In his first Letter, Peter writes to give encouragement to believers who were being severely tested because of their faith in the Lord Jesus. In his second letter, he writes to warn them about dangers that have come into the church which would increasingly impact the work and testimony of the Lord. It is because we are in constant need of this two-fold ministry of encouragement and warning that these letters are helpful today. This second letter was addressed to Jewish Christians in about AD 68, but the message is for every Christian in every age.
Notice that Peter introduces himself as “Simon Peter”. “Simon” was the name given to him at birth and at his circumcision; “Peter” was given to him at his rebirth and after his great declaration (Mt. 16:18). “Simon” speaks of the old, unregenerate man before he knew the Lord, but “Peter” speaks of the new, converted man. Only the miracle of conversion produces this transformation (2 Cor. 5:17), and as Christians we should be able to speak of an ‘old’ and a ‘new’ in our spiritual experience. Romans 1:16 is still true and this power transforms the sinner into a saint; it changes “Simon” into “Peter”.
In v. 1 Peter calls himself “a servant…of Jesus Christ”. The word for “servant” is “doulos” which means ‘a slave’. Peter describes himself as a slave of Christ, and every Christian should be just that! (Moses (Dt. 34:5; Ps. 105:26 and Mal. 4:4; Joshua (Jos. 24:19); David (2 Sam. 3:18 and Ps. 78:70); Paul (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1 and Titus 1:1); James (James 1:1); and Jude (Jude 1). To be a slave of the Lord means three things:
(A) Being possessed by the Lord. It means being His property, just as the slave in the ancient world belonged to his master.
(B) Being at the disposal of the Lord. Masters could do anything they chose with their slaves. This should be our attitude to our Master (2 Samuel 15:15).
(C) It involves absolute obedience to the Lord, best illustrated in the answer to the question of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9:6.
The slave of Jesus Christ gladly acknowledges that he is possessed by the Lord; he wants to be at His disposal, his one desire is to obey Him, and in all this he is motivated by love for the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:14).
Peter describes himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. If an apostle is a special messenger, how did Peter become one? Was it by self-appointment? No, it was by the special calling of the Lord (Mk. 1:17; Jn. 21:15-17). God’s special messengers are God-appointed, so what a privilege it was for Peter!
In v. 1 we have a clear indication of God’s method of saving men and women. What is God’s method? Is it that we should try our best and then hope God will accept us? No – this is man’s way of salvation and it is a false way which can only lead to disappointment and disaster. God’s way is that we should come as unworthy sinners and receive the salvation that is offered to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. So Peter is careful to speak here of “those who through the righteousness of our God have received a faith as precious as ours…” This is the difference between the Christian gospel and every other religious system; the difference between salvation by works and salvation by faith; man says ‘attain’ but God says “obtain” (2 Tim. 2:10). Compare Eph. 2:8-10 with Titus 3:5.
Notice in v. 1 Peter refers to “those who…have received a faith as precious as ours” and “our God and Savior Jesus Christ”. These tell us that all believers are one because of the one amazing thing that we have in common: it is that we all have faith in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We can all look up into His face and say, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28). Our ethnicity, background, forms of worship, may be different, but we are all one in that we are related to the Lord Jesus Christ. We enjoy unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3); we are “all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). We do not have to strive for this unity as we have it already in Him, so let’s rejoice in it!
2 Peter 1:2: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
Notice the words “in abundance” in v. 2. It suggests constant growth of Christ’s blessings in the believer (Eph. 3:15-21) and notice how Peter concludes this letter (2 Peter 3:18). V. 2 tells us we are to grow in “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. This does not mean simply knowing about God, but knowing Him (2 Tim. 1:12; Phil. 3:10; Jn. 14:7-9).
What do you think this is (v. 2)? The more we come to know Him the more will be multiplied in us the sense of God’s smile upon us and God’s peace within us.
