2 Peter 1

• Simon was one of the most common Jewish names in the first century. Jesus gave him the name Peter (Matthew 16:17–18). Many people in the Greco-Roman world would use both their given name in their native language and also a Greek name. They did this because Greek was the common language used for trade and communication (see study note on Acts 7:58).

• a servant … of Jesus Christ: In the Old Testament, important leaders of God’s people are called servants of the Lord (Joshua 14:7; 24:29; 2 Kings 10:10). This title emphasizes Peter’s submission to Christ and also suggests that he had an important role in God’s plan.

• ours: This probably refers to Jewish Christians. The recipients of this letter were mostly non-Jewish (Gentile) Christians. In the new covenant, non-Jewish and Jewish Christians share the same precious faith and are equal as God's people (see Galatians 3:26–29).

• This is one of the few places in the New Testament where Jesus Christ is called God (see also John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20).

His divine power has: The Greek text does not use the name of God here. Peter may be referring to the divine power of “Jesus our Lord” (1:2).

God has given us many blessings through Christ (1:3–4). This provides a strong reason to encourage us to learn more about Christ (1:5–11).

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature: Peter probably did not mean that our souls are merged with God but that believers share in the qualities of God’s character, such as holiness and love (compare Leviticus 11:44; Matthew 5:43–48; Ephesians 4:24; 5:1).

These verses use a stair-step structure to show how each virtue leads to the next. This pattern is a common literary device called a sorites. The order is not the main point. For example, Peter is not saying that moral excellence must come before knowledge. But he does show that love is the highest and most important virtue in the list (1:7).

• Brothers: Here, the Greek term adelphoi refers to people who belong to the same family, both male and female.

• strive to make your calling and election sure (literally Be zealous to make certain): Peter did not mean that God’s choice to save us depends on our actions. Instead, he teaches that our effort to grow in Christian virtue shows that God has already chosen us.

Peter was writing at the end of his life, and 2 Peter is similar to works that belong to a popular Jewish genre called the testament. In this genre, an older and respected leader gives final instructions to his children or to the people under his care while he is near death (see Deuteronomy 31–33; Joshua 24). This genre is especially well known from a Jewish work called The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.

This prophecy might have come to Peter in a vision, but it is more likely that he was remembering the prophecy Jesus gave about his death (John 21:18–19).

• cleverly devised fables: The false teachers were probably claiming that the message about Christ’s return was only a helpful story and not a true event.

• we were eyewitnesses of His majesty: This refers to the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36). The transfiguration was a moment when the appearance of Jesus changed in a bright and glorious way. At that moment, Jesus was revealed as the glorious King, which pointed to his future return. Peter’s confidence did not come from human guesses but from what he personally saw.

Peter’s strong warning against the false teachers in chapter 2 is surrounded by his teaching about the certainty of the return of Jesus (see also 3:1–13). The false teachers were probably denying that Christ would truly return and judge the world. But Peter had seen Christ’s glory with his own eyes (1:16–18), and the words of Scripture are completely reliable (1:19–21). These truths show that Christ’s return is certain.

• Here, day refers to the day of the Lord. This is a time when God acts in history to save his people and judge his enemies (see Isaiah 13:4–12; Joel 2:1–32; Zephaniah 2:1–3). Christ's first coming began the day of the Lord’s salvation for his people. A future day of the Lord’s judgment on his enemies will occur as well.

• the morning star: The planet Venus, called the “morning star,” often appears above the eastern horizon just before dawn. Peter reverses the normal order of nature. He explains that the dawning of the day of the Lord will lead to the Morning Star, Christ, shining in the hearts of believers.

comes from one’s own interpretation: This probably means that the prophets did not have to interpret God’s visions by themselves. God made the meaning clear to them so they could speak his message clearly and reliably.