9th October 2023
Before I go
This study is the twenty-third in a series of studies on the books of the New Testament
(2 Peter – read in 6 minutes)
Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. 2 Peter 1:15 (NKJV)
Peter’s purpose in writing this second epistle is clear. He links the beginning of his Christian journey to its physical conclusion. 2 Peter 1:16 reminds his readers ‘…[we] were eyewitnesses of His [Christ’s] majesty.’ And, referring to the transfiguration, ‘…we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.’ (v.18). In previous verses, looking to a very close future, he states, ‘…shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.’ (v.14). Peter has been living the thirty something years of his entire ministry knowing that it would end like this. He was crucified in Rome sometime between AD64 and AD68.
It is a farewell message that underlines the continuing persecution and martyrdom of those early Christians, particularly in Rome. He is seeking to inoculate those in his care against the many pressures on them as they live out their faith. He had seen his master die on the cross, but then spent forty days with the fully human, fully divine Jesus. These experiences created the man who was able to write these letters, to teach with conviction the need to hang on till the soon-expected return of Christ, and who was now facing his own painful death. Even though Peter warns them it might be a longer than expected wait, the urgent tone suggests he anticipates it will be in their lifetime, even if not in his. (vv.10-14).
His overriding message is for them to go back to the basics – the prophecies interpreted in the light of the revelation of Jesus (2 Peter 1:19-21), and to avoid anything else that he labels as ‘corrupted’. The early part of the letter is full of affirmation along with commentary that faith, on its own, is not enough. There are other qualities that identify a follower of Christ: virtue, self-control, perseverance, and concluding with love (vv.5-8).
He then spends time in Chapter 2 outlining a profile of ‘false teachers’ with comparisons to Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no doubt of his passion as he uses terms such as ‘natural brute beasts’, with ‘a heart trained in covetous practices’ and ‘they speak great swelling words of emptiness’ (2 Peter 2:12-19). He takes no prisoners, and his readers would have been able to recognise whom he was speaking of. The longer than expected wait for Christ had left them returning to their old ways: ‘…after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome…’ (v.20).
Peter points out to the faithful that the world around them, with its temptations and distractions, is temporary: ‘both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.’ (2 Peter 3:10). He then asks a question that informs the rest of the epistle: ‘…what manner of persons ought you to be…?’ (v.11). The first direction is to, ‘look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.’ (v.13). This is the reality. And it is still the reality.
Prayer
Heavenly Creator, through whom we look forward to the new heavens and the new earth, strengthen us to endure however long and difficult the wait is, and not to lose hope. In the name of Him who gave us this hope, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Study by Maggie Mitchell
About the writer:
Maggie Mitchell attends the Northampton congregation of Grace Communion International and is Chair of the Pastoral Council
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Local congregational contact:
Maggie Mitchell
Email: maggie.mitchell@btinternet.com
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church