1:1 SIMON PETER: Certain Greek texts employ the name Symeon here
rather than Simon. Symeon is Peter's Hebrew name and the one by which he
was addressed by his associates (See Acts 15:14). Its use here would suggest
Peter is thinking of his old unredeemed life (Symeon) and his new life in
Christ under the name the Lord gave him, Peter. This would fit the theme
of this letter which moves on from salvation, the theme of the first
letter, to sanctification, the growth of a Christian into maturity.
Perhaps the terms BONDSERVANT and APOSTLE reflect the same progression.
Already Peter is laying the groundwork for his primary emphasis in this
letter---that Christians should "grow in the grace and knowledge of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (3:18). This is what he himself
had to do as a disciple of Jesus and it is expected of all disciples. He
began as a bondservant of Christ, as all Christians are, and as he
grew in faith and knowledge he was given a calling---that of an apostle.
With this term (found also in the first letter) Peter identifies himself
as an authorized spokesman for the truth which Jesus proclaimed. In vv.
1-4 he describes the resources his readers possess which will make growth
in grace and knowledge possible. His apostleship is the first of these.
They have a reliable instructor in the things of Christ---one of His chosen
apostles!
1:1 LIKE PRECIOUS FAITH: This v. and 3:1 are the only clues in the
letter as to who his readers may be. Some suggest this phrase identifies
them as Gentiles, sharing the same faith as Peter and the Jewish disciples.
Chapter two, with its vivid description of the licentious lifestyle of certain
false teachers, does suggest a pagan (i.e. Gentile) background. The phrase
could also mean a faith of equal worth with that of the apostles. The point
Peter is stressing is that they do not come behind anyone in the value of
their faith. God is no respecter of persons. Whoever has faith in Him has
equal standing and equal access with any other believer. It is the second
great resource which his readers possess. It was obtained when they were
given the gift of righteousness ( i.e. justification) from our God and Saviour
Jesus Christ. The righteousness believers are given is the righteousness
of Christ himself. The full title of deity given here to Jesus reflects
Peter's great confession in John 6:69,"You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God!"
1:2-3 GRACE AND PEACE: Though this is a common Christian greeting
in many epistles, combining the Greek and Hebrew salutations, yet it means
more than that to Peter for he sees these blessings as springing from the
knowledge of God and of Jesus. Since that knowledge is a growing thing,
grace and peace are said to be multiplied, i.e. experienced many
times. The more we grow in Jesus the more grace and peace we shall know.
There is thus a parallelism between grace and peace and the all
things that pertain to life and godliness mentioned in v. 3. These all
things also flow from the knowledge of Him who called us. It is clear
that knowledge is a key word in this epistle. It is the Greek term epignosis
which appears also in 1:8 and 2:20. 1:5 and 3:18 employ the simple
form gnosis. Both describe knowledge, but epignosis
is a fuller and deeper knowledge than gnosis.
1:3 DIVINE POWER: This is another key word of the epistle. It ties
to 1:16 where the two major themes of the letter appear: the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul identifies this as "the power of his
resurrection" (Phil. 3:10). It is a power which all true believers
possess which enables them, if they choose to count on it, to do "all
things through Christ who strengthens" (Phil. 4:13). Thus any failure
to live a godly life is due to our weakness or folly and not to God's lack
of supply. As has been suggested, this power is meted to us as our knowledge
of God and Jesus increases. This is the third of the resources for godly
living which Peter lists.
1:3 BY GLORY AND VIRTUE: These words suggest the means by which the
divine call is exercised in our lives. They refer to the qualities in Jesus
which attracts believers to him. The glory (doxa) which John
saw in Jesus (John 1:14) was his authority and power; that which Peter saw
probably refers to the Transfiguration, described in 16-18. Jesus' virtue
(arete) is that moral excellence which so continually awed
his disciples.
1:4 GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: These promises are the offers of
divine provision found in the scriptures. They offer the glory and
virtue of Christ to us as the basis for a growing participation in
the divine nature. We have Him within us, as he promised, (John 14:23),
to enable us to become increasingly Christlike (2 Cor. 3:18). Because we
have become new creatures in Christ we have already escaped, by new birth,
the corruption (moral ruin) that is in the world through lust (perverted
desire). There only remains that we shall make this escape evident to all
by our changing behavior. It is clear from this verse that participation
in the divine nature is the starting point of Christian living, and not
its goal. This participation becomes more and more evident as we allow our
thinking to be renewed (Rom. 12:2) by understanding and appropriating the
great and precious promises found in the scriptures. These promises
are the fourth resource upon which believers may continually draw for
sustaining help.
1:5 ADD: The verb epichorego has a colorful and fascinating
history. In Greek drama the plays were put on by the combined effort of
a poet (who wrote the script); the state (which provided the theater); and
a wealthy individual called a choregos, who paid the expenses.
This called for a generous but sometimes costly effort on his part. In Peter's
view, God has written in the blood of Jesus the captivating script for a
Christian life; the world is the theater wherein it will be played out;
but the believer must cooperate by expending his diligent efforts to make
the script come alive in vivid display. This exhortation begins a section,
from 5-15, where Peter describes the responsibility which the believer's
resources create.
1:5 DILIGENCE: The noun here and the verbal form in v. 10 describe
a determined zeal which marks a daily goal. It is what Jesus asks for in
Matt. 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you."
1:5-7 FAITH, VIRTUE, etc.: Faith is the beginning point of this search
for excellence. Everywhere in the New Testament it marks the beginning of
the Christian life (See Acts 3:16, Rom. 3: 28 et al). Genuine faith results
in God's impartation of eternal life to a spiritually dead individual (See
Eph. 2:1). Having received that life the believer is now to add virtue.
This is the same word found in v. 3 as the character of Christ. It is
plain that a Christian cannot produce this from himself, but he adds it
only in the sense of choosing to act in such a way as to reflect the moral
excellence of Jesus who dwells within him. He chooses goodness rather than
corruption. To this must be added knowledge (gnosis)
i.e. practical wisdom, obtained by acting on the understanding which truth
imparts. Third in the list is self-control (enkrateia).
This means mastering one's moods, rather than being controlled by them.
The false teachers, whose views Peter is preparing to expose, believed that
knowledge freed them from the need to control their passions. But Peter
is showing that submission to Christ means evil moods can be rejected and
Christian character exhibited instead. The fourth quality, perseverance
(hupomone), naturally follows, for if one exercises self-control
he or she will not easily succumb to discouragement or the despair that
tempts one to quit. The habit of viewing all circumstances as coming from
a loving Father's hand who is in control of all events is the secret of
perseverance. To this (fifth) is to be added godliness (eusebeia).
The pagans used this word to describe a religious individual who kept in
close touch with the gods. But there is no sense of religiosity here but
of a continual awareness of God's presence affecting and governing every
aspect of life. It is never a burden to bear but a delight to enjoy, as
it was with Jesus. The sixth quality to be added, that of brotherly kindness
(philadelphia) is so closely linked with godliness
that 1 John 4:20 says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his
brother, he is a liar." As Jesus taught in John 15:12-17, love for
the brethren involves serving one another (laying down one's life); sharing
with one another, practically and intimately; and praying for one another.
It would be, He said, the mark of a true disciple. Such an attitude would
immediately reject any display of prejudice, class or race distinction,
or any form of exclusiveness or elitism in the Christian community. Finally,
the seventh quality to be manifested is love (agape).
This is God's kind of love in which the origin lies not in the one loved
but in the one who loves. God loves because He is love; we are to
love, because we are of God! It reaches beyond the Christian community to
love anyone, anywhere, manifesting itself by seeking that person's highest
good, even at cost to ourselves. It is not inconsistent with justice and
punishment but tempers these by aiming at redemption and renewed usefulness
if the recipient will permit.
1:8 BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL: The presence of the qualities listed above
marks a healthy Christian. The lack of them would suggest that though one
claims to have the knowledge (epignosis) of the Lord Jesus
something is terribly missing. Peter is thinking of the false teachers whose
lifestyle he will examine in chapter two. This v. parallels the teaching
of Heb. 6:7-8. A barren (indolent) and unfruitful (unproductive)
life, if continued, may be a sign of spiritual death.
1:9 BLINDNESS. . .FORGOTTEN: On the other hand, it may be a temporary
condition caused by two factors: blindness and forgetfulness. The
blindness is due to shortsightedness (muopazos, from
which we get myopia). A myopic person is one who sees only that which
is close at hand. Here it designates one who looks only at earthly and material
values and does not see spiritual realities. Concerned only with this present
life, he is blind to the things of God, and needs to return to the One who
says, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk
in darkness." Also he has forgotten the wonderful sense of cleansing
that was his when he first turned to Christ. That cleansing needs to be
renewed by confessing his present miserable condition and claiming again
the cleansing grace of God (I John 1:9). Temporary barrenness can be cured
if prompt action is taken.
1:10 CALL AND ELECTION: These two words, found frequently in the
N.T., are listed here in the order of a believer's experience. In reality
election comes first, consisting of God's sovereign choice of each
believer to be in Christ, which choosing was done before the foundation
of the world! (Eph. 1:4). God's call occurs in time, when He begins to draw
the individual to Christ by various experiences and contacts (See John 6:44,
Gal. 1:15). Peter here speaks of the individual's assurance of being
in Christ, as indicated by the middle voice of the verb "to make"
(poieisthai) coupled with the word "firm" (bebaian),
i.e. "to make firm to oneself." Doubts of one's election often
come from inconsistent behavior. When diligence is exercised to make the
walk agree with the talk, assurance of salvation increases, stumbling is
avoided, and God's elective call of the individual becomes visible to all.
1:11 ENTRANCE. . .ABUNDANTLY: Peter here distinguishes between a
just-barely-made-it entrance (which Paul describes in 1 Cor. 3:15), into
the eternal kingdom, i.e. heaven, and a richly abundant one like that of
an athlete returning in triumph to his home city. The parable of the talents
and other scriptures suggest that fruitful and faithful living in this life
is rewarded by greater opportunity for service in glory. Both the entrance
and the reward are gifts of a generous God who supplies according to his
sovereign choice.
1:12 TO REMIND YOU: Three times in vv. 12-15 the apostle speaks of
his desire to keep them reminded of the truth he has shared. To do otherwise,
he says, would be negligence on his part since even established Christians
can lose sight of the importance of pressing on to the end. Perhaps he is
thinking of his own wavering which led to a momentary denial of his Lord
even when he was most confident that he would never fail Him.
1:13-14 THIS TENT: As Peter writes he is conscious of the shortness
of time in the body which he has left. Paul also views his body as a tent
or tabernacle (2 Cor. 5:1) i.e. a temporary abode. Peter has never forgotten
that Jesus told him plainly that when he was old he would be taken captive
and put to death in an undesirable manner (John 21: 18-19). Now that he
is over 60 he feels he has little time left to arouse his readers to seize
their opportunity to display Christ while they can.
1:15 CAREFUL TO ENSURE: Several early church Fathers took these words
as Peter's promise to leave behind a testimony of truth for his readers,
which they felt referred to the Gospel of Mark. Irenaeus, early in the 2nd
century, wrote: "After their (i.e. Peter and Paul's) death Mark, the
disciple and interpreter of Peter, himself handed down to us in writing
the substance of Peter's preaching." This would fulfill Peter's urgent
sense of the need for a continuing reminder of all that he has said. He
describes his decease as an exodus or departure, the same word which Moses
and Elijah talked with Jesus about on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
1:16 CUNNINGLY DEVISED FABLES: These words give us some insight as
to what the false teachers whom Peter is confronting were saying about the
teaching that Jesus rose from the dead, was living within the believer by
the Holy Spirit, and is coming again to take his own to himself. They called
these concepts cunningly devised fables. But Peter counters this
with an eyewitness account. He had actually seen, he says, a foreview of
the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are the twin
themes of this letter: the power of Jesus available for holy living;
and the coming (parousia, presence) of Jesus as the
glowing hope of each believer, and the executor of God's promises of justice
and recompense.
1:17-18 A VOICE: Along with James and John, Peter heard the voice
of the Father during the Transfiguration scene, recorded in three gospels,
Matt., Mark and Luke. That voice conferred honor upon Jesus by identifying
him clearly as "My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," and
His glory was displayed in the garments shining with light. Thus
the apostolic witness to Jesus is established by three senses: they saw
the transfigured Lord; they heard the voice of the Father (and the conversation
with Moses and Elijah though Peter does not mention the latter here); and
they remembered the event as taking place on the holy mountain.
This grounds the event in history, and removes it from the realm of
myth or fable.
1:19 THE PROPHETIC WORD CONFIRMED: It is possible to read these words
as saying that the scriptures (the prophetic word) are confirmed
(made more sure) by such events as the Transfiguration. Since there is no
prediction of the Transfiguration in the Old Testament this seems hardly
likely, and the Jews always held the written word to be superior to any
experience. The words may be better taken as saying, "we have the prophetic
word as a surer confirmation." Strong as an eyewitness account may
be, there is even a stronger: the ancient written scriptures! They prove
even more trustworthy for they cast a light which shines like a lamp in
a murky place and will continue to do so till the day dawns and the morning
star rises (the parousia of Christ). See also Rom. 13:12-14.
1:20 ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION: Perhaps no phrase in scripture has
been more misunderstood than this. Many have taken it to mean (1) that no
individual Christian has the right to interpret prophecy for himself but
only the Church, or (2) no private interpretation of prophecy is any better
than any other person's interpretation. This has given rise to much confusion.
The problem is caused by the translation of epiluseos as "interpretation."
The noun only occurs here, but the verb form is found in Mk. 4:34 and Acts
19:39 where it clearly means to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. The
NKJV margin translation of origin is to be preferred since it gives
full meaning to v. 21. There is no private origin of scripture. The prophets
did not supply their own solutions or explanations of the mysteries of life,
but God spoke throgh them and He alone is responsible for such utterances.
1:21 NEVER CAME BY THE WILL OF MAN: Here it is clear that origin
is in view, not explanation. No mere man chose to utter his own thoughts
as though they were God's. On the contrary, God chose holy men to
be his spokesmen, who uttered thoughts given to them by the Holy Spirit.
They were moved (borne along) by the Holy Spirit. The metaphor is that of
a ship raising its sails into the wind and going in the direction the wind
blows. This may possibly reflect Peter's memory of Jesus' words to Nicodemus
in John 3:8. At any rate, vv. 16-21 provide a powerful introduction to chapter
two where Peter confronts directly the teaching and lifestyle of the false
teachers. They claimed Christian doctrine was based on myths and fables;
Peter says no, it was based on eyewitness experience. They claimed that
prophecy originated with the knowledge (gnosis) of the prophets.
No, says Peter, it originated with the Holy Spirit speaking through the
consciousness of holy men.
