Enemies of Truth (Chapter 2:1-22)

In Old Testament times there were false prophets, as well as true prophets (2:1). And it was the same in the first century. In verses 1-3 Peter tells us about the false prophets. Their actions:

• were in secret. (They denied the Lord who died for them.)
• showed that they were refusing God's authority. (They were forgetting his power)
• destroyed. (They ruined themselves as well as other people.)

The false prophets were:

• successful. (Many people would follow them.)
• not moral. (Their behaviour was bad.)
• greedy for money. (They only thought about getting more for themselves.)
• false. (They made up stories.)

The judgement against them had been ‘waiting for a long time’. They would not escape God, who would destroy them (2:3).

Peter wanted to warn the people who read his letter. And he used three examples of God's judgement. First there were the angels who refused God's authority (2:4). Next, there were the people of Noah's time (2:5). Then there were the people of Lot's time. They were all against God (2:6-7).

Then Peter reminded the people who read his letter about a great truth. The true believer might live among very evil people. But God can still keep him or her safe (2:8-9).

Peter then used another example. It is the story of Balaam. (Read Numbers 22-24.) There are people who will do anything to get money. They are ‘experts in being greedy’ (2:14b). But God can stop them (2:15-16). Peter showed just how very evil they were (2:10, 12,13-14, 17). They promised freedom. But they themselves were slaves to their evil desires. ‘A person is a slave to the thing that controls him’ (2:19). And Peter warned them in a very serious way (2:20-22).

The Return of Christ (Chapter 3:1-18)

Jesus is coming back to earth. And Christians must have good, sincere minds (3:1). Their lives must not be evil like those whom Peter had been describing. This last section of his letter shows:

The world's attitude. People chose to ignore Christ's return or to laugh about it (3:3-7). Like the people of Noah's time, they refused to believe.

The Lord's attitude. Christ chose to delay his return (3:8-10). Time is not the same for him as it is for us. ‘There is no difference to the Lord between one day and 1,000 years. To him the two are the same’ (3:8).

God is patient as he waits. He does not want to destroy anyone. He wants all people to turn away from their sins (3:9). But he will never force people. He gives them freedom to choose. Otherwise, their love for him would not be real. The day of his return will be like a night that never ends for some people (3:10).

The Christian's attitude. We choose to prepare for Christ's return. Believers prepare for their great future. And they ‘try to make it come soon’ (3:12). To do this, they must:

• live holy lives (3:11, 14)
• be eager for Christ's coming (3:12, 13)
• be careful about other people and about themselves (3:17)
• become more and more mature as Christians (3:18).