2 Peter 3:8-9 features in the debate over God’s sovereignty and human free will. While this verse does not settle the debate, understanding what Peter means in context teaches us a lot about both good Bible study and the issues in the debate.
Peter argues that more than anything else we need to find life through forgiveness and to find fulfillment through righteousness. It is this hope that he wants us to remember such that we let it change our lives today.
Peter warns that the false teachers are like springs without water, promising freedom but delivering destruction and he warns his readers not be deceived by their empty promises.
The coming judgment of God is not a popular topic today. We prefer to emphasize God’s love instead. Yet Peter thought judgment was important enough to include in his final letter, so that would remember it long after he is gone.
Peter asserts the gospel is not a clever philosophy but divine revelation from God. Which presents us with a choice about how we understand the Bible.
In 2 Peter 1:5-11, Peter explains the connection between believing the gospel and pursuing a lifestyle of godliness. When we come to believe the gospel, these qualities follow. In last week’s podcast, we defined the first 5 terms on the list. In this podcast we’ll finish the list and cover Peter’s conclusion that our lives as believers will be marked by these growing qualities.
In 2 Peter 1:5-11, Peter is explaining the connection between believing the gospel and pursuing a lifestyle of godliness. I argued in the previous podcast that these qualities are NOT the cause of spiritual maturity, rather they RESULT from spiritual maturity. When we come to believe the gospel, these qualities follow. In this podcast we’ll define each term in the list and discuss why Peter includes it and how it results from faith.
To understand 2 Peter 1:5-11, we need to know that: 1)Peter is speaking to churches who are bewitched by false teachers who are encouraging them to pursue greed and sensuality; 2)Believing the gospel includes a change in lifestyle.
Simon Peter served as an apostle of Jesus Christ for 3 or 4 decades. As his earthly life drew to a close, Peter wrote his second letter to encourage and admonish the churches. What truths did he think were so important that he had to make sure he wrote them down before he died? Peter strongly emphasizes our future hope and the return of Christ. Our future hope is more than living forever: it concerns being freed from sin and death and sharing the holiness of God.
A comparison of 2Peter and the Epistle of Jude (offered to help you study both books).
Krisan Marotta is a Bible teacher and host of Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.