Introduction to 2 Peter

There are basically two sources of danger for the church.  In First Peter the danger of external persecution was the main focus.  In Second Peter the danger of internal corruption becomes the focus.  The point is that the true church is almost always under one of these two attacks if not both of them.  Peter is coming to the close of his life and ministry he is most likely in Rome suffering under the persecution of Nero and would soon be crucified.  But before he dies he wants to remind his readers to stand firm in their faith in the face of false teachings in light of future judgment.  Each chapter of this powerful book deals with one of those three themes.  We must be careful to not be deceived by those who desire to destroy our faith or distract us from the purpose for which we have been called to be a part of God’s family.

FIRM FAITH: The supernatural power of God and the precious promises of Scripture provide us will all of the resources that we need in order to have a firm faith.  In Christ we have become partakers of the Divine nature and the Holy Spirit equips us to be able to face any circumstance of this life.  Our faith will only be firm if we recognize and live in light of our dependence on the Lord.  However, dependence of God is not a synonym for negligence of our responsibilities.  We are called to be diligent in seeking to grow our faith by perusing eternal values, Christ like character and biblical relationships.  The result of this diligent pursuit will be a faith that is fruitful in our efforts to live for God, mindful of the sacrifice that Christ has made on our behalf, faithful in our walk with God and richly rewarded when we enter the kingdom of our Lord.  Peter considers these benefits to be of such great importance that he has dedicated his life to establishing his disciples in this truth and wants to do all that he can to remind the church of these truths long after he has gone.  The reason that Peter is so committed to this ministry is his conviction of the truth of his teaching.  He is not propagating an invented message but is teaching what he personally heard from Christ, saw in Christ and was in accordance with the teaching of Scripture.

FALSE TEACHING: Unfortunately, there were other kinds of teachers in the midst of the church that were not as dedicated or as ethical as Peter.  They were false teachers who were bringing into the church all kinds of destructive doctrines that were not to be found in Scripture.  They deny Christ and seek to promote themselves instead of the truth and are motivated by personal gain as opposed to God’s glory.  Unfortunately, many are deceived by this way of teaching.  Peter makes it very clear that these false teachers will face a disastrous destiny when they stand before God.  God has judged the world in the past and He will judge it again in the future.  God is able to separate the just from the unjust as He did with Lot in Sodom.  But He is not in the least bit squeamish when it comes to judging the wicked and the blasphemers who make light of godly truth that they do not understand.  The problem is that these wicked false teachers are like wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They are in the midst of the church and pawn themselves off as ministers of the Gospel.  In reality these men are like warts that must simply be removed.  They deceive and destroy all that are in their path.  Those who follow them are enslaved to sin and would have been better off to never have been exposed to the teaching of Scripture than to have been exposed and then distracted from the truth.  The church and every believer must be constantly on high alert so as to avoid being taken in by these dangerous and deceptive charlatans.   

FUTURE JUDGMENT: The key to resisting false teaching is to focus on the future judgments that will torment those who follow these false teachers.  We must recognize that these men will arise and be ready to identify them.  They will call into question the judgment of God and pretend that there will be no consequences to their actions or those who follow them.  However they ignore the judgment of God in the flood.  Peter warns us that just as the ancient world was destroyed by water; the present world will one day be judged by fire.  This judgment may take a long time to take place, but God is very patient and He is very merciful because He wants to give us time to repent of our sin and turn to Him.  However, His patience is not without end.  The Day of Judgment will come suddenly upon the earth and the fire of His wrath will consume all that exists.  The fact of this judgment ought to motivate us to life lives of holiness as well as dedication to the cause of Christ.  All of our comfortable homes, fancy cars and expensive toys are going to be fuel for the fire that God is preparing.  We must learn to live for that which is eternal.  We have an eternal promise and a living hope in the person of Christ.  Those who trust Him will live in His presence in perfect righteousness forever and ever.  We must be diligent to be holy in or actions, persistent in our study of Scripture and faithful to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.