Second Peter was written to warn the believers about the threat against the Church from inside the church, the false teachers, and the false teachings.
2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
He says Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. He introduces himself as a DOULOS, a slave, and he also tells them that he's an apostle. That puts him in high ranking in the church. So, this comes from one of the original people who have been with the Lord.
To them that have obtained like precious faith with us. He's writing to believing Jews. But he's telling them, writing to you who have obtained like precious faith with us. The word precious in the Greek text (ISOTIMON) is the word valuable. Peter is saying that every believer, when they receive Christ, they receive the same valuable faith as Peter and the others.
It's not a lower faith. It's not a lower version of Christianity. It is a like precious faith. He's using the term faith to describe the Christian life. It's not just something that a Christian lives by. In fact, in the book of Acts, it was said that those who follow Jesus Christ were of the faith. They followed the persuasion of God's Spirit, which is what faith means. Believers follow the persuasion of God's Spirit, and they follow the Lord, but you can't see Him. So, they called the people "of the faith," or literally of the persuasion.
What Peter is trying to do is to say this is actual participation with, and interaction with the very divine nature of God Himself in all of His fullness. And that's what he's calling "like precious faith." What is the Christian faith according to Peter? It is somebody who participates in their inner man with the divine nature of God, nothing less. It's not religious!
Then we have in Verses 5 through 7, the participation in the spiritual growth process. And again, this is a participation. We'll see here soon that there are two kinds of Christians. There's one that's participating with the growth process, and there's one who has forgotten that he's been forgiven for his sins and doesn't see the need.
Now here's where we get into the tricky part, and I'll share with you the details so that you will have this information, so that when you re-read it in the English text, you'll know what it's really saying in the original language.
First of all, this section, Verses 5, 6 and 7, there are seven stages of growth. Next, all of these stages of growth are based on Verse 4. That's why it says what it does in Verse 5. There's a lot packed into Verse 5 so I will go over that tomorrow, Lord willing!
2 Peter 1:4 - Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these, and here's the line: you might become partakers of the divine nature. The first thing a believer is, and we call it saved, we call it received Christ, we call it born again, but a person who is saved is someone who has become a partaker of the divine nature of God Himself, His qualities, His virtue, and His glory.
Now I like the way Peter says it because our terms are kind of loose and religious. "Have you believed in the Lord? Have you received Him?" and whatever these phrases mean to people. But Peter gets right down to the nitty-gritty. Like Paul says, if you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to Christ. That's the nitty-gritty. Are you participating and interacting with Him?
That's what it means to be a Christian. It doesn't mean to be part of a religious system called Christianity. It means to be partakers of the divine nature. And Peter is emphasizing the divine nature, His very qualities, His morality, His holiness, and His glory. I am interacting. I am participating with the divine nature of God. That's who a believer is according to the bible.
And then it says after having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. That's called an Aorist Participle. I have become a partaker of the divine nature, after I was saved from the corruption that's in the world that is produced in lust. God delivered me from that. God put His Spirit into my spirit. He has sealed me with His Spirit to belong to Him forever.
2 Peter 1:3 - According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Peter says according as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. So, this little phrase or parenthesis, and he's going to get to the main point here in a moment, but God's divine power gives to us all things pertaining to life and Godliness. We have everything. We lack nothing. Godliness means reverence.
Secondly, this all comes to us through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. Now the phrase "to glory and virtue," there are some Greek manuscript differences. And the manuscript that I am working out of (the Textus Receptus), it doesn't say to glory and virtue, it's basically of glory and virtue.
He's not calling us to it. In fact, the oldest manuscripts have the additional words "His own." He has called us of His own glory and virtue, it is not ours. Divine power, the virtue and glory that belongs to God, He has called us to that, and in it.
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
Grace, and literally since the word multiplied is what is called the Optative Mood (a wish), it should read may grace and peace be multiplied unto you through, or in the full knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, indicating one person.
But it is interesting that he was praying for grace and peace to be multiplied to them, but this grace and peace is multiplied in coming to know the full knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. And so, the more we learn, if we're learning properly from the scriptures, grace will increase, the peace of the Lord will increase, the more accurately we learn about Christ.
Please remember the term faith, a like precious faith. When we get into the second phase of the Christian life which is the growth process in Verse 5, he's going to make reference back to the phrase faith in Verse 1.
The first 11 verses of 2 Peter Chapter 1 is the most difficult Greek in the whole bible. There are catch phrases all through the first 11 verses. And if you are not able to read the Greek text, these first 11 verses will minister to you, but you'll miss the whole point of the purpose and the teaching of what he's trying to say.
As I go through this, I'm going to mention these catch phrases, and mention to you the manner in which these 11 verses are written so you can benefit from these 11 verses from now on whenever you read them. Verses 3 through 11 are the phases of the Christian faith. And there are three phases that a true genuine born-again believer participates in.
Peter emphasizes participation. A genuine believer, someone born of the Spirit of God, is participating with God in three areas. The first one is in Verses 3 and 4, the participation with the divine nature. That's a different phrase. It's speaking of the Spirit of Christ, but Peter uses different terminology.
(2 Peter Part 1):
Second Peter was written to warn the believers about the threat against the Church from inside the church, the false teachers, and the false teachings.
2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
He says Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. He introduces himself as a DOULOS, a slave, and he also tells them that he's an apostle. That puts him in high ranking in the church. So, this comes from one of the original people who have been with the Lord.
To them that have obtained like precious faith with us. He's writing to believing Jews. But he's telling them, writing to you who have obtained like precious faith with us. The word precious in the Greek text (ISOTIMON) is the word valuable. Peter is saying that every believer, when they receive Christ, they receive the same valuable faith as Peter and the others.
It's not a lower faith. It's not a lower version of Christianity. It is a like precious faith. He's using the term faith to describe the Christian life. It's not just something that a Christian lives by. In fact, in the book of Acts, it was said that those who follow Jesus Christ were of the faith. They followed the persuasion of God's Spirit, which is what faith means. Believers follow the persuasion of God's Spirit, and they follow the Lord, but you can't see Him. So, they called the people "of the faith," or literally of the persuasion.
What Peter is trying to do is to say this is actual participation with, and interaction with the very divine nature of God Himself in all of His fullness. And that's what he's calling "like precious faith." What is the Christian faith according to Peter? It is somebody who participates in their inner man with the divine nature of God, nothing less. It's not religious!
Then we have in Verses 5 through 7, the participation in the spiritual growth process. And again, this is a participation. We'll see here soon that there are two kinds of Christians. There's one that's participating with the growth process, and there's one who has forgotten that he's been forgiven for his sins and doesn't see the need.
Now here's where we get into the tricky part, and I'll share with you the details so that you will have this information, so that when you re-read it in the English text, you'll know what it's really saying in the original language.
First of all, this section, Verses 5, 6 and 7, there are seven stages of growth. Next, all of these stages of growth are based on Verse 4. That's why it says what it does in Verse 5. There's a lot packed into Verse 5 so I will go over that tomorrow, Lord willing!
2 Peter 1:4 - Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these, and here's the line: you might become partakers of the divine nature. The first thing a believer is, and we call it saved, we call it received Christ, we call it born again, but a person who is saved is someone who has become a partaker of the divine nature of God Himself, His qualities, His virtue, and His glory.
Now I like the way Peter says it because our terms are kind of loose and religious. "Have you believed in the Lord? Have you received Him?" and whatever these phrases mean to people. But Peter gets right down to the nitty-gritty. Like Paul says, if you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to Christ. That's the nitty-gritty. Are you participating and interacting with Him?
That's what it means to be a Christian. It doesn't mean to be part of a religious system called Christianity. It means to be partakers of the divine nature. And Peter is emphasizing the divine nature, His very qualities, His morality, His holiness, and His glory. I am interacting. I am participating with the divine nature of God. That's who a believer is according to the bible.
And then it says after having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. That's called an Aorist Participle. I have become a partaker of the divine nature, after I was saved from the corruption that's in the world that is produced in lust. God delivered me from that. God put His Spirit into my spirit. He has sealed me with His Spirit to belong to Him forever.
2 Peter 1:3 - According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Peter says according as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. So, this little phrase or parenthesis, and he's going to get to the main point here in a moment, but God's divine power gives to us all things pertaining to life and Godliness. We have everything. We lack nothing. Godliness means reverence.
Secondly, this all comes to us through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. Now the phrase "to glory and virtue," there are some Greek manuscript differences. And the manuscript that I am working out of (the Textus Receptus), it doesn't say to glory and virtue, it's basically of glory and virtue.
He's not calling us to it. In fact, the oldest manuscripts have the additional words "His own." He has called us of His own glory and virtue, it is not ours. Divine power, the virtue and glory that belongs to God, He has called us to that, and in it.
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
Grace, and literally since the word multiplied is what is called the Optative Mood (a wish), it should read may grace and peace be multiplied unto you through, or in the full knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, indicating one person.
But it is interesting that he was praying for grace and peace to be multiplied to them, but this grace and peace is multiplied in coming to know the full knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. And so, the more we learn, if we're learning properly from the scriptures, grace will increase, the peace of the Lord will increase, the more accurately we learn about Christ.
Please remember the term faith, a like precious faith. When we get into the second phase of the Christian life which is the growth process in Verse 5, he's going to make reference back to the phrase faith in Verse 1.
The first 11 verses of 2 Peter Chapter 1 is the most difficult Greek in the whole bible. There are catch phrases all through the first 11 verses. And if you are not able to read the Greek text, these first 11 verses will minister to you, but you'll miss the whole point of the purpose and the teaching of what he's trying to say.
As I go through this, I'm going to mention these catch phrases, and mention to you the manner in which these 11 verses are written so you can benefit from these 11 verses from now on whenever you read them. Verses 3 through 11 are the phases of the Christian faith. And there are three phases that a true genuine born-again believer participates in.
Peter emphasizes participation. A genuine believer, someone born of the Spirit of God, is participating with God in three areas. The first one is in Verses 3 and 4, the participation with the divine nature. That's a different phrase. It's speaking of the Spirit of Christ, but Peter uses different terminology.
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