First-century apostles must have felt like pioneers in a mosquito-infested swamp. A pest attacked them. Slap! They'd kill it, and instantly another would land. Wherever they went new dangers swarmed up.
One group denied Jesus was God; then another declared him God but not fully man. The apostles denounce legalism, only to encounter free-swingers who assumed "anything goes." Members of one church quit work and huddled together to await Jesus' return; those of another gave up on his returning at all.
Second Peter was written in response to a young church's jumpy tendencies. Whereas 1 Peter centered on fearsome dangers from outside, this letter speaks to dangers from within. False teachers were stirring up dissent, questioning basic doctrines, and leading Christians into immorality.
Warning Signs
In its advice to the various squabbling groups, 2 Peter calls for a return to the true gospel. "I will always remind you of these things," the author says (1:12) and proceeds to go over some basic facts of how Christians should believe and behave. The book doesn't introduce many new insights; rather, it erects a giant warning sign against common pitfalls that endanger the church.
A key word, knowledge, echoes throughout this letter: 2 Peter refreshes readers' memories regarding the proper knowledge that makes possible "everything we need for life and godliness" (1:3). The author carefully grounds his knowledge in Old Testament prophets and eyewitness |
