The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (173 page)

UNIT-BY-UNIT DISCUSSION

I. Greetings (1:1-2)

Second Peter opens with a standard prescript found in first-century letters, including a “well-wish” of a spiritual nature: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (1:2). The dual reference to “grace” and “knowledge” also concludes the letter, possibly forming a literary
inclusio
(3:18).
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II. Encouragement to Growth in Godliness (1:3-21)

A. The Pursuit of Christian Virtues (1:3—11)
Peter made the previous “well-wish” because Christ has given believers everything they need for eternal life and godliness through their knowledge of him and through God's election of believers, having called them by his own glory and goodness. By virtue of this calling, the Christian participates in the divine nature and is able to escape the corruption brought on by evil desires.

The list that follows is not mere moralism, for Peter has already stressed that the foundation that allows the effort to be effectually extended has been laid in salvation, here epitomized in the word
faith.
In this faith, the believer is to supply certain things. The verb translated “supply” or “add”
(epichoregeō)
usually means to provide at one's own expense, but here it is a linking verb, as if someone made an effort at gaining goodness to obtain a supply of faith, and so on.
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Peter followed this encouragement to pursue Christian virtues with references to the negative and positive outcomes of such an effort. If a person did not engage in the pursuit of Christian virtues, that person was nearsighted to the point of blindness. If he did, he would be rewarded with a rich entrance into God's kingdom at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (1:8-11).

B. The Nature of Peter's Letter (1:12-15)
In 1:12—15, Peter stated the purpose of his letter, namely to remind believers of important spiritual truths, presumably because of the threat of the false teachers, the exact nature of whose teaching is not specified until chap. 3. Peter wrote what turned out to be his final extant letter because he was convinced that his death was imminent and because he was confident that he was speaking the truth (1:14; see 1:12). Verse 15 specifies the future benefits of the letter for the readers.

C. Defense of Peter's and the Prophets’ Message (1:16—21)
The reason Peter made this effort to remind his readers of their need to pursue Christian virtues was that he and his fellow apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ's majesty (1:16—18), so that the prophetic word about the coming of Christ was strongly confirmed (1:19). Peter then affirmed that both the origin of prophecy and its interpretation came from God himself (1:20—21). This represented a thinly veiled admonition to beware of those who engaged in their own “private interpretation” of Scripture, resulting in false teaching (the subject of chaps. 2—3).

III. Condemnation of the False Teachers (2:1-22)

Peter most likely incorporated nearly the whole of Jude's letter in his condemnation of the false teachers.
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Thus the condemnation was applicable to the present opponents but beyond this to all false teachers. It would not be until chap. 3 that the precise nature of the false teaching was addressed.

A. The Danger and Nature of the False Teachers (2:1—3)

False teachers were as inevitable as the false prophets of old. They were clearly unregenerate and led others to destruction with them, blaspheming the truth out of greed and resulting in the inevitability of God's judgment.

B. God's Judgment in the Past (2:4—10a)

The reason that God's judgment was inevitable is that God has always judged false teachers and others who failed properly to submit to authority. The fallen angels were condemned to Tartarus and kept in chains (2:4); the people who lived prior to the flood and who engaged in egregious sin were destroyed; and Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated as well (2:5—6). In the midst of this strong note of denunciation, however, Peter—in contrast to Jude, whose portrait was entirely negative (see below)—also struck an encouraging note. He pointed out that while God had destroyed the ancient world by a flood, he had rescued Noah and his family, and he also rescued Lot and his family when he destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus God could be counted on not only to judge the unrighteous but also to rescue the righteous from the polluted spiritual state of the world (2:7—10a).

C. The False Teachers’ Godless Character (2:10b—16)

In 2:10b, Peter delved further into the godless character of these false teachers. They were bold, arrogant, profane, and slanderous; they were like the beasts of the field in their blasphemies and thus fit for destruction (2:10b—12). They had secretly infiltrated the assembly and polluted the pure doctrine of the church. They were ever seeking to seduce and devour the righteous. Peter compared them to Balaam, who had been a prophet for profit (2:15-16).

D. The False Teachers Described (2:17—22)

Peter described these teachers as “springs without water,” who seduced those who had barely escaped from those who lived in error. It is tempting to understand these as believers who have fallen from grace, for the apostle stated that it would have been better if they had never known the truth, than having turned back from the holy commandment. But verse 22 makes clear that they were never true believers, for “a dog returns to its own vomit, and, ‘a sow, after washing itself, wallows in the mud’” (2 Pet 2:22, citing Prov 26:11). Thus the true nature of these false teachers becomes apparent: their unregenerate nature had only been masked externally, but in the end it will be made clear that they were never spiritually transformed in the first place.
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IV. Refutation and Response to the False Teachers (3:1—13)

The specific nature of the heresy, already hinted at in 1:16, is now set forth and the error of the false teachers is refuted. These scoffers denied the truthfulness of the apostolic teaching regarding the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, contending that “all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation” (3:3—4). In response, Peter firmly rejected this teaching by noting that the underlying premise was wrong. Contrary to the false teachers, the world will not always exist, for God has already judged it once in the past with a flood (3:6) and would destroy it again by fire in the future (3:7).

In fact, from the vantage point of eternity, there was little difference between a day and 1,000 years. Moreover, the Lord was not delaying his return but patiently waiting for the last of the elect to be saved; then judgment would swiftly ensue (3:8—9). Indeed, the Day of the Lord would come on the wicked without warning; the heavens would pass away, and the earth would melt and be dissolved. Thus the opponents were wrong regarding the earths continual existence. In light of the world's final judgment, Christians ought to be a sanctified people, waiting expectantly for the promise of the new heavens and the new earth (3:11-13).

V. Closing (3:14-18)

Peter concluded his letter by affirming that believers should view the apparent delay of the Second Coming as an opportunity for salvation. For confirmation, he called on Paul's letters (though it is not clear if he had any specific passage in mind). He concluded with a warning against the false teachers and reiterated his desire that his readers “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” followed by a closing doxology.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

The Pursuit of Christian Virtues in Light of the End Time
The growth of believers in Christian virtues is a major emphasis in 2 Peter. According to Peter, people may travel on one of two paths.
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The first is that of progressing in the faith, climbing a staircase of Christian virtues, which enables believers to lead spiritually productive lives (1:3—11; see 3:11—18). The second is that of straying from the path, resulting in destruction and condemnation, as in the case of the false teachers (2:1—3:10). Hence, the letter is permeated by a pastoral concern for the well-being of the flock and its protection from the potential harm caused by those who would twist the Word of God (1:12—21).
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Peter's teaching on the pursuit of Christian virtue is epitomized by the word “godliness”
(eusebeia)
, which occurs three times in 1:3—7 (vv. 3,6,7; see 3:11). Peter made it clear that, through their knowledge of God in Christ, believers have been given everything they need to live a godly life (1:3). For this reason they are to pursue godliness in conjunction with faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, brotherly affection, and love (1:5-7).
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Peter's teaching on believers’ need to pursue Christian virtues also has important end-time implications. The false teachers challenged the belief that Christ will return and that God will bring about a consummation to history. Yet Peter affirmed that, in spite of apparent delays, the Lord will come again at the appointed time. He will judge all people, and the elements of this world will be dissolved and melt away (3:12). Thus believers should live in light of the end and pursue the path of Christian virtue in order to reach their final
glorious destination (1:11). In this way the coming Day of the Lord (3:12) provides an incentive for moral behavior (3:14).
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Conversely the eschatological skepticism of the false teachers proved that, although they identified themselves with Christianity (2:1, 20—21), they had never truly experienced salvation (2:22). Their bold, arrogant words, their attack on apostolic doctrine, and their lack of Christian virtue marked them as those fitted only for destruction (2:3). Again, as in other passages in the NT (e.g., 1 Cor 15:12; 2 Thess 3:6, 11; 2 Tim 2:18), this shows that deficiencies in doctrine—in the present case, eschatology—have important practical ramifications. Right belief thus is an essential foundation for proper practice, and Christians ought to live in the light of Christ's return.

Apostolic Eyewitness Testimony versus Heresy
Another distinctive emphasis in 2 Peter is the importance of apostolic eyewitness testimony against heresy with its reliance on human reasoning and fabricated arguments. This is borne out by the presence of two particular word groups in 2 Peter. The first is represented by the noun “eyewitness”
(epoptēs)
in 1:16, which occurs only here in the NT, though see “eyewitness”
(autoptēs)
in Luke 1:2; the verb “to witness”
(epopteuō)
occurs only in 1 Peter in the NT (1 Pet 2:12; 3:2). The second is represented by the Greek word
hairesis
(the etymological root for the English word “heresy”), which can mean “sect” or “party,” such as Sadducees (Acts 5:17); Pharisees (Acts 15:5; 26:5); “the Nazarenes” or “the Way,” that is, Christians (Acts 24:5,14; 28:22). It can also mean “faction” or “division” (1 Cor 11:19; Gal 5:20), or “heresy” (2 Pet 2:1). Peter's letter revolves around this contrast between “eyewitness” testimony and destructive “heresies” .

Against allegations from his opponents, Peter asserted that he (unlike them) did not follow “cleverly contributed myths” in his preaching of the Second Coming; instead, “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (1:16). He proceeded to recount his eyewitness recollection of Jesus’ transfiguration, which included hearing the divine voice from heaven utter the words, “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in him!” (1:17-18; see Matt 17:5 and parallels). This meant that Peter's message was authoritative because it was based on what really happened (similarly, 1 John 1:1-4; see 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; 2Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14), which was contrary to the false teachers’ message that they fabricated and that was not based on actual fact (2:1-3; 3:4).

The point made in 1:19—21 is, therefore, that Peter's witness of the glorified Christ formed a strong basis for his witness to the expectation of the return of Christ in his glory at the end of time. In this, the apostle was allied with the OT prophets, and in his testimony “the prophetic word [was] strongly confirmed” (1:19). The witness of the OT prophets had not been self-induced but had been God given and Spirit inspired (1:20—21). Likewise, Peter's witness was based on what God had done, and was going to do, in Christ. This underscores the crucial importance of relying on OT and NT Scripture in one's
expectations of the end, and in particular Christ's return. It also inspires confidence in the accuracy and trustworthiness of the apostolic witness handed down to us in Scripture. Based on this sure foundation, believers can zealously pursue Christian virtues in order to be ready for Christ when he returns.

The Letter of Jude

INTRODUCTION

W
HILE A FEW decades ago Jude could still be called “the most neglected book of the New Testament,” this short letter, placed in the canon last among the General Epistles and prior to the book of Revelation, has received considerable attention in recent years.
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In contemporary preaching, however, Jude continues to suffer neglect. Apart from the phrase “the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (v. 3), it is only the concluding doxology (vv. 24—25), albeit without reference to its context in Jude, that is a regular part of the church's worship.