2 Peter 1:2

Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and ^aapostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have¹ obtained ^blike precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 ^aGrace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

3 as His ^adivine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ^bwho called us by glory and virtue,

4 ^aby which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be ^bpartakers of the divine nature, having escaped the¹ corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

5 But also for this very reason, ^agiving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue ^bknowledge,

6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control¹ perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and ^ato brotherly kindness love.

8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither¹ barren ^anor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 For he who lacks these things is ^ashortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent ^ato make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s Approaching Death

12 For this reason ^aI will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, ^bthough you know and are established in the present truth.

13 Yes, I think it is right, ^aas long as I am in this tent, ^bto stir you up by reminding you,

14 ^aknowing that shortly I must¹ put off my tent, just as ^bour Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my¹ decease.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word

16 For we did not follow ^acunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^bpower and ^ccoming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^deyewitnesses of His majesty.

17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^a“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^athe holy mountain.

19 ¹And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^alight that shines in a dark place, ^buntil ^cthe day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^dhearts;

20 knowing this first, that ^ano prophecy of Scripture is of any private¹ interpretation,

21 for ^aprophecy never came by the will of man, ^bbut holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does 2 Peter 1:2 Mean?

Growing in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ involves real conversion—the transformation of our characters, intellects, emotions, actions, words, and thoughts from the evil way inspired by Satan and man's carnal nature into the divine nature of God Himself. Because the Father and Christ have given us so much, we must add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love to our faith. Notably, when the apostles greeted the churches, they mentioned knowledge of and fellowship with the Father and the Son, but ignored the Holy Spirit every time the God Family is mentioned. They did this because Jesus taught them no such thing—the Holy Spirit is the power God uses to direct and carry out His purposes, not a personality.

2 Peter 1:2

Adherents of the Trinity doctrine assert that the Holy Spirit is a personality alongside the Father and the Son. Yet, when the apostles—especially Paul—referred to the God Family in their epistles, why is mention of the Holy Spirit almost totally absent (James 1:1; II Peter 1:2; I John 1:3; Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:3; II Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; I Thessalonians 1:1; II Thessalonians 1:2; I Timothy 1:1-2; II Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3)?

Where is the Holy Spirit? Is James not a servant of the Holy Spirit (James 1:1)? Is he a servant only of God and of Jesus Christ? What about "knowledge of the Holy Spirit" in II Peter 1:2? Is there no "fellowship with the Holy Spirit" in I John 1:3? Why do the apostles ignore it?

They include a greeting from the Father and the Son in each of these letters, but there is no greeting from the Holy Spirit. This was inspired by God! Is it possible that this is evidence that there is no other personality? Little by little, it keeps adding up. We need to see this with our own eyes—the Holy Spirit is ignored every time the God Family is mentioned. Father and Son—yes. Holy Spirit—no.

With a few variations in words, every apostle ignores the Holy Spirit. Would it not be gross insubordination for them to recognize two in the highest offices in the universe and totally ignore the third? They did this because they did not know the Holy Spirit as a personality within the God Family because Jesus taught them no such thing. The Holy Spirit is the power God uses to direct and carry out His purposes within His creation.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Holy Spirit

2 Peter 1:2-8

He mentions that, since the Father and Christ have given us so much—even allowing us to share in God's nature—we should strive to add to our faith. Just believing that God is and that He has forgiven our sins is not enough (James 2:19). Among other things, we must grow in these qualities: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. If we work to instill these godly attributes into our characters, we will be producing the kind of fruit that God wants to see in us (John 15:1-8).

Peter concludes his instruction in verses 10-11: "Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Spiritual growth and producing fruit are what make our calling sure. Our maturity as Christians is based upon us zealously, diligently working to move our conversion along.

What is real conversion? It is the transformation of our characters, our intellects, our emotions, our actions, our words, and our very thoughts, from the evil way inspired by Satan and man's carnal nature into the divine nature—the very nature of God Himself!

So, how much like God are we? How straight and true is our trajectory to putting on the image of Christ (Romans 8:29)? How much of the old man have we put off, and how much of the new man have we put on (Colossians 3:9-10)? Are we growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18)? Are we cooperating with God in being transformed to His image (Romans 12:2)? Are we making becoming more like Christ a daily goal (Luke 9:23)?

Though the Corinthians had their problems with carnality—as we all do—they worked to overcome them and began growing. Paul's final words to them in his second epistle should encourage us as we "work out [our] own salvation" (Philippians 2:12): "Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. . . . The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (II Corinthians 13:11, 14).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
What Is Real Conversion? (Part Six)

2 Peter 1:2-4

The Holy Spirit is the power of God—not a personage, entity, consciousness, or part of the Godhead or a trinity. The Bible speaks of the Spirit as the power or mind of God, the power of love and of a sound mind. It emanates from Him and thus can be said to be "poured out" (Titus 3:5-6), "breathed" (John 20:22), and used to "fill" (Acts 2:4) and "anoint" (Acts 10:38).

Martin G. Collins
The Holy Spirit

**Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 2 Peter 1:2:**

Matthew 6:9
Mark 1:15
Luke 7:49

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Greeting the Faithful

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

Peter’s Approaching Death

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word

What Does 2 Peter 1:2 Mean?

2 Peter 1:2

2 Peter 1:2-8

2 Peter 1:2-4

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 2 Peter 1:2:

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

**Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 2 Peter 1:2:**

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning