God's Most Precious Gift—Our Faith

The opening verses of Second Peter speak of the precious faith of God's people. They speak of a strong and vibrant faith, like that of the Apostle Peter, a precious faith received "by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1b). They speak of our living an abundant life of godliness by "His divine power" (v. 3a). They speak of our eternal security, the certainty of our future in heaven, the fact that in Christ we have "become partakers of the divine nature" and have "escaped the corruption that is in the world" (v. 4).

Unfortunately, most people ignor Second Peter. John MacArthur said, "Some theologians refer to both Second Peter and Jude as the 'dark corner' of the New Testament. As a result, these two books are often ignored. Preachers don't preach from them, believers don't study them. Most people don't ever discuss the content of these two books, or quote from them. Second Peter and Jude are simply neglected, even in scholarly circles, where critics are known to dismiss them as pseudonymous (forged) letters, unworthy of serious study." (John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testement Commentary; 2 Peter & Jude, [Moody Publishers, 2005], 1)

Second Peter was written to remind us of the great truths of Scripture, so that those truths could safeguard our faith and keep us strong, as we faced the enemy. False teaching was growing, even within some sectors of the church. Spiritual deception was everywhere, as it is today. He was writing to expose the apostates and to rid the church of their evil doctrines.

Jesus warned His disciples, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matt. 7:15). False prophets, false teachers are emissaries from hell, they are pawns of Satan, and they seek only one thing—to devour you any way they possibly can.

There is only one defense—the truth of God's Word! That is why Peter wrote this second letter. He wrote to protect his readers. He wrote to protect us from spiritual discouragement and spiritual defeat. He wrote to help us stay strong in our precious faith and our walk with Jesus.

Peter, the author of this book, was the leader of the apostles. His name is mentioned first in all four lists of the Twelve in the New Testament. He and his brother Andrew (who introduced him to Jesus in John 1:40-42), ran a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee. They were originally from the village of Bethsaida (John 1:44), but later moved to the larger nearby town of Capernaum (Mark 1:21, 29). Their business was successful, providing Peter with a spacious house in Capernaum. Peter was married—Jesus healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38), and his wife accompanied him on his missionary travels (1 Cor. 9:5).

Peter's full name was Simon Barjona (Matt. 16:17), literally "Simon son of Jonas" (or John). Simon was a common name in Israel at that time (there are eight other Simons mentioned in the New Testament). When they first met, Jesus named him Cephas (John 1:42), which is Aramaic for "rock." "Peter" is the Greek equivalent. (Ibid, 2)

Second Peter was likely written just before his death in Rome, probably around A.D. 67 or 68. The letter was most likely written from Rome and sent to the same believers First Peter was written to—those scattered throughout Asia Minor (or modern-day Turkey) because of the persecution in Rome. (Ibid, 13)

The redemption of sinners and the restoration of fellowship with the Father through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, secures eternal life for the Christian and is God's most precious gift to all who believe. And that is key—we must grasp the truth that saving faith is itself a gift from God.

Peter opens his letter with a standard salutation, as was the custom of his day. "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1). He identified himself as the author; then he identified the recipients. He used both names together. Simon, the Greek form of the Hebrew "Simeon," the father of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, was a common name in Israel. Peter is from a Greek word that means "rock" (Cephas is its Aramaic equivalent). By using both names together he was certain that the letter's recipients knew exactly whom it was from. (Ibid, 18)

Peter showed great humility by referring to himself as a "bondservant" (v. 1a). By doing so, he placed himself in submission to Jesus Christ. He identified himself as a man who served the Lord in complete obedience. It means to be duty bound to obey the Lord Jesus, your Master, no matter what the cost.

In that time, to willingly refer to yourself as a "bondservant" (Greek, doulos, meaning "slave") was to place yourself in the very lowest group of people in society. A group of people who are not even considered people. It was a culture where slaves were looked upon as being no better than animals. But while it was demeaning socially to be called a bondservant, spiritually it was a great honor. (Ibid)

For the Christian to be called a doulos (a bondservant) of God is to be God's possession. In that day, a master owned his slaves just as he owned his tools. To be called a doulos of God is to always be ready to answer His every call. To be called a doulos of God is to always be obedient to God without question. To be called a doulos of God is to always be in the service of God.

The Christian serves at the pleasure of God. He serves by the commission of God. Peter humbly spoke of himself as a bondservant of God. But he also called himself an "apostle of Jesus Christ" (v. 1a). An "apostle of Jesus Christ" was one officially sent by Christ and specifically commissioned by Christ as a "witness of the resurrected Lord, with authority to proclaim His truth." (Ibid, 19)

Peter wrote this letter to the same saints as he did his first letter—those scattered across Asia Minor by persecution. It was written about a year after the first letter. He described his readers as divinely saved—saved by the grace of the Master.

He wrote "to those who have obtained like precious faith with us" (v. 1b), or "to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours" (NASB). "Have obtained," or "have received," implies that the believer is saved by the grace of the Master. It is a gift from God. It literally means "to gain by divine will," or "given by an allotment" (as in the biblical practice of casting lots to discern God's will). (Ibid)

It clearly refers to something not obtained by human effort or based on personal worthiness. It comes from God's sovereign purpose. They received faith because God graciously chose to give it to them. Faith comes from God, in that He graciously gave us the ability and the power to believe the gospel unto salvation.

"Like precious faith" (v. 1b), or "a faith of the same kind as ours" (NASB), means "of equal value" or "of equal privilege." We have each received faith as a personal gift from God that brings equal spiritual privileges of salvation to all who receive it. In other words, all believers have received the gift of saving faith. We are all saved by the grace of the Master (v. 1b). (Ibid, 20)

Having received "like precious faith" (v. 1b), we are all covered "by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (v. 1c). Saving faith is available because of the righteousness of Christ. Sinners are saved and given eternal life because the Savior imputes His righteousness to them, covering their sins and making them acceptable to God.

The doctrine of imputed righteousness is at the very heart of the gospel. Salvation is a gift from God in every way. God gives us the faith to believe and He gives us the righteousness necessary to satisfy His holiness. On the cross, Christ shouldered the full wrath of God against all our sins so we wouldn't have to. Our sins were imputed to Christ so that His righteousness could be imputed to us. The righteousness of Christ fully covers all who are saved. Isaiah said it well: "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10, NASB). (Ibid, 22)

Note how Jesus is referred to here as "our God and Savior" (v. 1c). The Greek construction uses just one article before the phrase "God and Savior." It is not "our God and our Savior," it is simply "our God and Savior," which makes both terms refer to the same person. So, Peter calls Jesus, not just "Savior," but "God," the author and agent of salvation. (Ibid, 23)

Peter's point is that God has given all who believe His most precious gift—our faith. We are not worthy of salvation. There is nothing about us that guarantees us salvation. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It is purely a gift—God's precious gift, given to us by God's grace through our faith in Jesus; faith which is itself a gift from God. Amen.