2 Peter 1

About 2 Peter.

The Second Letter of Peter

Purpose

1. To denounce false teachers

2. To encourage continued growth in the faith

Author

Peter

Date

Early 60s AD

Setting

Written to the same groups of believers addressed in 1 Peter, whose communities were being infiltrated by false teachers

Many perspectives about the world, religious beliefs, and cultural values fight for attention. The second letter of Peter encourages spiritual growth in Christ's grace. It also warns against combining the Christian faith with non-Christian ideas.

Setting

Second Peter was probably written to the same group of Christians as 1 Peter (1 Peter 1:1; see 2 Peter 3:1). We do not know if the apostle Peter ever visited Asia Minor (the western part of modern-day Turkey). The New Testament tells us little about his movements after he left Jerusalem around AD 44 (Acts 12:16–17).

We know that Peter was in Rome in the early 60s AD. He probably wrote 2 Peter from Rome shortly after 1 Peter. Early Christian tradition suggests that Peter died under Emperor Nero in AD 64 or 65.

Summary

In the opening of the letter, Peter introduces himself and his audience (1:1–15). He shares his main concern. He desires for his audience to increase their understanding of God and Christ (1:3–11). He also is urgent in informing them that he will not live much longer (1:12–15).

Chapter 2 is the main focus of this letter. In it, Peter describes and condemns false teachers. Peter prepares for this criticism by stressing the certainty of Christ’s return in glory (1:16–21). The false teachers were obviously in doubt about Christ’s return and the final judgment.

Peter criticizes false teachers in four steps:

1. He prophesies they will come (2:1–3).

2. He insists God will judge them. But God will save those people who are in a right relationship with himself (2:4–10).

3. He lists their sins (2:10–16).

4. He announces their destruction (2:17–22).

Peter emphasizes that Christ will return in glory to change the world (3:1–13). He ends the letter as he started, praying that his audience will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18; see 1:3–11).

Author

The author says he is Simon Peter, one of Jesus's apostles (1:1). Peter states, "this is now my second letter to you" (3:1). The first letter was probably 1 Peter.

In many ways, 2 Peter is different from 1 Peter. But it has notable similarities to the letter of Jude. Because of this, some scholars believe someone else wrote 2 Peter. This conclusion is unnecessary because 2 Peter addresses a situation very different from 1 Peter.

Naturally, the language and concepts differ. Moreover, it is possible that the apostle Silas was responsible for some of the wording in 1 Peter. Silas was Peter’s secretary, also called "Silvanus" in 1 Peter 5:12. Peter might have used a different secretary for 2 Peter.

Relationship to the Letter of Jude

It is clear that 2 Peter and Jude are closely connected in their writing. The two letters use many of the same unusual expressions. This makes it unlikely that the similarities are a coincidence or because of an oral tradition they shared (see 2 Peter 2:3 equivalent to Jude 1:4; 2 Peter 2:4 equivalent to Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:6 equivalent to Jude 1:7; 2 Peter 2:10 equivalent to Jude 1:8; 2 Peter 2:11 equivalent to Jude 1:9; 2 Peter 2:13, 17 equivalent to Jude 1:12; 2 Peter 3:3 equivalent to Jude 1:8).

This connection can be explained in three ways:

1. Jude borrowed from 2 Peter.

2. Second Peter borrowed from Jude.

3. Both borrowed from a common source that is now lost.

Option 2 is the most popular, although option 1 is equally possible. Option 3 is least likely because it is more complicated and unnecessary. Whichever author borrowed probably encountered a similar situation and found the other's writing useful. Such borrowing was common in the ancient world and regarded as a compliment, not stealing material.

False Teachers

It is difficult to identify the false teachers who Peter warns against with any known ancient church heresy. With their lack of moral behavior and negative attitude, these teachers believed God's grace allowed them to do anything they wanted (2 Peter 2:19–20). They rejected authority (see 2:10–11). They engaged in sexual immorality, excessive drinking and eating, and self-centered gain (2:13–20). They might have been early versions of the later, second-century AD Gnostics (a group that claimed secret knowledge and denied key Christian beliefs).

Meaning and Message

Second Peter focuses on the issue of false teachers in the church. These individuals claimed to be Christians (2:1, 21–22). But Peter makes it evident they were actually reserved for punishment as rebels against the Lord (2:3, 10). Peter writes this letter to warn his audience to reject these false teachers and their teachings and to remain loyal to the gospel.

This letter acts as an important reminder of the dangers of rejecting the truth. The church must always be spiritually alert against those who alter the truth of the gospel and whose lives do not properly represent it.

2 Peter 1:1

• 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).

2 Peter 1:3-11

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).

2 Peter 1:3

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).

2 Peter 1:4

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).

2 Peter 1:5-7

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).

2 Peter 1:10

• 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.

2 Peter 1:12-15

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.

2 Peter 1:14

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).

2 Peter 1:16-21

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.

2 Peter 1:16-18

• 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.

2 Peter 1:19

• 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.

2 Peter 1:20-21

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.

Aquifer Open Study Notes © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.