2 PETER LESSON 1


     We will find in this second letter that Peter wrote, a warning
against false teachers. Peter wrote the letter probably somewhere
between 64 and 70 A.D.

     We will begin now with II Peter 1:1 "Simon Peter, a servant and
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ:"

     Simon was the name he had been known by, before he met and
followed Jesus. The name Peter, had been given him by Jesus. "Peter"
means a rock.  This is a general letter to Jew and Gentile who have
accepted Jesus as their Saviour. Peter was very well aware of the
great price the Lord Jesus paid to purchase his salvation. Peter
thought of himself as a slave, because Jesus bought and paid for him
with His precious blood.  "Apostle", as we have said before, means
ambassador.  Salvation is a free gift from God and Peter makes that
statement here, when he says "obtained like precious faith". We
receive the righteousness of Christ, when we receive Jesus as our
Saviour. We give our sin to Jesus, and He gives us His righteousness.
The only way that faith comes after righteousness is when we receive
the gift of faith. It takes faith to receive the righteousness of
Christ. This is the faith that we activate within ourselves. The
faith, here, is the abundance of faith that we receive as a gift of
the Spirit.

     II Peter 1:2 "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the
knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,"

     This is a blessing Peter speaks on those who believe. The more
you know of Jesus, the more peace and grace you have. Jesus is King of
Peace. When we are full of Jesus, we are full of peace. Knowledge is
accumulated learning. The more you learn of the Lord Jesus, the more
peace and grace you have.

     II Peter 1:3 "According as his divine power hath given unto us
all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"

     There is no need for a Christian to fear. The things of this
world are for our benefit, not for our harm. He thought so much of us
that He made the world and all that is in it, and on it, for the
benefit of man. He prepared the earth for man to habitat. Then He made
man.  We have all the goodness of the earth to draw from, if we
receive the knowledge of God and use it according to His will. The
power to use the blessings come from us knowing the power in the name
of Jesus.  He gave us the earth to use, not to abuse. Jesus called us
to receive His glory and virtue. When we come to the knowledge of God,
we receive Jesus as Saviour and all the earth is subject to the name
of Jesus. We have been given power to use that name on the earth. The
part in this that we play, other than accepting Jesus as our Saviour,
is to walk in the salvation He has provided for us. "Virtuous" means
we are faithful to Jesus and His teachings.

     II Peter 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust."

     The promises God made to Abraham are for all who believe in
Jesus. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise."  It is our faith in Christ
that makes us heirs along with faithful Abraham. Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto Him as righteousness. We believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and we are clothed in His righteousness. The entire New
Testament is a list of the promises made to the believer. To inherit
the promises, we must prove we are sons of God. Christians are
followers of, and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to become
Christ-like. We, in fact, must let Christ live in us and through us.
We are His hands upon this earth. When we get to heaven, we will be
like Him. I John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."  This
Scripture just means that we will take on His nature {in our spiritual
body}. We have crucified our flesh and the lusts of the flesh, and
have taken on Christ. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me."

     II Peter 1:5 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;"

     We should earnestly try to please God in all that we do. "To be
diligent in our work" would mean that we are totally dedicated to the
task at hand. We should not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of
the Word, as well. The walk of a Christian must be virtuous. We must
walk holy before our Lord. To walk virtuous would mean that we had
determined in our heart to do right before our God. To be virtuous,
without the knowledge of what God's will is, is impossible. To walk in
the will of God, we must know what His will is. We learn what His will
is by studying His Word. Knowledge of the Word of God gives us the
ability to know what His will is.

     II Peter 1:6 "And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness;"

     When we walk in the knowledge of the Word of God, we will be
temperate in all things. "Temperance", in this instance, means self-
control. It, also, means moderately. The way I like to say this is,
"let your spirit control your flesh". Patience is a lesson hard
learned.  Patience comes through tribulation. Turning your will over
to God and allowing Him to have control of your life, leads to
godliness.

     II Peter 1:7 "And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness charity."

     All of this is explaining the growing in grace that a Christian
must do. Jesus said in I John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and
hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
"Charity", here, was translated from the word "agape", which means a
special love. It is like the love of God. It is love not because of
what you can do for me, but love wanting nothing in return.

     II Peter 1:8 "For if these things be in you, and abound, they
make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

     If these things be in you, you are full of Christ. In the
process, you have taken on the nature of Christ. When you take Christ
on in His fulness like is spoken of here, you have taken on the mind
of Christ. You are allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you all things.
Your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ will be full, because He
dwells within you. The name "Lord Jesus Christ" means that you have
accepted Him as your Saviour and your Lord. You, also, realize He is
the Anointed One of God, the Messiah.

     II Peter 1:9 "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and
cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his
old sins."

     It is a very dangerous thing not to grow in God. The one-time
experience of salvation is not enough. We are either growing in
Christ, or we are going backwards. We will never stand still. Notice,
the word "old" connected to sins. To live as the world lives, after
you are saved, will draw you away from your salvation. Salvation is a
daily walk through life, growing each day more like Jesus. To do
anything else will not work. We can be blinded by the world, if we are
not careful, and forget the forgiveness we received in Christ.

     II Peter 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye
shall never fall:"

     We must take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. John 8:12
" Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life." I John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."  This is just saying,
make up your mind to walk with Jesus and never wander away from that
walk. If I am in Jesus, and He is in me, I cannot fall.

     II Peter 1:11 "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ."

     There is only one way to heaven. It is through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Daniel 7:27 "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him."  Jesus opened the way for
all who would believe, when He gave His body on the cross. The door to
heaven and the throne of God was opened, when the veil of the temple
was torn from the top to the bottom. Jesus opened that door for us.
Matthew 27:51 "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks
rent;"

     There is only one thing that will get you to heaven. Look, with
me, at the next verses which explains it so well. Romans 10:9 "That if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved." Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."


































                          2 Peter 1 Questions


1.  What is the theme of this second letter?
2.  Who wrote this letter?
3.  Approximately when was this letter written?
4.  When was the name Simon used for Peter?
5.  What is the meaning of the name "Peter"?
6.  Who was this letter written to?
7.  Why did Peter think of himself as a slave?
8.  What does "apostle" mean?
9.  When do we receive righteousness?
10. What blessing did Peter speak on them?
11. What is knowledge?
12. Why should the Christian not fear?
13. What did God do for man, even before He made man?
14. What does "virtuous" mean?
15. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 29.
16. What must we do to receive the inheritance God has given us?
17. Quote 1 John chapter 3 verse 2.
18. Quote Galatians chapter 2 verse 20.
19. What are we to add to our faith?
20. What would it mean "to be diligent in our work"?
21. What must we first do to walk in the will of God?
22. How do we know what His will is?
23. What does "temperance" in verse 6 mean?
24. Quote 1 John chapter 4 verse 20.
25. What was the word "charity", in verse 7, translated from?
26. What does "agape" mean?
27. In the process of growth as a Christian, we have taken on the
    _________ of Christ.
28. How can we be blinded, if we are a Christian?
29. Quote John chapter 8 verse 12.
30. What cleanses us from all sin?
31. Who is our Way to heaven?
32. When was the door to the throne of God opened to us?
33. Quote Romans chapter 10 verses 9 and 10.