2 Peter #61

2 Peter, written as the author expects his death to come soon, warns against false teachers who deny Christ’s promised return and live immorally, grounding the warning in the reliability of Scripture and eyewitness testimony.

Read 2 Peter in the King James Version →

Author and Date

The letter names “Simon Peter” (2 Peter 1:1), anticipates his death (1:14), and claims to be an eyewitness of the Transfiguration (1:16-18). Tradition dates it c. AD 64-68. Its authorship is among the most disputed of any New Testament letter: some scholars point to differences in style from 1 Peter, slow acceptance in the early church, and its parallels with Jude, and propose a later date, perhaps c. AD 80-150, while others defend Peter as author.

Background and Audience

The readers are not named. The author refers to an earlier letter (3:1), which many take to be 1 Peter. They faced teachers introducing destructive views and sensual living for gain (2:1-3), and scoffers asking where the promise of Christ’s coming was (3:3-4). Some were also twisting the letters of Paul (3:15-16).

Outline

• 2 Peter 1:1-11: Greeting, God’s power, and the call to grow in character and confirm one’s calling.
• 2 Peter 1:12-21: Peter’s approaching death, the Transfiguration, and the reliability of prophecy.
• Chapter 2: False teachers and God’s judgment, with examples from the angels, the flood, and Sodom.
• 2 Peter 3:1-13: Scoffers answered, God’s patience, the day of the Lord, and new heavens and a new earth.
• 2 Peter 3:14-18: Final exhortation to holiness and growth in grace and knowledge.

Key Themes

The letter stresses knowledge of Christ as the basis for godly living, the trustworthiness of the prophetic word, judgment on false teaching, and the certainty of Christ’s return. God’s apparent delay is presented as patience, giving time for repentance. It closes by urging believers to grow rather than be carried away by error.

Key Verses

• 2 Peter 1:3-4 — God’s power supplies what is needed for godly life and grants great promises
• 2 Peter 1:16-18 — the apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty at the Transfiguration
• 2 Peter 1:20-21 — prophecy came from people moved by the Holy Spirit, not from human will
• 2 Peter 3:8-9 — the Lord’s timing differs from ours, and he is patient, wanting all to repent
• 2 Peter 3:10-13 — the day of the Lord will come, and believers look for new heavens and a new earth
• 2 Peter 3:15-16 — Paul’s letters are already being read alongside the other Scriptures

How It Fits the Bible

2 Peter follows 1 Peter and shares much of its warning against false teachers with Jude. Its expectation of Christ’s return and a renewed creation looks ahead to the closing chapters of Revelation.