Second Peter 1:1-21
II Peter 1:1 and 2:
1:1Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus
Christ – to the (people)
having obtained equal-honored belief with us in
(the) righteousness of our
God and of (our) Savior
Jesus Christ; .2may grace and peace be multiplied to you
in full-knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Peter begins this second letter by
first identifying himself by name: Simeon Peter. He was also known as:
Cephas (the Aramaic translation of “Peter”), Simon, son of Jona (or
“John” his natural father), a native of Bethsaida, who lived with his
wife in Capernaum. He was one of Jesus’ learning-disciples and apostles.
Some references regarding Peter are: Matthew 4:18-20, 8:14, 10:1-5,
14:29, 16:16-19; John 1:42, 21:15-19; Acts 1:13, chapters 2-5, 9:33-40,
chapters 10-12, 15:7-11 and; I Corinthians 1:12, 3:22, 9:15, 15:5;
Galatians 1:18, 2:7-9.
In his previous letter, Peter also identified himself as “an apostle of
Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:1) to which you may refer for a detailed study.
However, here in II Peter 1:1 he adds that he is a “slave” of Jesus
Christ. He was bound to serve him. This service as a slave meant that
his whole being was at-the-service-of or in-service-to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Peter carried-out his service by his own freedom of will.
Wherever Peter was and whatever he was doing he was to behave as a slave
of Jesus Christ, not a slave serving anybody or anything else. Peter
believed and obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ, and he took his instructions
from him. During Biblical times, a master was obligated to take-care of
his slave (bond servant) and the slave was obligated to do all his
master would ask of him. It was a mutually-beneficial relationship
between the master and his slave.
Peter addressed this letter to:
- the
people who have obtained (received the allotment of)
- equal-honored belief (faith, trust, information that God made known to
have confidence-in with assured certainty and surety – which is equally
proportioned, the same, identical, it has equality in measure, quantity,
quality, amount, etc, relative to its estimated value, esteemed worth,
price; refer to Romans 10:8-17)
- with
us (myself and others who make known the details regarding God and the
things of God to you)
- in
the righteousness (within the sphere of action, character and attributes
of the justness, justice, the state of being and doing what is
just/right)
- of
our God (the God of us; He is the First, Superior or Ultimate One, the
One Who has power, executes judgment, and emanates what He is, His power
and light)
- and
of our Savior Jesus Christ (Jesus Christ is our savior because he is the
one who carried-out God's will to make it available for people to be
saved, to be made-safe; he made us free from danger and destruction
spiritually and keeps us safe to/with himself and God his Father; the
name “Jesus Christ” emphasizes his obedience and service to God on a
horizontal level to benefit people).
The opening greeting reads: …may grace and
peace be multiplied to you (caused to be made-full, filled to fullness
to all of you)…
- within the full, clear and exact personal knowledge
-
of
God
-
and
of Jesus our Lord.
Grace is what is freely bestowed without any
merit on the recipient's part; it includes reference to the attitude and
quality of the one giving something favorable to another. Grace is not
bestowed because somebody deserves a wage that is owed for something
they said or did, nor because they begged so hard, nor because they
forced the giver to give! Grace is bestowed because the giver wants to
give by his own freedom of will to the recipient - it is completely
unmerited favor from the giver to the recipient.
Peace
is tranquil harmony, tranquility, peaceful wholeness, without any strife
or disagreement.
The word "Lord" refers to a master or an
owner, one who has the authority or authoritative-power, the one from
whom the directions and instructions are given and who is to be obeyed,
the one who has the dominion over and exercises his lordship in relation
to that-which his title of "Lord" or "Master" is being associated –
Jesus is Lord of all holy-people.
Peter’s prayerful wish or desire for the
holy-people (Christians) was that grace and peace would be multiplied to
them in full-knowledge of God and of Jesus the Lord during the everyday
living of their lives.
[Reference: Acts 5:29-32, 13:23, 15:14; Romans 1:17, 10:8-17; Ephesians
5:23; Philippians 3:20; II Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4, 2:13, 3:6; I Peter
1:1 and 2; II Peter 3:1.]
Verses 3-11:
.3As His essence-of-God ability having
free-gifted2 all-things to us, the-things towards life
and reverence by means of the full-knowledge of the
(One) having called us to
(His) own glory and
virtue, .4by means of which-things the honorable and
greatest promises were free-gifted2 to us, in order that
by means of these (promises)
you may become sharers-in-common of
(the) essence-of-God
nature, having fled-from the corruption in intense-yearning in the
world –
.5but this same-thing also: having
carried-in-beside all earnest-diligence you must fully-supply in
your belief the virtue, but in the virtue the knowledge, .6but
in the knowledge the self-control, but in the self-control the
patient-endurance, but in the patient-endurance the reverence,
.7but in the reverence the brotherly-love, but in the
brotherly-love the love1;
.8for these-things beginning-from you and
becoming more-and-more do not constitute workless-people nor
fruitless-people into the full-knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,
.9for with-whom these-things are not present he is blind
closing-the-eyes, having received forgetfulness of the cleaning of
his sins of-old.
.10On-which-account rather, brothers, you must
be earnestly-diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for
doing these-things you may never at-some-time stumblingly-fall,
.11for thus the entrance-way into the eternal kingdom of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be fully-supplied wealthily to
you.
Peter begins the body of this letter by firstly
describing what God has done to/with/for all holy-people
(Christians).
As/since it is after the occurrence of God’s ability (able-power,
capability), which consists-of and evidences His essence (everything
that He is)…
- having free-gifted all things to us and this truth has not changed
(God’s ability has already freely given to us the gift of all things
which are valuable quality items),
- specifically the things for the purpose of
- life
(the state of being alive; referring to the spirit category, the gift of
holy spirit that God has given to us by means of the Lord Jesus Christ
within our current fleshy bodies; this life is a token or deposit of our
life in the future which will be holy spirit life within our new bodies,
the fullness of what God has promised to give us from the time of our
gathering together with our Lord Jesus Christ onwards)
- and
reverence (good service, service that is well, service towards God being
respectfully reverential of Him; referring to the walk/behavior
category)
- by
means of (through) the
full, clear and exact personal knowledge of the One (God) Who has called
(invited) us to/for His own
- glory (importance, splendor, renown)
- and
virtue (eminence of good quality and power, excellent standard of what
is right/correct),
- by
means of which-things (through all the things towards life and
reverence)
- the
honorable (esteemed of value, worth, prized, held in honor, deemed of
worthy price)
- and
greatest (superlatively great, largest in magnitude, quality, degree,
etc, the biggest)
- promises (the results of what God proclaimed declaring the message of
His own intention)
- were
free-gifted (freely given) and continue free-gifted to us
- for
the purpose and result that by means of these promises which you have
received
- you
would cause yourselves to become (it is not automatic but it relates to
the walk/behavior category during the everyday living of your lives –
cause yourselves to become)
- sharers-in-common (partakers
of/with/in the same thing, sharers, partners sharing what would be
common to both parties, participants)
- of
the nature (what is generated, produced in the physical category)
- which consists-of and evidences God’s essence (everything that He is),
- having fled (you have already escaped) away from
- the
corruption (decay, the state of being corrupt) within the cause and
sphere of action of intense-yearning (lust, here used in the bad sense,
strong desire attached or fixed upon certain objects other-than God and
the things of God)
- within the world (referring to the present time-period of this
ordered-arrangement).
Peter secondly describes what holy-people are to do in the
walk (behavior, conduct) category to/with/for the only true God,
as/since He has done His part.
Emphatically this also should occur: after you have carried (brought,
borne) all earnest-diligence (every speedy application or performance,
all assiduity on your part) into action alongside what God has already
done for you…
- you
must fully-supply (further-supply, super-add, furnish-upon,
fully-furnish, as though you are fully leading a chorus of dancers and
singers and so you are joyful as you supply the necessary costs and
provisions)
-
within the sphere of action of your belief (the faith that you already
have relative to God and the things of God – refer to verse 1 above –
this is the foundation upon which the following items will rest)
-
the
virtue (eminence of good quality and power, excellent standard of what
is right/correct – you fully supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the virtue
-
the
knowledge (personal knowledge, a truly active and relative knowing,
knowledgeable information – you fully supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the knowledge
-
the
self-control (being strong within oneself, mastery or dominion over
oneself, exerting inner force, effecting power and exercising strength
in oneself – you fully supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the self-control
-
the
patient-endurance (a bearing-up, holding, enduring and remaining upright
relative to God and the things of God under any obstacles – you fully
supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the patient-endurance
-
the
reverence (the good service towards God being respectfully reverential
of Him – you fully supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the reverence
-
the
brotherly-love (the friendly or brotherly kind of love, which all of
mankind are capable of doing – you fully supply it),
-
but
within the sphere of action of the brotherly-love
-
the
love1 (God’s kind of love – you fully supply it).
The word "love1" or the verb "to love1" comes from
the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with
His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love
towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus
Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God
tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us)
how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and
also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him
regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the
carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage
or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer to I
Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the
brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the
emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.
Peter continues: in truth, when these things are beginning (starting,
commencing, originating) from/with/in you and they are becoming
more-and-more (more than they were previously, increasing their amount)…
- they
do not constitute you (cause, place, or make you to stand-down in
the level or position of being)
- workless-people (people who are without work, who do not expend energy,
who are idle, inactive from God’s viewpoint)
- nor
fruitless-people (people who are without fruit, who do not produce
anything, who have no produce themselves)
- into
(with a view to, regarding) the full, clear and exact personal knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In truth, with whom these things are not present (for any individual who
does not have these things being beside, near-by or alongside him during
the everyday living of his live)…
- he
is blind closing-the-eyes (shutting his eyelids as a person who cannot
see something clearly and so squints a little in an attempt to make the
object become clear to him, shortsighted, nearsighted; this is not
referring to physical sight, but it is figuratively referring to
not-seeing the truth of God and the things of God),
- having received forgetfulness of (he did not place notice on, he
disregarded, ceased to pay attention to)
- the
cleaning (cleansing, catharsis, becoming free from all mixture)
- of/from his sins of-old (his aberrations from what God says, the sins
that he committed against God during a period of time that has now
become old – referring to the time of his physical life before he became
a holy-person, prior to receiving the gift of holy spirit).
On account of what is written above…
- rather (more-so, more and more, constantly increasing, very much more),
- brothers (you are my brothers; all holy-people are brothers in the holy
spirit category because all of us have received the same gift of holy
spirit and we are therefore all children of God our Father),
- you
must be earnestly-diligent (have speedy application or performance,
assiduity, endeavor with earnestness) to make your
- calling (referring to the invitation that God issued to all of mankind
by means of the Lord Jesus Christ, and which you accepted when you
believed what God says regarding Himself and His son and thus you
received the gift of holy spirit)
- and
selection (election, the truth that you have been picked-out, chosen out
from among people who do not believe what God says)
- firm
(steady, sure, definite) – you must do it for yourselves in the
walk/behavior category as described in verses 5-7 above.
In truth, when you are presently and actively doing these-things (which
are detailed above)…
- you
would emphatically not at any time stumblingly-fall (there is a double
negative here to emphasize the truth that you would not ever trip,
mess-up in your behavior, your conduct relative to God and the things of
God).
In truth, it is in this manner that the entrance-way (the
direct path/road of access, the right of passage) leading into…
- the
eternal kingdom (the agelong kingly or royal dominion and government and
rule and territory and power, etc; the Greek word
aionios may be translated
“eternal” or “agelong”, and in this context, the kingdom will not end,
it is lifelong, everlasting, it lasts throughout all durations of life,
all ages)
- belonging to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
…will be fully-supplied wealthily to you (will be further supplied,
super-added, furnished-upon, fully-furnished, as though God via our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ will be fully leading a chorus of dancers and
singers and so will be joyful as they supply all necessary costs and
provisions – richly to you).
[Reference: Acts 17:29, 24:25; I Corinthians 9:25, 15:23-28; II
Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 1:6; Ephesians 1:17-23, 4:1-6 and 22, 5:26;
Philippians 4:8; Colossians 1:13; I Timothy 3:16, 4:8, 6:11; II Timothy
1:9 and 10, 2:15, 4:1 and 18; Titus 1:1 and 8; Hebrews 1:3, 3:1 and 14,
13:1; James 1:15, 3:2; I Peter 1:12, 14, 15 and 22, 2:9 and 24, 3:10 and
18, 4:3 and 8, 5:10 and 12; II Peter 3:7, 13 and 18.]
Verses 12-15:
.12On-which-account always I will be about to
remind you concerning these-things, even-indeed
(you are) having known2 and
(you are) having been set-fast2 in the truth being
present; .13but I lead
(my mind to regard it)
righteous on as-long-as I am in this pitched-tent to throughly-raise
you up in remembrance, .14having known2 that
the putting-away of my pitched-tent is quick according as also our
Lord Jesus Christ made-clear to me; .15but also I will be
earnestly-diligent to make you always to have the remembrance of
these-things after my exodus.
Peter thirdly describes what he will do to/with/for those
to whom he is writing, what his part will be.
On account of what is written above…
- on
every occasion I will be on the point of reminding you (causing you who
have been previously taught to remember, to recollect, to call to your
minds) about these things,
- even
though you are in the state of already knowing (emphatically you are
perceiving, seeing, it has come within your sphere of perception or
circle of vision)
- and
you are in the state of already being set-fast (you are being firmly
fixed, you have been established)
- in
the truth being present (the essential reality, the inherent verity of
God and the things of God which is presently and actively being beside,
near-by or alongside all holy-people);
- but
I lead my mind to regard it righteous (I take the initiative, cause it
to be in my mind to view the following as being just, the right thing to
do, the right-way or just-state for me to behave myself)
- on
as long as I am in this pitched-tent (for the length of time that I am
within this semi-permanent covering or sheltering structure, dwelling
place; figuratively referring to my current physical fleshy body)
- to
throughly raise you up in remembrance (to fully or thoroughly arouse you
within the sphere of action of a reminding, cause you to be active by
giving you a reminder about these things),
- since I already know that the putting-away of my pitched-tent is quick
(the placing or setting from
myself, the removal of my current physical fleshy body is
approaching swiftly, speedily – my death is imminent)
- according as also our Lord Jesus Christ made-clear to me (made evident
or plain to/for me);
- but
also I will be earnestly-diligent to make (I will have speedy
application or performance, assiduity, I will endeavor with earnestness
to produce or do what is needed so as for)
- you
always to have the remembrance of these things (each time, on every
single occasion you hold these things in your memory, have the record of
these thing in your minds)
- after my exodus (after emphatically my
exit, way-out, the time of my
departure; in other words – after my death).
[Reference: Luke 9:31;
Colossians 1:5 and 6; I Thessalonians 3:2; II Timothy 1:5; Hebrews
11:22; I Peter 2:11.]
Verses 16-21:
.16For, not having followed-out with fables
having been made-wise2, we made-known to you the ability
and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but having become
lookers-on of that-one’s greatness – .17for having
received from God (the)
Father honor and glory, a sound of-this-kind having been carried by
the great-becoming glory, “This is My son, My loved1,
into whom I consider-it-good”, .18and we
heard this sound having been carried out-from heaven being
together-with him in the holy mountain – .19and we have
the firmer prophetic word; to which having-attention you do
beautifully, as to a lamp shining-light in a dark place until where
(the) day lights-through
and (the) light-carrier
may arise in your hearts, .20firstly knowing this that
all prophecy of writing does not come-into-being of
(a prophet’s) own looseness, .21for prophecy was not
carried at-some-time by an intention of man but men
uttered-forth from God being carried by holy spirit.
In truth, we were not following out (coming
after, we did not go from everything that has happened) with fables that
have been made wise (by speaking legends, fictional stories, myths which
people have caused to be skillful, expert)…
- when
we made personally known to you
- the
ability (able-power, capability)
- and
presence (coming and being present, the arrival)
- of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
…but contrary to fables, we were caused to become lookers-on (people who
saw as spectators, perceiving with our eyes, viewers, observers,
onlookers) of that-one’s greatness (specifically his magnificence,
majesty, our Lord Jesus Christ’s condition or state of being great,
large in magnitude, quality, rank, importance, depth, measure, degree,
eminence, etc) – …
- for
having received/taken from God the Father (God his Father was the source
Who gave him)
- honor (what God estimated as being his value, esteemed worth, price)
- and
glory (importance, splendor, renown),
- a
sound of this sort (such an uttered-tone, voice)
- having been carried by (borne, brought in motion by/under the power,
hand, or agency of)
- the
great-becoming glory (referring to God’s glory which is adjectively
described as being distinguished in magnificence; the suitableness of
His majestic splendor, His totally proper importance and renown being
large in magnitude, quality, rank, importance, depth, measure, degree,
eminence, etc),
- “This is My son, My loved1 (this-one presently and actively
is My son who is loved by Me, he originates from Me and is My beloved),
- into
whom I consider-it-good (emphatically I suppose it well regarding
him, I have willing-purpose with good-design for My beloved son)”,
- and
emphatically we heard this sound (indeed we heard the words that this
voice spoke)
- which was carried (borne, brought) out originating from heaven
- while we were being together (in
conjunction) with him in the holy mountain (the mount or hill that is
sanctified; refer to Matthew 17:1-5)
… – and/also we have the firmer prophetic word (we hold the prophetic
spoken account of the inner thoughts of God that He revealed regarding
the Christ, which is comparatively more-steady, steadier, surer for us
because it includes details which have definitely come to pass).
The prophetic word that God had previously communicated to the old
covenant prophets regarding the Christ and again as described in verse
17 above, had not been fulfilled nor were the full details revealed at
that time (refer to I Peter 1:9-12). However, Peter includes the details
of those prophecies regarding the Christ in both of his letters because
the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled prophecies and made salvation
available.
Peter continues: during the time that you are having attention (holding
or turning your minds, thoughts and attention)…
- to/for/towards the firmer prophetic word
- you
do beautifully (you are performing in a manner that has a manifested
decorous, harmonious and acceptable goodness),
- as
to a lamp shining-light (a lamp is usually supplied with oil to burn
from a limited container of oil; as to a lamp bringing light, causing
light to shine so as to be evident, being clearly seen)
- in a
dark place (within a location that is in a drought due to heat causing
it to become dry, dirty, filthy, squalid, austere, murky, and thus
obscuring things in that place)
- continuing for as long a time to when
- the
day lights-through (the daylight shines through, the dawn light of
daybreak displaces any remaining darkness)
- and
the light-carrier (literally: phosphorus, the light bearer, the one who
brings the light; figuratively as the eye allows light into the rest of
the body, also as the light of the early morning star shines, the
brightness)
- would rise within your hearts (the word "heart" literally means: the
organ which keeps the fleshy body alive by circulating the blood; but
figuratively it means: the center or core of a person's being, the seat
of his whole personal self and life),
…firstly knowing this (while in the first place you are personally
knowing, having a truly active and relative knowing, you are being
personally knowledgeable of this fact) that
- all
prophecy of writing (every prophecy contained in the scripture, all the
words that God reveals to His prophets who then speak these words to the
people regarding the past, present and/or future, and which are also
written down)
- does
not come-into-being of a prophet’s own looseness (it does not
become existent based-on, occur or happen due-to, come to pass from,
originate from a prophet’s own action of letting the mind run loose to
produce it; the source and production of all prophecy of writing is not of/from a person’s own unbinding, loosening, release, opening
and solving, as setting some personal explanation or clarifying
information free from an individual’s mind and disclosing it on/to
others).
In truth, prophecy…
- was
not carried (brought, borne) at any time by/with an intention of
man (mankind’s will, an individual’s active volition and desire)
- but
on the contrary,
- men
uttered-forth from God (certain members of mankind spoke, uttered sound,
used their voice to speak words originating from God Who is the source
of the prophecy)
- being carried by holy spirit (while these people are being brought,
borne in motion by/under the power, hand, or agency of the sanctified
spirit within them; refer to I Peter 1:9-12).
In this first chapter of II Peter, we should recognize that:
- verses 3-4
- describe what God has done to/with/for all holy-people (Christians)
including His purpose for doing what He did,
- verses 5-11
- describe what holy-people are to do in the walk/behavior category
to/with/for God our Father,
- verses 12-15
- describe what Peter himself planned to do,
- verses 16-19a
- describe the reliability of the prophetic word that Peter and others are
sent to communicate to people regarding the Christ,
- verse 19b
- describes how all of us (holy-people) are to view the prophetic word
with attention and then our hearts will receive the light of full
understanding via the holy spirit-life within us,
- and
verses 20-21
- describe how all true prophecy originates from God and those who
prophesy utter it forth via the holy spirit-life within them.
[Reference: Deuteronomy 18:22; Matthew 3:17, 12:18, 13:52, 17:1-5; John
1:18, 16:13; Acts 3:21, 10:34-43, 19:39; Romans 4:16, 12:6, 15:4-9,
16:26; I Corinthians 1:6-8, 2:1-16, 12:7-14, 15:51-58; II Corinthians
1:7 and 21, 3:12-18, 4:6; Galatians 1:11 and 12; Ephesians 1:17-23;
Colossians 2:7; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 1:4, 4:7, 6:11; II
Timothy 3:16 and 17, 4:4; Titus 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:2-4, 3:14, 6:19;
James 5:7 and 8; I Peter 1:9-12; 2:12, 3:1 and 2. Note: verbs with a
superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the
"perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of
this study.]
