In 1968, archaeologists excavated the site of a building that tradition identifies as Peter’s house in Capernaum. A church dating back to the fifth century A.D. had later been built there. They found evidence that the house, which dated back to the first century A.D., had been adapted for early church gatherings and included many prayers and inscriptions written on the walls. Peter was a real person, and he wrote two real letters that are part of our Bibles today. Second Peter was probably written from Rome in about 67 A.D., again to believers in western Asia (v. 1). The apostle might have been imprisoned at the time, since he was martyred around 68 A.D. We know this is his second letter because he said so directly (3:1). Its themes include growing in righteousness (chapter 1), false teachers (chapter 2), and the return of Christ (chapter 3). Peter’s opening words in this epistle remind us of the cherished gift of salvation: “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours” (vv. 1–2). The first thing the apostle wanted to tell his readers might come as a surprise: We have everything we need to live a godly life (v. 3). We know from 1 Peter that we’re on a journey. God is in the process of sanctifying us to be Christlike (Rom. 8:29). But we’re not there yet. So in what sense do we already have “everything we need”? We have God’s power on our side, and He’s called us to Himself as part of His glory and goodness. We see and experience this in “his very great and precious promises,” by which we have escaped sin and instead “participate in the divine nature”—a phrase expressing our salvation (v. 4). >> As we did with 1 Peter, we recommend beginning your study of 2 Peter by listening to the entire book using an audio Bible. Doing so will help you grasp its big picture.