2 Peter 1 (KJV) - Bible Truth Library

16-21: and warns them to be constant in the faith of Christ, who is the true Son of God, by the eyewitness of the apostles beholding his majesty, and by the testimony of the Father, and the prophets.

Simon.

or, Symeon.

Acts 15:14• ¹⁴Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)

Peter.

Matt. 4:18• ¹⁸And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. (Matt. 4:18)

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Matt. 10:2• ²Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (Matt. 10:2)

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Luke 22:31‑34• ³¹And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
³²But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
³³And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
³⁴And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:31‑34)

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John 1:42• ⁴²And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. (John 1:42)

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John 21:15‑17• ¹⁵So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
¹⁶He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
¹⁷He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15‑17)

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1 Peter 1:1• ¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1)

a servant.

John 12:26• ²⁶If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. (John 12:26)

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Rom. 1:1• ¹Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Rom. 1:1)

an apostle.

Luke 11:49• ⁴⁹Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: (Luke 11:49)

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John 20:21• ²¹Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21)

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1 Cor. 9:1• ¹Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? (1 Cor. 9:1)

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1 Cor. 15:9• ⁹For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Cor. 15:9)

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Gal. 2:8• ⁸(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) (Gal. 2:8)

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Eph. 3:5• ⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Eph. 3:5)

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Eph. 4:11• ¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Eph. 4:11)

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1 Peter 5:1• ¹The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (1 Peter 5:1)

have.

2 Peter 1:4• ⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)

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Acts 15:8‑9• ⁸And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
⁹And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:8‑9)

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Rom. 1:12• ¹²That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. (Rom. 1:12)

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2 Cor. 4:13• ¹³We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; (2 Cor. 4:13)

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Eph. 4:5• ⁵One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (Eph. 4:5)

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Phil. 1:29• ²⁹For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Phil. 1:29)

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2 Tim. 1:5• ⁵When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. (2 Tim. 1:5)

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Titus 1:1,4• ¹Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
⁴To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. (Titus 1:1,4)

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1 Peter 1:7• ⁷That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:7)

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1 Peter 2:7• ⁷Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, (1 Peter 2:7)

through.

Jer. 33:16• ¹⁶In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. (Jer. 33:16)

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Rom. 1:17• ¹⁷For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Rom. 1:17)

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Rom. 3:21‑26• ²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Rom. 3:21‑26)

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1 Cor. 1:30• ³⁰But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Cor. 1:30)

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2 Cor. 5:21• ²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Cor. 5:21)

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Phil. 3:9• ⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Phil. 3:9)

of God and our Saviour.

Gr. of our God and Saviour.

Isa. 12:2• ²Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isa. 12:2)

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Luke 1:47• ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:47)

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Titus 2:13• ¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)

• The confession of absolute subjection to his Master conveyed in "bondman." Paul loved so to call himself, and Jude, and John. (““2 Peter”” by W. Kelly)

• To be somebody is the desire of fallen man, the world's spirit; to give up all in love and obedience is Christ's, who alone really had all things. It is our pattern now. Greatness according to Him is to be a true servant. (““2 Peter”” by W. Kelly)

• "Like precious faith" raises no question of measure of faith in those who believe, but asserts that what is believed is equally precious for the simplest Christian as for an apostle, in its source, agent, object, and result. (““2 Peter”” by W. Kelly)

• In our text it is not the believer obtaining God's righteousness through faith, but obtaining faith by the righteousness of their God and Savior Jesus Christ*: a quite different truth, and peculiar to the remnant which God ever has in Israel. (““2 Peter”” by W. Kelly)

• The difference between Jude and this epistle is, that while by Peter the Spirit of God speaks a great deal about corruption, it is in the world, whereas Jude gives you corruption in the Church — in that which bears the name of the Lord —ecclesiastical corruption. You get apostasy in both, especially in Jude. (“Partakers of the Divine Nature” by W.T.P. Wolston)

• Faith here is the portion we have now in the things that God gives, which in Christianity are revealed as truths, while the things promised are not yet come. (“2 Peter 1” by J.N. Darby)

• “The ‘precious faith’ is the faith of Christianity, in contrast with Judaism with which these believers had been connected.” (“Life and Godliness: 2 Peter 1” by H. Smith)

• The Jews religion could not be called a faith. It began with sight at Sinai….This precious faith has only come to us by the advent of the Lord Jesus as Savior. (“2 Peter 1” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

Simon Peter, bondman and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have received like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:

W. Kelly Translation

Simon Petera, bondmanb and apostle of Jesus Christ to them that obtained like precious faith with us in virtuec of [the] righteousnessd of our God ande Saviour Jesus Christ:

WK Translation Notes

The writer declares himself with yet more carefulness than when he wrote before, not "Peter" only but "Symeon Peter," name and surname. So, at the Jerusalem conference on the Gentile question, James speaks of him ({vi 27457}{/vi}) as "Symeon" (the Aramaic form of "Simon"), though historically designated "Peter" just before (vs. 7). A forger would have strenuously avoided any such shade of difference, superficial though it be; as he never would have conceived still greater care to attest thus minutely the Peter who added this Second Epistle.

No notice is taken by the Revisers, the needless enfeebling indefinite article twice over. Our tongue does not require "a" before "servant" or "bondman"; though it seems harsh to omit in English "the" before "righteousness."

This verse does not touch on the ground of justification, but asserts that the saints he addressed obtained like precious faith with the apostles, in virtue of the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Even if we adopt the marginal suggestion, it would mean that our God and Saviour Jesus Christ took care, according to His faithful regard to the promises, that there should ever be a remnant according to the election of grace. Hence He, in His righteousness, secured that they should get faith. Christ’s law-keeping is not a question: introduce it, and you spoil the sense. For how could His legal obedience bring any one to faith?

The RV has the great defect of reading "faith with us in the righteousness" which suggests in our idiom the object believed in. This is not the aim of the passage. The Apostle means that the Christian Jews, to whom he is for the second time addressing himself, obtained like precious faith with us "your apostles" (3:2) in virtue of (or through) the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ; as the Revisers rightly give the last words in their text. There were special promises to the fathers about the blessing of their seed, and God was righteous in fulfilling them. There has always been a believing remnant of that people, if of no other continuously. Jesus, not more truly man than the Lord God of Israel, has been faithful to that word of distinguishing favour; and if those Jews to whom Peter was writing received faith, like precious faith with the apostles, it was in virtue of His making good the promise to them and their children by giving them to believe. Such is the righteousness here meant. Hence "through" in the KJV is substantially correct, as being less ambiguous than "in."

No scholar who has adequately weighed the construction contests that the omission of the second article admits of two persons strictly united in joint agency, the phrase seems impossible unless both stood on precisely the same platform of nature or position. Now I am disposed to believe that in the Epistles of Peter, as in that to the Hebrews, the inspired writer meant to strengthen those addressed in the great truth that Jesus was the Jehovah of Israel, the true God, no less than the Father.