2 Peter 1:1-4 (NKJV) Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary (7 Vols.))
SALUTATION (1:1, 2).
FAITH IMPLANTED (1:3-11).
- Partakers of the Divine Nature (1:3-7).
- The Christian’s Security (1:8-11).
FAITH QUICKENED (1:12-21).
- The Cultivation of Christian Memory (1:12-15).
- The Twofold Witness to Christ (1:16-21).
FAITH ASSAULTED (2).
- The Invasion of Unbelievers (2:1-3).
- Warnings from Past Judgments (2:4-10).
- Bond-Servants of Corruption (2:11-22).
FAITH VICTORIOUS (3).
- The Answer to Mockers (3:1-9).
- The New Heavens and Earth (3:10-13).
CONCLUSION (3:14-18).
V1 “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ…” This is Peter’s second letter. His first letter was written to the Diaspora who had fled Jerusalem because of the severe persecutions (Acts 8:1-3). Peter addresses the same believers in his second letter. Time was precious to the Apostle, and he wished to impart wisdom, truth, and encouragement to the believers. Jesus is the Crown Prince and His church (His bride) are also children of God, but we are servants to the Crown Prince. “Obtained like precious faith” shows that Peter is writing to believers. Our salvation came from God based on meeting God’s conditions for salvation–faith and our salvation were brought and bought from the righteousness of the Lord Jesus as the sinless, perfect Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).
V2 “…Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…” Peter wishes and prays for us to have greater knowledge of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus. We receive such knowledge from the Bible and the needed help of God–His grace and peace. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
V3 “…as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…” God provides everything. Everything we need spiritually–life and godliness. Life is the newly created heart (soul/spirit) as in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Godliness is the Law of Christ (how we are to live and think) and the motives and stimulation to live godly (Romans 12:1-2 and Titus 2:12-14). He called us through glory and virtue. It is for His glory and to His glory that we believe and worship God. It is through His excellence in everything that He is and wants for us.
V4 “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Why are the promises of God so important? A few points: 1) God’s power to know the future, to fulfill His promises, and His kingship, 2) God’s character to love, have compassion, give gifts, 3) His kindness (He doesn’t have to), and 4) His authority. One scholar states the number of promises to be 1,817 (https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-prophecy.html). Partakers of the divine nature doesn’t mean we receive godhood. See 1 Peter 5:1 and Hebrews 12:10. We are partakers of Jesus’s body, the church, which He bought with His precious blood. Jesus has the divine nature. We are in Christ, so we have a share in it. Because of faith in the Lord Jesus, we have escaped from the corruption of sin that we lived in because of our evil desires.
Commentators:
(Holman Commentary) “Participating in the divine nature simply means that as believers, through the power of the Spirit, we begin to change positively and demonstrate more and more of the character of God in our lives. At the same time, we demonstrate less and less of the character of the culture. As a result, we escape the internal decay or rottenness that accompanies so much of the evil desires of the world.”
(Wuest Word Studies) “Through these promises, the saints have become partakers of, sharers in the divine nature. Peter is here referring to regeneration as in 1Pe 1:23. This divine nature implanted in the inner being of the believing sinner, becomes the source of his new life and actions. By its energy in giving him both the desire and the power to do God’s will, he has escaped the corruption that is in the world. “Escaped” is apopheugō, “to escape by flight.” That is, the believer has run away from the corruption which is in the world (kosmos world system of evil), this corruption being within the sphere of lust (epithumia, “craving, passionate desire”) here in the widest sense of inordinate affection.”
We learn:
- Peter’s concern for believers
- Everything we need (sufficiency) is found in the Scriptures
- God has given many promises