How To Know
You Are Going
to Heaven
Can a Christian Lose His Salvation?
What does John 1:1 say about the Trinity?
The Development of the Name Jehovah
Does Ephesians 2:8-9 Teach that Faith is a Gift?
Rules of Biblical Interpretation
2 Peter Bible Study
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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How do you live the Christian life? Who is the enemy of our faith? What do we look forward to in God's plan? These are some of the questions answered by the Apostle Peter in his second letter. This is a much neglected, but powerful little book. I say neglected because it is very difficult to find commentaries on this epistle. No one today seems to pay the kind of attention to this that they do to Romans or Revelation. Well, praise the Lord, it is all His word and He uses it in our lives to glorify Himself and lift up the name of Christ!
That is the purpose of this study: to lift up Christ by helping Christians glorify Him in their lives. Our study will be a simple one. Each study will include the text (my translation), an outline, and some brief comments to lead you in your understanding of the epistle and its argument. To help you understand the flow of thought, I have included a flow chart. Remember that this was written to Christians as a letter, not as a formal essay. Peter has a theme, and argument, and a purpose. He is going somewhere, and it is basically all related. If we pay attention to the sign words like 'for' and 'because' and 'therefore', they will lead us to the Holy Spirit's meaning.
You will also find a summary of introductory matters. This is particularly important for the book of 2 Peter.
May the Lord bless you as you study.
2 PETER OUTLINE
Greetings 1:1-2
I. Practice the productive Christian life revealed through God's genuine prophets. 1:3-21
A. Success in the Christian
life and rewards in heaven are gained by supplying yourselves
from the resources
God has provided. 3-11
1. God has made all necessary provision for your
Christian life. 3-4
2. Because of God's provision, you must supply the
elements of the Christian life. 5-7
3. The result of your supply will be fruitfulness.
8-9
4. Practicing these Christian graces will keep you from going astray and bring future reward. 10-11
B. You should pay attention to these things because the authority for them is God through His genuine Prophets. 12-21
1.
I shall see to it that you are able to recall these truths. 12-15
2.
Our revelation concerning these things draws its authority from
God.
16-21
a. We had direct exposure and access to the
Lord Jesus Christ. 16-18
b. The Holy Spirit has provided us with a firm word
of prophecy.
19-21
II. Beware the false teachers—on whom certain judgement rests—who will try to lure you into their error. 2:1-22
A. False teachers will come to exploit you. 1-3
1.
False teachers will come among you bringing heresies. 1
2.
Their methods are sensuality, greediness, and false words.
2-3a
3.
They will cause many to follow them and bring slander to the
way of truth. 2
4.
Their destiny is sure and their destruction imminent. 1, 3b
B. God has always
punished unrighteousness and rescued the righteous. 4-9
1.
He punished the rebellious angels. 4
2.
He punished the ancient world and rescued Noah. 5
3.
He punished Sodom and Gomorrah and rescued Lot. 6-8
4.
The Lord knows how to punish the unrighteous and rescue the righteous.
9
C. The condemnation of
these false teachers is well-deserved. 10-22
1. They
are arrogant. 10b-12
a. They despise authority. 10b
b. They slander glorious beings. 10b
c. Angels do not even do this. 11
d. Like brute beasts, they slander in their ignorance.
12
2.
They are lustful. 10a, 13-14, 18
a. They focus on the flesh. 10a, 14a
b. They even carouse in the daytime. 13a
c. Carousing at love feasts is not beyond them.
13b
d. They use lusts to lure others. 14b, 18
3.
They are greedy. 14b-16
a. Greediness is their practice. 14b
b. They went astray just like Balaam. 15-16
4.
They are condemned. 12b-13a, 17-18
a. Their destruction is thorough. 12b
b. Their destruction is deserved. 13a
c. Their fruitlessness brings severe punishment.
17
d. Enticement of others contributes to their condemnation.
18
5.
They are enslaved. 19-22
a. They are slaves of corruption because they are
overcome by it. 19
b. Falling back into enslavement is worse than never
having been enlightened at all. 20-21
c. Their enslavement proves they were never regenerated.
22
III. In spite of the scoffers who doubt the Lord's coming,
let His soon return and
judgement on the ungodly motivate
you to godly living. 3:1-16
A. Remember the
words of the Prophets and Apostles. 1-2
B. Scoffers will come
doubting God's impending judgement. 3-6
1.
There will be scoffers in the last days. 3
2.
They will challenge the promise of Christ's return. 4-6
a. Their challenge will be based on continuity from Creation.
4
b. They ignore the interruption of the judgement
of the
Great Flood. 5-6
C. But God's
judgement on ungodly mankind is sure and terrible. 7-10
1.
The next judgement is already scheduled. 7
2.
God delays for the salvation of the elect. 8-9
3.
Judgement will be sudden and terrible. 10
D. Knowing what
is in store for the ungodly creation should motivate you to godly living. 11-16
1.
God's upcoming judgement should affect our lives now. 11-13
a. We should live holy and godly lives in light of the coming destruction.
11
b. We should be eager for the Day of God. 12
c. We have a wonderful new world to look forward to. 13
2. Our
forward perspective should also affect our lives now. 14-16
a. Our hope for the future should cause us to avoid sin now.
14
b. As the Apostle Paul counseled in his writings,
we must keep God's patient delay in perspective. 15-16
IV. Finally, because you foreknow these things, do not allow the opposition to rob you of spiritual progress. 3:17-18
A. Watch that
you do not fall into the error of the ungodly. 17
B. Grow in the grace
and knowledge of the glorious One. 18
2 Peter Summary Statement: Since you look for the imminent
return of Christ, be diligent to develop the fruitfulness God
has provided for rather than falling into the error of the ungodly.
