The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  1:5 for this very reason. Because of all the God-given blessings in vv. 3, 4, the believer cannot be indifferent or self-satisfied. Such an abundance of divine grace calls for total dedication. giving all diligence. That is, making maximum effort. The Christian life is not lived to the honor of God without effort. Even though God has poured His divine power into the believer, the Christian himself is required to make every disciplined effort alongside of what God has done (cf. Phil. 2:12, 13; Col. 1:28, 29). add to your faith. “Add” is to give lavishly and generously. In Greek culture, the word was used for a choirmaster who was responsible for supplying everything that was needed for his choir. The word never meant to equip sparingly, but to supply lavishly for a noble performance. God has given us faith and all the graces necessary for godliness (vv. 3, 4). We add to those by our diligent devotion to personal righteousness. virtue. First in Peter’s list of moral excellencies is a word that, in classical Gr., meant the God-given ability to perform heroic deeds. It also came to mean that quality of life which made someone stand out as excellent. It never meant cloistered virtue, or virtue of attitude, but virtue which is demonstrated in life. Peter is here writing of moral energy, the power that performs deeds of excellence. knowledge. This means understanding, correct insight, truth properly comprehended and applied. This virtue involves a diligent study and pursuit of truth in the Word of God.

  1:6 self-control. Lit. “holding oneself in.” In Peter’s day, self-control was used of athletes who were to be self-restrained and self-disciplined. Thus, a Christian is to control the flesh, the passions, and the bodily desires, rather than allowing himself to be controlled by them (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27; Gal. 5:23). Virtue, guided by knowledge, disciplines desire and makes it the servant, not the master, of one’s life. perseverance. That is, patience or endurance in doing what is right, never giving in to temptation or trial. Perseverance is that spiritual staying power that will die before it gives in. It is the virtue which can endure, not simply with resignation, but with a vibrant hope. godliness. See note on v. 3.

  1:7 brotherly kindness. I.e., brotherly affection, mutual sacrifice for one another (cf. 1 John 4:20). love. See 1 Cor. 13; 1 Pet. 4:8.

  1:8 neither barren. To be barren is to be inactive, indolent, and useless (cf. Titus 1:12; James 2:20–22). With these virtues increasing in one’s life (vv. 5–7), a Christian will not be useless or ineffective. nor unfruitful. I.e., unproductive (cf. Matt. 13:22; Eph. 5:11; 2 Thess. 3:14; Jude 12). When these Christian qualities are not present in a believer’s life (vv. 5–7), he will be indistinguishable from an evildoer or a superficial believer. But when these qualities are increasing in a Christian’s life, there is the manifestation of “the divine nature” within the believer (see note on v. 4).

  1:9 these things. The qualities mentioned in vv. 5–7 (see v. 10). shortsighted, even to blindness. A professing Christian who is missing the virtues mentioned above is, therefore, unable to discern his true spiritual condition, and thus can have no assurance of his salvation. forgotten. The failure to diligently pursue spiritual virtues produces spiritual amnesia. Such a person, unable to discern his spiritual condition, will have no confidence about his profession of faith. He may be saved and possess all the blessings of vv. 3, 4, but without the excellencies of vv. 5–7, he will live in doubt and fear.

  1:10 make your call and election sure. This expresses the bull’s-eye Peter has been shooting at in vv. 5–9. Though God is “sure” who His elect are and has given them an eternally secure salvation (see notes on 1 Pet. 1:1–5; cf. Rom. 8:31–39), the Christian might not always have assurance of his salvation. Security is the Holy Spirit revealed fact that salvation is forever. Assurance is one’s confidence that he possesses that eternal salvation. In other words, the believer who pursues the spiritual qualities mentioned above guarantees to himself by spiritual fruit that he was called (cf. v. 3; Rom. 8:30; 1 Pet. 2:21) and chosen (cf. 1 Pet. 1:2) by God to salvation. never stumble. As the Christian pursues the qualities enumerated by Peter (vv. 5–7) and sees that his life is useful and fruitful (v. 8), he will not stumble into doubt, despair, fear, or questioning, but enjoy assurance that he is saved.

  1:11 abundantly into the everlasting kingdom. Peter piles up the words to bring joy to the weary Christian’s heart. An abundant entrance into eternal heaven is the hope and reality for a Christian who lives a faithful, fruitful life here on earth. Peter’s point is that a Christian who pursues the listed virtues (vv. 5–7) will not only enjoy assurance in the present, but a full, rich reward in the future life (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 22:12)

  1:12, 13 this reason. Truth always needs repetition because believers forget so easily. Cf. 2 Thess. 2:5; Jude 5.

  1:13, 14 tent. Death is described aptly as laying aside one’s tent (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1). Peter was likely in his seventies as he wrote this letter (likely from a Roman prison) and anticipated dying soon. Nero’s persecution had begun and he was martyred in it, soon after writing this epistle. Tradition says he was crucified upside down, refusing to be crucified like his Lord.

  1:14 Christ showed me. Christ had prophesied the death Peter would die almost 40 years earlier (see note on John 21:18, 19).

  1:15 after my decease. Peter wanted to make certain that after he died, God’s people would have a permanent reminder of the truth, thus he penned this inspired letter.

  1:16 cunningly devised fables. The word for “fables” was used to refer to mythical stories about gods and miracles (cf. 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14). Realizing that false leaders and their followers would try to discredit this letter, and that he was probably already being accused of concocting fables and myths in order to get people to follow him so he could amass wealth, power, and prestige as false teachers were motivated to do, Peter gave evidences in the following verses to prove that he wrote the truth of God as a genuinely inspired writer. made known. This word is a somewhat technical term for imparting a new revelation—something previously hidden, but now revealed. the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since there is only one definite article with this phrase, the meaning is, “the powerful coming,” or “the coming in power.” The false teachers who were opposing Peter had tried to debunk the doctrine of the second coming of Christ (see 3:3, 4) about which Peter had spoken and written (1 Pet. 1:3–7, 13; 4:13). eyewitnesses of His majesty. The “we” that begins this verse refers to the apostles. In one sense, all of the apostles had been eyewitnesses to Christ’s majesty, especially His miracles, resurrection body, and ascension into heaven. Peter, however, is referring to a more specific event which he will describe in the next verse. The kingdom splendor of Christ revealed at this event was intended as a preview of His majesty to be manifested at His second coming (cf. Matt. 16:28; see notes on 17:1–6). The Transfiguration was a glimpse of the glory to be unveiled at the final revelation, the apocalypse of Christ (Rev. 1:1). It must be noted that Jesus’ earthly ministry of healing, teaching, and gathering souls into His kingdom was a preview of the character of the earthly kingdom He will establish at His return.

  1:17 Excellent Glory. A reference to the glory cloud on the Mt. of Transfiguration from which God spoke to the disciples (Matt. 17:5). This is My beloved Son. This means, “This One is in essence with Me.” The Father is thus affirming the deity of Christ (cf. Matt. 17:5; Luke 9:27–36).

  1:18 when we were with Him. Peter implied that there was no reason to believe the false teachers who denied the majesty and second coming of Christ, since they were not on the Mt. of Transfiguration to see the preview of the kingdom and glory of Christ, as were he, James, and John.

  1:19 the prophetic word. The “prophetic word” refers not just to the OT major and minor prophets, but to the entire OT. Of course, all of the OT was written by “prophets” in the truest sense, since they spoke and wrote God’s Word, which was the task of a prophet, and they looked forward, in some sense, to the coming Messiah (cf. Luke 24:27). confirmed. This translation could indicate that the eyewitness account of Christ’s majesty at
the Transfiguration confirmed the Scriptures. However, the Gr. word order is crucial in that it does not say that. It says, “And we have more sure the prophetic word.” That original arrangement of the sentence supports the interpretation that Peter is ranking Scripture over experience. The prophetic word (Scripture) is more complete, more permanent, and more authoritative than the experience of anyone. More specifically, the Word of God is a more reliable verification of the teachings about the person, atonement, and second coming of Christ than even the genuine first hand experiences of the apostles themselves. you do well to heed. Peter was warning believers that since they would be exposed to false teachers, they must pay careful attention to Scripture. a light that shines in a dark place. The murky darkness of this fallen world keeps people from seeing the truth until the light shines. The light is the lamp of revelation, the Word of God (cf. Ps. 119:105; John 17:17). the day dawns and the morning star rises. These simultaneous images mark the parousia, i.e., the appearing of Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 1:78; Rev. 2:28; 22:16). the morning star rises in your hearts. The second coming will have not only an externally transforming impact on the universe (3:7–13), but also an internally transforming impact on those believers who are alive when Jesus returns, forever removing any of their remaining doubts. The perfect, but limited, revelation of the Scriptures will be replaced with the perfect and complete revelation of Jesus Christ at the second coming (cf. John 14:7–11; 21:25). Then the Scriptures will have been fulfilled; and believers, made like Christ (1 John 3:1, 2), will have perfect knowledge and all prophecy will be abolished (see note on 1 Cor. 13:8–10).

  1:20 knowing this first. A call to recognize His truth as priority, namely that Scripture is not of human origin. prophecy of Scripture. I.e., all of Scripture. This refers primarily to all of the OT, and then by implication to all of the NT (see notes on 3:15, 16). private interpretation. The Gr. word for “interpretation” has the idea of a “loosing,” as if to say no Scripture is the result of any human being privately, “untying” and “loosing” the truth. Peter’s point is not so much about how to interpret Scripture, but rather how Scripture originated, and what its source was. The false prophets untied and loosed their own ideas. But no part of God’s revelation was unveiled or revealed from a human source or out of the prophet’s unaided understanding (see v. 21).

  1:21 by the will of man. As Scripture is not of human origin, neither is it the result of human will. The emphasis in the phrase is that no part of Scripture was ever at any time produced because men wanted it so. The Bible is not the product of human effort. The prophets, in fact, sometimes wrote what they could not fully understand (1 Pet. 1:10, 11), but were nonetheless faithful to write what God revealed to them. moved by the Holy Spirit. Grammatically, this means that they were continually carried or borne along by the Spirit of God (cf. Luke 1:70; Acts 27:15, 17). The Holy Spirit thus is the divine author and originator, the producer of the Scriptures. In the OT alone, the human writers refer to their writings as the words of God over 3800 times (e.g., Jer. 1:4; cf. 3:2; Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 2:10). Though the human writers of Scripture were active rather than passive in the process of writing Scripture, God the Holy Spirit superintended them so that, using their own individual personalities, thought processes, and vocabulary, they composed and recorded without error the exact words God wanted written. The original copies of Scripture are therefore inspired, i.e., God-breathed (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16) and inerrant, i.e., without error (John 10:34, 35; 17:17; Titus 1:2). Peter defined the process of inspiration which created an inerrant original text (cf. Prov. 30:5; 1 Cor. 14:36; 1 Thess. 2:13).

  2 Peter 2

  2:1 false prophets. Peter described false teachers in detail in this chapter so that Christians would always recognize their characteristics and methods. The greatest sin of Christ-rejecters and the most damning work of Satan is misrepresentation of the truth and its consequent deception. Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls when in reality he speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls (cf. Deut. 13:1–18; 18:20; Jer. 23; Ezek. 13; Matt. 7:15; 23:1–36; 24:4, 5; Rom. 16:17; 2 Cor. 11:13, 14; Gal. 3:1, 2; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4). among the people. “The people” is used in the NT of Israel (cf. Acts 26:17, 23). Peter’s point, though, is that Satan has always endeavored to infiltrate groups of believers with the deceptions of false teachers (cf. John 8:44). Since Eve, he has been in the deceit business (see notes on 2 Cor. 11:3, 4). secretly bring in destructive heresies. The false teachers parade themselves as Christian pastors, teachers, and evangelists (cf. Jude 4). “Heresies” means self-designed religious lies which lead to division and faction (cf. 1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20). The Gr. word for “destructive” basically means damnation. This word is used 6 times in this letter and always speaks of final damnation (vv. 1–3; 3:7, 16). This is why it is so tragic when a church makes a virtue out of the toleration of unscriptural teachings and ideas in the name of love and unity (see 2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Tim. 4:1–5; Titus 3:9–11). denying the Lord. This phrase exposes the depth of the crime and guilt of the false teachers. This unusual Gr. word for “Lord” appears 10 times in the NT and means one who has supreme authority, whether human authority or divine authority. Peter here warns that false prophets deny the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ. Though their heresies may include the denial of the virgin birth, deity, bodily resurrection, and second coming of Christ, the false teachers’ basic error is that they will not submit their lives to the rule of Christ. All false religions have an erroneous Christology. who bought them. The terms which Peter used here are more analogical than theological, speaking of a human master over a household. The master bought slaves, and the slaves owed the master allegiance as their sovereign. (For an OT parallel, see Deut. 32:5, 6, where God is said to have bought Israel, though they rejected Him.). Doctrinally, this analogy can be viewed as responsibility for submission to God which the false teachers had refused. Beyond this, they are probably claiming that they were Christians, so that the Lord had bought them actually and personally. With some sarcasm, Peter mocks such a claim by writing of their coming damnation. Thus, the passage is describing the sinister character of the false teachers who claim Christ, but deny His lordship over their lives. swift destruction. This refers to either physical death or judgment at the return of Christ (Prov. 29:1; 2 Thess. 1:7–10).

  2:2 many will follow their destructive ways. Many people will profess to be Christians but deny Christ’s lordship over their lives, refusing to live as obedient servants to Christ and His Word, following instead the lusts of the flesh, the world, and the devil. Such nominal Christians tragically will be included in the Lord’s condemnation of hypocrites at the judgment (Matt. 7:21–23; cf. Jude 4, 7). Denying the lordship of Christ while claiming to be a believer destructively infects other people and discredits the gospel. the way of truth will be blasphemed. The world mocks and scoffs at the gospel of Jesus Christ because of nominal Christians who do not follow the Lord they claim, and have been unmasked as hypocritical people.

  2:3 By covetousness. That is, uncontrolled greed. Peter observed that the underlying motive of the false teachers was not love of the truth, but love of money (see v. 14). They exploited people through their lies. their judgment has not been idle. The principle that God is going to damn false teachers was set in place in eternity past, repeated throughout the OT, and “has not been idle” in the sense that it has not worn out or become ineffective. It is still potent and will come to pass (see Jude 4). their destruction does not slumber. Peter is personifying destruction as if destruction were an executioner who is fully awake and alert, ready to act. Because God is by nature a God of truth, He will judge all liars and deceivers (cf. Prov. 6:19; 19:5, 9; Is. 9:15; 28:15, 22; Jer. 9:3, 5; 14:14; 23:25, 26; Rev. 21:8, 27).

  2:4 if. This is better translated “since” because there is no doubt about the history of judgment which Peter is about to recount. Verses 4–10 are one long sentence with the conclusion to the “since” clause beginning in v. 9. Lest anyone
think that God is too loving and merciful to judge the wicked false teachers and their deceived people, Peter gives 3 powerful illustrations of past divine judgment on the wicked. These illustrations set the precedents for the future and final judgment on liars and deceivers. Though God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11), He must judge wickedness because His holiness requires it (2 Thess. 1:7–9). the angels who sinned. These angels, according to Jude 6, “did not keep their proper domain,” i.e., they entered men who promiscuously cohabited with women. Apparently this is a reference to the fallen angels of Gen. 6 (sons of God): 1) before the flood (v. 5; Gen. 6:1–3) who left their normal state and lusted after women, and 2) before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 6; Gen. 19). See notes on Gen. 6:1, 2; Jude 6. cast them down to hell. Peter borrows a word from Greek mythology for hell, “tartarus.” The Greeks taught that tartarus was a place lower than Hades reserved for the most wicked of human beings, gods, and demons. The Jews eventually came to use this term to describe the place where fallen angels were sent. It defined for them the lowest hell, the deepest pit, the most terrible place of torture and eternal suffering. Jesus, in spirit, entered that place when His body was in the grave, and proclaimed triumph over the demons during the time between His death and resurrection (see notes on Col. 2:14; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19). chains of darkness. The demons feared going there and begged Jesus during His life on earth not to send them there (cf. Matt. 8:29; Luke 8:31). Not all demons are bound. Many roam the heavens and earth (cf. Rev. 12:7–9). Some are temporarily bound (see notes on Rev. 9:1–12). These were, because of their sin in Gen. 6, permanently bound in darkness. reserved for judgment. These permanently incarcerated demons are like prisoners who are incarcerated awaiting final sentencing. Tartarus is only temporary in the sense that in the day of judgment, the wicked angels confined there will be ultimately cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).