Bible Commentary / New Testament

2 Peter

Peter opens by identifying his readers as recipients of the same precious faith and by blessing them with multiplied grace and peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus. He then grounds Christian moral growth in God's prior gift: divine power has supplied everything needed for life and godliness, including promises…

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Literary units

2 Peter 1:1 - 2 Peter 1:11

Greeting and growth in godliness

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2 Peter 1:12 - 2 Peter 1:21

Eyewitness testimony and the prophetic word

Knowing his death is near, Peter commits himself to keeping these churches anchored in truths they already know. He contrasts the apostolic message about Christ's power and coming with fabricated tales by appealing first to the transfigura…

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2 Peter 2:1 - 2 Peter 2:22

Warning against false teachers

Peter moves from the certainty of true prophetic revelation in 1:19-21 to the certainty of false teachers within the Christian community. He describes their secret infiltration, moral corruption, greed, and destructive influence, then grou…

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2 Peter 3:1 - 2 Peter 3:13

The day of the Lord will come

Peter answers the scoffers of verses 3-4 by calling the church back to what the prophets and apostles have already said. Their claim that the world simply continues as it always has depends on ignoring two facts: God's word brought the wor…

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2 Peter 3:14 - 2 Peter 3:18

Final exhortation to grow in grace and knowledge

Peter closes by turning the promise of the new creation into a final charge. While they wait, the readers are to make every effort to be found by Christ in peace and moral integrity, to read the Lord’s delay as patience that opens space fo…

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