Ch.1 – An Attack on the Basis of their Faith
Myth – Foundation – Denial of the Truth
Ch.2 – An Attack on their Behavior
Mistaken – Fidelity – Deception as to Truth
Ch.3 – An Attack on their Belief
Mockery – Future – Deriding the Truth
Time
Author – Peter; since Nero died in AD 68, it must have been prior to this. Peter speaks of shortly putting off his tabernacle, so perhaps between AD 65-67.
Atmosphere – 1 Peter was written because of external problems, but now heretics and apostasy have arisen from within the professing body of believers and Peter realizes how much more dangerous this is.
Audience – possibly wider than 1 Peter but would include Gentiles and Jews. “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you” (3:1) suggests a similar audience.
Area – Asia minor, but could be wider in scope and certainly comes down to us today.
Theme
Growth – “Add to your faith …” (1:5ff.) and then “Grow in grace …” (3:18). God is not looking for us to merely defend the truth but to grow in it ourselves.
Topics Addressed
- Encouraging Growth in Believers
- Establishing Their Confidence in the Word of God
- Enlightening Them as to Error of Apostates
- Explaining to Them the Longsuffering of God
Titles
- In 1 Peter it is Christ but in 2 Peter He is Lord (2:1; 3:9,15)
- Jesus Christ (1:1); Lord Jesus Christ (1:8,14,16)
- Savior 5x (1:1,11; 2:20; 3:2,18)
- After 1:1, never referred to without Lord being part of the title. Saviorhood and Lordship linked together.
- His Deity – “God, even our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:1). There are at least eight clear statements as to the deity of Christ in the NT (Joh 1:1; 20:28; Rom 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:8; Col 2:9; 1Jn 5:20; and here).
Threads
- The World – decaying, dark, defiled, doomed
- The Word of God (1:16-21; 2:1; 3:2,15-16)
- The Warnings (ch.1 – Bad Memories and Blind Eyes; ch.2 – Boastful Lips and Barren Lives; ch.3 – Bold Lips and Blighted Minds)
Terms Which Recur
- Diligence (1:10,15 – “endeavor”; 3:14; similar word in 3:12 – “hasting”)
- Knowledge or full knowledge (1:2,3,8; 2:20,21; know or knowledge occurs 16x; grace only occurs 2x; in 1 Peter grace is 10x and knowledge only once or twice)
- Godliness (1:3,6,7; 3:11)
- Righteousness (1:1; 2:5,21; 3:13; also right/just in 1:13; 2:7,8)
- Reserved (2:4 – angels; 2:9 – the unjust; 2:17 – false prophets; 3:7 – heavens and earth)
- Glory (occurs 3x in ch.1)
- In ch.1 we have multiplication, addition, subtraction and division.
Technique
- In ch.1, Peter will encourage growth and show its profitability.
- In ch.2, he will demonstrate divine government and show its inevitability.
- In ch.3, he will reveal divine glory and show its certainty.
Teaching of the Epistle
- The Rich Provision for Growth (ch.1)
- The Righteous Government of God (ch.2)
- The Radiant Prospect of Glory (ch.3)
- Fruitfulness and Faith in the Word of God (ch.1)
- False Teachers and Fidelity of Saints (ch.2)
- Focus and the Future (ch.3)
- Three Legacies – Given Three Things (ch.1)
- Three Lives: Noah, Lot, Balaam (ch.2)
- Three Looks (ch.3)
