2 Peter 1

Peter reminds believers that God has already given them everything needed for a godly life, and urges them to grow in Christlike character. Knowing his death is near, he anchors their faith in what he saw and heard on the holy mountain, and in the Spirit-given word of the prophets.

2 Peter 1:1

Peter calls himself both a slave and an apostle: he belongs wholly to Christ, and he is sent by Christ. His readers share a faith just as precious as his, a gift received through Christ’s righteousness, not earned. Peter also calls Jesus both God and Savior.

BSA: servant (“slave, bond servant”): Peter belongs completely to Jesus, with no claim on his own life. precious (“equally valuable, like ours”): Ordinary believers hold a faith of the same worth as the apostles’ faith.

Greek: ἰσότιμον (isotimon, G2472) — “of equal honor or value.” The word behind ‘as precious as ours’ says the faith is on equal footing. No believer has a lesser grade of faith.

2 Peter 1:2

Peter wishes for his readers grace and peace in ever-growing measure. These increase as believers come to know God and Jesus more deeply. This is a knowing of the person, not just facts about Him.

BSA: knowledge (“deep understanding, recognition”): It is a full, personal knowing of God and Jesus, not passing information.

Greek: ἐπιγνώσει (epignōsei, G1922) — “full, thorough knowledge.” Peter’s favorite word for knowing Christ, it suggests a deepening, personal acquaintance. He uses it again in verses 3 and 8.

2 Peter 1:3

God’s power has already supplied everything needed for a life that pleases Him. Nothing essential is missing. It all comes through knowing Christ, who called us by His own glory and goodness, so we begin with what He has given, not with our own effort.

BSA: godliness (“piety, reverence for God”): It is a life lived in awe of God and shaped by Him. excellence (“virtue, moral goodness”): Christ’s own moral beauty is part of what draws us to Him.

2 Peter 1:4

Through Christ’s glory and goodness God has given great promises. They let us share in His divine nature, being made like Him in holiness and love, without ceasing to be human. Meanwhile we have fled the decay that desire for sin brings into the world.

BSA: partakers (“participants, having God’s nature”): Believers truly share in the life and character of God, as He works in them. corruption (“decay, ruin, destructive power”): Sinful desire rots and ruins; the promises lead out of that decay.

Greek: κοινωνοί (koinōnoi, G2844) — “sharers, partners.” This is the word for fellowship and partnership. We are given a real share in God’s life, not merely a similarity to Him.

See also: John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:2.

2 Peter 1:5

Because God has done so much, Peter says to put in every effort. Grace and effort are not opposites. Faith is the root, and the believer is to supply, or add, goodness to it, beginning with moral excellence.

BSA: make every effort (“giving all diligence, being earnest”): Growth takes eager, wholehearted effort, resting on what God has already given. virtue (“moral excellence, goodness”): Faith is meant to show itself in a morally strong life.

Greek: ἐπιχορηγήσατε (epichorēgēsate, G2023) — “supply generously, furnish.” The word comes from paying for a chorus at a festival. It pictures lavish, willing provision, not a grudging ‘add-on’.

2 Peter 1:6

The list continues: knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness. Understanding God’s truth must lead to mastery over our desires, and to steady endurance under pressure. All of this turns the heart toward reverent devotion to God.

BSA: self-control (“temperance, mastery over one’s desires”): Knowing the truth should lead to governing our appetites. perseverance (“patient endurance, steadfastness”): It is staying firm under pressure, not giving up.

2 Peter 1:7

The list ends with affection for fellow believers and then love. Real godliness shows itself toward others. Love crowns the whole list, which is why it comes last and holds the rest together.

BSA: love (“unconditional love, agape”): This is the self-giving love God shows, the goal of all the other qualities.

See also: Colossians 3:14; 1 Corinthians 13:13.

2 Peter 1:8

These qualities are not meant to be possessed once and left alone. They grow, and as they grow they make a believer useful and fruitful in knowing Jesus. A growing character is a sign of a living knowledge of Christ.

BSA: unproductive (“unfruitful, without spiritual fruit”): Knowing Christ is meant to bear fruit, not sit idle. continue to grow (“increase, abound”): The qualities should keep overflowing, not stay at one level.

2 Peter 1:9

A person who lacks these qualities has lost sight of what matters. He has forgotten the cleansing he received from his old sins. Remembering what Christ has done for us is meant to drive us toward holy living.

BSA: nearsighted (“blind, unable to see afar”): He sees only what is close at hand and misses the eternal. cleansed (“purified, made clean”): Forgiveness is a real washing, and forgetting it weakens the desire to live clean.

Greek: μυωπάζων (myōpazōn, G3467) — “shortsighted, squinting.” The word describes someone who screws up his eyes to see. He sees only what is close and cannot see the larger picture.

2 Peter 1:10

Peter urges believers to confirm that God’s call is real in their lives, by living it out. Growing in these qualities gives steady footing, so that we do not fall away. It is not a way to earn salvation but a way to be sure of it.

BSA: sure (“firm, secure, stable”): The calling is made firm in our experience as we live it. stumble (“fall, sin, fail morally”): A life of growing character stays on its feet.

See also: Philippians 2:12-13.

2 Peter 1:11

Those who live this way will be welcomed richly into Christ’s eternal kingdom. Peter pictures a royal homecoming, not a narrow escape. Faithful living now prepares a generous welcome then.

BSA: lavish reception (“a tremendous welcome, richly supplied”): The entrance into the kingdom is richly provided, like a hero’s welcome.

Greek: πλουσίως ἐπιχορηγηθήσεται (plousiōs epichorēgēthēsetai, G4146) — “will be richly supplied.” It echoes the ‘supply’ of verse 5. As we supply goodness to our faith, God supplies a rich entrance to us.

2 Peter 1:12

Peter will keep reminding them, even though they already know these things and stand firm in the truth. Even settled believers need to hear the basics again. Truth must be called to mind often so it does not slip away.

BSA: remind (“bring to your remembrance, quietly suggest”): Peter gently brings truth back to mind, as a friend would.

2 Peter 1:13-14

Peter calls his body a tent, a temporary shelter soon to be taken down. He knows his death is near, as Jesus had shown him. This urgency drives him to stir up their memory while he still can.

BSA: tent (“tabernacle, temporary dwelling”): The body is a temporary home, not our permanent dwelling. refresh (“stir up, arouse”): Peter wants to wake their memory, not just inform it.

Greek: σκηνώματι (skēnōmati, G4638) — “tent, temporary dwelling.” A tent is portable and easily packed away. Peter sees his life in the body as a short stay.

See also: John 21:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:1.

2 Peter 1:15

Peter wants his teaching to last after he is gone. His ‘departure’ is a gentle word for death. He works so that believers can recall these truths long after he has left. This letter is part of that effort.

BSA: departure (“exit, death”): Peter speaks of death as a going out, not an end.

Greek: ἔξοδον (exodon, G1841) — “exit, departure.” This is the word ’exodus’. Peter sees death as a journey out, as Israel left Egypt, toward a promised home.

2 Peter 1:16

The message about Christ’s power and coming is not clever storytelling. Peter and the others saw Jesus’ majesty with their own eyes. The faith rests on real events, witnessed by real people.

BSA: fables (“myths, stories put together by art”): Peter rejects stories invented to impress; the gospel is not made up. eyewitnesses (“those who saw with their own eyes”): He speaks as someone who personally saw the glory of Christ.

Greek: ἐπόπται (epoptai, G2030) — “eyewitnesses, onlookers.” The word was used for those who saw a great sight with full awareness. It stresses direct, personal seeing.

See also: Matthew 17:1-5.

2 Peter 1:17

On the mountain, Jesus received honor and glory from the Father. A voice from the Majestic Glory declared Him to be the beloved Son in whom the Father delights. That was a preview of the glory Jesus will have at His coming.

BSA: beloved (“beloved, cherished”): The Father speaks of deep, personal love for His Son.

See also: Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7.

2 Peter 1:18

Peter stresses that he himself heard the voice from heaven. He was there on the holy mountain with Jesus. This is firsthand testimony, not rumor passed along.

BSA: holy (“set apart, sacred”): The mountain was set apart by God’s visible presence that day.

2 Peter 1:19

Beyond what Peter saw, there is the written word of the prophets, now confirmed by Christ’s coming. It is like a lamp in a dark place. We hold to it until Christ’s full light dawns, and the morning star, Christ Himself, rises in our hearts.

BSA: lamp (“light, shining beacon”): Scripture gives enough light to walk by while the night lasts. morning star (“light-bearing, radiant”): It points to Christ, whose arrival brings in the full day.

Greek: φωσφόρος (phōsphoros, G5459) — “light-bringer, morning star.” The word means the bringer of light, the star that announces dawn. Christ’s coming will end the night.

See also: Revelation 22:16; Psalm 119:105.

2 Peter 1:20

Peter says prophecy never came from a prophet’s own private reasoning. It follows that Scripture is not to be twisted to suit our own ideas. Christians understand the finer details of this verse in slightly different ways, but its main point is that Scripture’s source is God.

BSA: interpretation (“explanation, understanding”): Scripture is not a puzzle for anyone to solve by private opinion.

2 Peter 1:21

Prophecy never began with human will. People spoke from God, carried along by the Holy Spirit, like a ship borne by the wind. Their words were truly human, yet their source was God. So Scripture can be trusted.

BSA: carried along (“moved, inspired”): The Spirit moved the writers as wind moves a sail.

Greek: φερόμενοι (pheromenoi, G5342) — “being carried, borne along.” It is the word used of a ship driven by the wind (Acts 27:15). The prophets were moved by the Spirit and spoke with their own voices.

See also: 2 Timothy 3:16.