Theme: REMEMBER THE GOSPEL!

2nd Peter represents the Apostle Peter’s 2nd epistle. Written shortly after the first, the distinguishing mark of this letter is not only its focus on the gospel, but its efficient and effective presentation. In this respect, Peter does two things. First, he reminds us of what the (true) gospel teaches (1:1-15), then he provides us with those reasons we should not only remember what this gospel teaches, but also why it is important that we are growing strong in our commitment to its truths (1:16-3:18).

1. What Peter reminds us is the true/saving gospel message (1:1-15):

1.1. Through faith in the righteousness of Christ we GAIN a justified state (or “standing”) with God (i.e. forgiveness from the eternal penalty of sin) (1:1-2).

1.2.  Through faith in Christ we also GAIN a glorified/exalted state (or “standing”) before God (i.e. empowerment for godly living, the promise of eternal life and freedom from the bondage to sin) (3-4: TRANSLATION = YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!).

1.3. Though we have GAINED a justified and glorified state through faith in Christ, we MUST MAINTAIN this state/standing through faithfulness (1:5a – “make every effort to supplement [giving all diligence add to – KJV] your faith”).

1.4. Such maintaining should not surprise us given the reason God justified/glorified us, as well as the commitment we made in order to gain that justification (1:5a – “For this very reason…”).

1.5. Faithful maintaining looks like growing in those areas/attributes of obedience God commands in His Word (5b-8 – “virtue” = faithfulness to God’s Law. All the remaining areas/attributes function as the means to accomplishing this first area/attribute; CONTRA E.G. “Christian growth does not involve becoming stronger and stronger, more and more competent every day. It involves becoming more and more aware of how weak and incompetent we are and how strong and competent Jesus was and continues to be for us. I’m not saying the Christian life is effortless; the real question is Where are we focusing our efforts? Are we working hard to perform? Or are we working hard to rest in Christ’s performance for us?” – Tullian Tchividjian [One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World; Jesus + Nothing = Everything]).

1.6. Failing to maintain means losing what we gained (1:9).

1.7. Faithfulness in maintaining what we have gained will mean salvation (i.e. Faith + Faithfulness = Salvation NOT Faith + Nothing = Salvation) (1:10-11).

1.8. Peter thought it was incredibly important to remind believers of these specific “qualities” (G&M) of the true/saving gospel message (1:12-15).

2. Why Peter thought it was so important to not only remind believers of this gospel (of G&M) but see that they were growing strong in their commitment to its truths (1:16-3:18):

2.1. B/C the gospel (of G&M) is not the invention of men, but the message of both Christ (whom God Himself affirmed) and the OT Scriptures (1:16-21).

(16) “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths” = A gospel message which sounds right or seems to make sense but lacks Divine and Scriptural support/authority. “when we (“rather/instead” – avlla) made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty…(17) when He received glory (or affirmation) from God the Father…(18) we ourselves heard this” = This is where Peter got his gospel. It was the message of God’s powerful Son at His coming. It was also a message supported by (and consistent w/) the written (and inspired) Word of God. (19a) “And we have something more sure [i.e. reliable], the prophetic word…the (20) prophecy of Scripture not from someone’s interpretation…nor (21) produced by the will of man,

Theme: REMEMBER THE GOSPEL!

2nd Peter represents the Apostle Peter’s 2nd epistle. Written shortly after the first, the distinguishing mark of this letter is not only its focus on the gospel, but its efficient and effective presentation. In this respect, Peter does two things. First, he reminds us of what the (true) gospel teaches (1:1-5), then he provides us with those reasons we should not only remember what this gospel teaches, but also why it is important that we are growing strong in our commitment to its truths (1:16-3:18).

1. What Peter reminds us is the true/saving gospel message (1:1-15):

1.1. Through faith in the righteousness of Christ we GAIN a justified state (or “standing”) with God (i.e. forgiveness from the eternal penalty of sin) (1-2).

1.2.  Through faith in Christ we also GAIN a glorified/exalted state (or “standing”) before God (i.e. empowerment for godly living, the promise of eternal life and freedom from the bondage to sin) (3-4: TRANSLATION = YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!).

1.3. Though we have GAINED a justified and glorified state through faith in Christ, we MUST MAINTAIN this state/standing through faithfulness (5a – “make every effort to supplement [giving all diligence add to – KJV] your faith”).

1.4. Such maintaining should not surprise us given the reason God justified/glorified us, as well as the commitment we made in order to gain that justification.

(5a) “For this very reason” = The basis of our maintaining is established in God’s purpose for setting us free from the penalty and power of sin (3-4 = It was so that (again) “we might become partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” -i.e.  that we could (and would) live faithfully unto His Law (the opposite of sinful desire – 1Jo 3:4) and be worthy of inheriting the heavenly (or divine) nature of the world to come (1Jo 3:1-10; 1Co 15:40-49; Luk 20:35; 2Th 1:5-11). IOW: We were justified/glorified for the purpose of maintaining what we (so graciously) gained! This (too) according to Peter’s 1st epistle, is the commitment we made in order to receive God’s saving gift (1Pe 1:14-25 = We were “ransomed with the precious blood of Christ” [18-19] for the purpose of being “holy” [14-17 – i.e. faithful, careful obedience to God’s Law – Deu 32:51], and escaping the “futile ways inherited by our forefathers” [18 – i.e. the sinful lifestyle of our pagan ancestors] “since” this was the pre-requisite to being “purified” or justified – i.e. we must commit in “obedience to the truth”, to obey the “living and abiding Word of God” [22-23a, see also verse 1]; also to being “born again” or baptized [23b, 3:21 w/Joh 3:1-5]. Abiding in faithfulness to God’s Word/Law is the only thing that will [like itself] cause us to “remain forever” [25a]. IOW: what we gained in our baptism/new birth needs to be maintained if we want to go to heaven. This then will always be a part of the “good news” message “preached” if it is the true and saving gospel we have received [25b]). As such, it sb no shocker (then) to hear that maintaining (in faithfulness) what we gained is what God expects from us. It certainly wasn’t for those Peter was writing to in either epistle.

1.5. Faithful maintaining looks like growing in those areas/attributes of obedience God commands in His Word (5b-8: “virtue” = faithfulness to God’s Law. All the remaining areas/attributes function as the means to accomplishing this first area/attribute).

1.6. Failing to maintain means losing what we gained.

(9) “blind” = Spiritual blindness in relation to salvation (Isa 59:10-11); “forgotten” = Left behind (vs. unable to remember; Eze 23:35; also Eze 18:24). Nearsighted blindness and forgotten cleansing are both metaphors meant to refer to loss of a person’s justified state/right standing with God; that they have been blotted out of His book of life as the consequence of their ...

9.4. All Oaths Include The Judgment Of God (33-37)

9.4.1. Injunction #4: (33) “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old” = (As discussed), this phrase represents the beginning of an ancient rabbinic formula used to signal that the customary view (regarding a particular law/injunction) was about to be challenged as false or deficient. In this case, the injunction under question is “’You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’” = Though not an exact rendering of any one text, many places in the OT contain similar language (ml a combination of Lev 19:12 and Deu 23:21). At face value (then) this longstanding saying (i.e. “said to those of old”) not only serves as an  accurate summary of what God had said to His people regarding vows/oaths but also the way to avoid breaking the 3rd commandment (Exo 20:7 – “You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain”). In other words, to swear falsely (i.e. fail to keep an oath/promise) to the Lord is the way a person becomes guilty of profaning the Lord’s name/breaking the 3rd commandment. Not a capital crime, but a sin which carried both penalty and Divine curse (Consider again Exo 20:7 – “For the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”; Deu 23:21 – “For the Lord will surely require it of you, you will be guilty of sin”). Such consequences are by nature, built in to the concept of oath-taking – especially as it relates to invoking the name of the Lord[1]. Into this light then, comes the customary view. According to its proponents, such foreboding consequences applied only to those oaths/vows that were directly “sworn…to the Lord”. In such cases, the obligation to “perform to the Lord what you have sworn (to the Lord)” must be strictly and stringently followed. When however, someone/something else was substituted in the place of the Lord, not only were those persons exempt from such penalties, but also any obligation. A promise in someone/something else’s name was not truly binding[2].

So then, when the Jews of Jesus’ day (and even “those of old”) heard the injunction to “not swear falsely”, they understood it as exclusive to those vows taken in God’s name. The sincerity or commitment to fulfillment in relation to all other oaths/vows/promises was completely optional – and therefore never open to the charge of swearing falsely (Mat 23:16-18)[3].

9.4.2. Jesus’ response: (34) “But I say to you (that)” = More than a simple adversative, this too was a key piece of the rabbinic formula of challenge/correction (“You have heard it said” followed by “But I say to you”). More importantly however, it signaled that the one speaking was doing so from a place of divine authority. Not in the sense – that they themselves were divine (though in this case that would also be true), but rather by proxy. In other words, that the authority on which such corrections were being made was the Word of God itself. As such, they came with the purpose of restoring (not destroying) the Law. This (then) was also the purpose of Jesus – restoring the Law to its original intent or ideal design (consistent w/His declaration in Mat 5:17-20).

9.4.3. His corrective (and restorative) instruction: (34) “Do not take an oath at all” = Though at first glance, it seems as if Jesus is prohibiting oaths altogether, this proves false based on the following:

9.4.3.1. God required oaths in relation to certain things (e.g. Exo 22:10-11; Num 5:12-22)

9.4.3.2. Paul is frequently found taking oaths in his letters (e.g. Rom 1:9; 2Co 1:16-23; Gal 1:20; Phi 1:8; 1Th 2:5, 5:27)

9.4.3.3. Jesus prescribes an oath as His final instruction in this text  (Mat 5:37 – “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’[nai. nai, = Lit. ‘yes-yes’] or ‘No’ [ou’ ou; = Lit. ‘no-no’]” = Repeat affirmation/denial was considered swearing...

9. Consistent with His stated intention of upholding the Law (17-20), Jesus reveals that the customary understanding of six biblical injunctions is inadequate or false and seeks to correct them[1]

9.1. Murder Includes Unrighteous And Unresolved Displays Of Anger Toward A Covenant Brother Or Sister (21-26)

The capital crime of murder is to also be applied to those who are found guilty of displaying unresolved, unrighteous forms of anger (incl. unwarranted/abusive speech) in relation to their covenant brothers/sisters.

9.2. Adultery Includes Sexual Acts Expressed By Those Married[2] Toward Someone Other Than Their Spouse (27-30)

The capital crime of adultery is to also be applied to those who are found guilty of looked upon the nakedness (i.e. naked breast[female], buttocks and genitals) of someone other than their spouse for sexual gratification[3] or have sexually gratified themselves (masturbated) in relation to that individual.

9.3. Divorce Is Permissible Only In Cases Of Sexual Immorality (31-32)

9.3.1. Injunction #3: (31) “It was also said” = This statement is meant to indicate a connection between the previous injunction (adultery) and the present injunction regarding divorce (i.e. both are concerned/connected to the institution of marriage). Like its predecessors (21, 27), Jesus’ words (here) also indicate that the customary view is about to be challenged as false or deficient. And as before, Jesus begins by citing the particular injunction under question. “’Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce’” = This is a paraphrase of (Deu 24:1). To be clear, the legitimacy of divorce as a necessary form of justice in the right circumstances, is not the issue in contention. Both Jesus and the Jews agreed on this. Both were serving a divorced God (Isa 50:1; Jer 3:1, 8)! Where then, Jesus took issue was as to the grounds of divorce (i.e. what qualifies as “indecency”?). Though there were different schools of thought as to how the word should be interpreted, the majority position or customary view of Jesus’ day (i.e. that taught by the Pharisees, the major influencers of Jewish pop-culture in the 1st century) allowed for any cause (Mat 19:3)[4]. This essentially represents the current legal position in the United States[5].

9.3.2. Jesus’ response: (32) “But I say to you (that)” = Jesus continues to use the rabbinic formula of challenge/correction (“You have heard it said/It was also said” followed by “But I say to you”). By so doing however, what Jesus does not do, is place Himself above/outside the Law. In other words, His response (and subsequent correction) is not meant to be taken as a replacement/usurping of the Law itself. No God-respecting Jew would have listened to such a person (since such is the identity of the false teacher – Deu 12:32-13:3). Rather, in accordance w/His promise to “fulfill” the Law, Jesus’ aim is one of restoration; bringing the Law back to its original intent or ideal design.

9.3.3. His corrective instruction: (32) “everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” = God no longer recognizes as legitimate any divorce which does not have as its reason, “sexual immorality” (pornei,a =  a term used in the first century to refer to any/all extra-marital sexual activity -e.g. kissing, fondling, masturbation, oral sex, intercourse, viewing pornography, illicit nakedness, illicit sexual thoughts or conversations, etc.[6]).

Any marriage dissolved w/o this as it grounds, is therefore seen by God as still intact. In other words, though they may be viewed as divorced by society,