Bible Study — May 13, 2026
2 Peter 1 (English Standard Version)
Greeting
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: — 2 Peter 1:1
First Peter was written just before the Roman emperor Nero began persecuting Christians. Second Peter was written about three years later (around AD 67), after persecution had become intense. First Peter was a letter of encouragement to the Christians who suffered, but 2 Peter focuses on the church's internal problems, especially on the false teachers who were causing people to doubt their faith and turn away from Christianity. Second Peter combats these dangerous beliefs by denouncing the self-serving motives of the false teachers and reaffirming Christianity's truths—the authority of Scripture, the primacy of faith, and the certainty of Christ's return.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. — 2 Peter 1:2
Many believers want an abundance of God's grace and peace, but they are unwilling to put forth the effort to get to know him better through Bible study and prayer. To enjoy the privileges God offers us freely, we must grow in our knowledge of God and Jesus, our Lord.
Confirm Your Calling and Election
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. — 2 Peter 1:3–4
The power to lead a God-honoring life comes not from within us but from God. Because we don't have the resources within ourselves to truly follow God, he allows us to "share his divine nature" in order to keep us from sin and help us live for him. When we are born again, God, by his Spirit, empowers us with his own goodness. (See John 3:6; 14:17-23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:22-23.)
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, — 2 Peter 1:5–6
False teachers were saying that self-control was not needed because human effort would not help believers anyway (2:17-19). It is true that good deeds cannot save us, but they are still absolutely essential in the Christian life. We are saved so that we can grow to resemble Christ and serve others. God wants to produce his character in us. To do this, however, he demands our discipline and effort. As we obey Christ, who guides us by his Spirit, we will develop self-control over our desires, emotions, and behavior.
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. — 2 Peter 1:7–9
Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in loving action toward others, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline; otherwise, it will die away (James 2:14-17). Peter lists several results of faith: learning to know God better, persevering under trial, doing God's will, genuinely loving others. These actions do not come automatically; they require dedication and discipline. They are not optional; we must choose all of them as a continual part of the Christian life. We don't finish one and start on the next, but we work on them all together and with each other's help. God empowers and enables us, but he also gives us the responsibility to learn and to grow.
Our faith must go beyond what we believe; it must become a dynamic part of all we do, resulting in fruitful service and spiritual maturity. We develop these virtues out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. People who claim to be saved while continuing to act the way they did before becoming believers do not understand faith or what God has done for them.
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. — 2 Peter 1:10
Peter wanted to rouse the complacent believers who had listened to the false teachers and believed that because good deeds couldn't save them they could live any way they wanted. If we truly belong to the Lord, Peter says, the example of our lives will prove it. If we're not developing the qualities listed in 1:5-7, we may still be outside the household of faith. If you are the Lord's—your actions backing up your claim of having been chosen by God—you will be able to resist the lure of false teaching and self-indulgence. What does your life say about your faith?
For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 1:11
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. — 2 Peter 1:12–14
Peter knew that he would die soon. Many years before, Christ had prepared Peter for the kind of death he would face (see John 21:18-19). At this time, Peter knew that his death was at hand. Peter was martyred for the faith in about AD 68. According to tradition, he was crucified upside down, at his own request, because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus, his master.
And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. — 2 Peter 1:15
Outstanding coaches constantly review the basics of their sport with their teams, and good athletes can execute the fundamentals consistently well. In the same way, believers in Jesus must not neglect the core principles of the faith, even as they go on to a deeper understanding of who God is. Just as an athlete needs constant practice, Christians need constant reminders of the fundamentals of our faith and of how we came to believe the Good News in the first place. Don't allow yourself to be bored or impatient with messages on the basics of the Christian life. Instead, take the attitude of an athlete who continues to practice and refine the basics so that they become and remain second nature.
Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. — 2 Peter 1:16–18
Peter and the other apostles had staked their lives on the certainty of the gospel. They had heard and seen Jesus firsthand. Here, Peter shows the corrupt leaders and false teachers the basis for his authority. Peter is referring to the Transfiguration, where Jesus' divine identity was revealed to him and two other disciples, James and John (see Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36).
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, — 2 Peter 1:19
Peter called Jesus Christ the "Morning Star." When he returns, he will shine in his full glory. Until that day, we have Scripture as a light and the Holy Spirit to illuminate it for us and guide us as we seek the truth. (For more on Christ as the morning star, see Luke 1:78; Ephesians 5:14; Revelation 2:28; 22:16.)
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. — 2 Peter 1:20–21
These verses provide a strong statement on the inspiration of Scripture. Peter affirms that God's prophets of long ago wrote down God's messages, which became the Old Testament. Peter puts himself and the other apostles in the same category because they also proclaimed God's truth and wrote it down under his inspiration. The Bible is not a collection of fables or human ideas about God. It is God's very words given through people to people. Peter emphasized his authority as an eyewitness as well as the God-inspired authority of Scripture to prepare the way for his harsh words against the false teachers. If these wicked men were contradicting the apostles and the Bible, their message could not be from God.
"Those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God" means that Scripture did not come from the creative work of the prophets' own invention or interpretation. God inspired the writers, so their message is authentic and reliable. God used the talents, education, and cultural background of each writer—they were not mindless robots—and he cooperated with the writers in such a way as to ensure that the message he intended was faithfully communicated in the very words they wrote.