1 [a]Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same [b]kind as ours, [c]by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus [d]our Lord,
2 Peter 1:1-2 (NASB) 中文
Another letter of Peter
Peter writes another letter to churches (probably a mix of Gentiles and Jews) in the Northwestern part of modern day Turkey – as we said in 1 Peter 1. He refers to himself as a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul also referred to himself as a bondservant in Galatians 1:10. Some would say it’s better to say slave than bond-servant since a true follower of Christ has relinquished the ownership of their life and given the title to Christ.
Peter was also an apostle. “The word apostle means ‘one who is sent out.’ In the New Testament, there are two primary usages of the word apostle. The first is in specifically referring to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The second is in generically referring to other individuals who are sent out to be messengers/ambassadors of Jesus Christ.” (gotquestions.org)
Fellow recipients
And he refers to his readers as those who have received a faith like ours. This faith is received, not earned. It’s a gift, not the result of good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It comes not from our own righteousness (for our good works are at best like filthy rags – Isaiah 64:6). But it comes through Jesus Christ’s righteousness – the perfect, spotless Lamb of God – as Peter called him in 1 Peter 1:19. And Peter makes it clear: Jesus is God!
Recipients of grace
And Peter offers them a blessing of grace and peace through growing in their (our) knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will develop this more in the letter. “As recipients of God’s grace we have resources that create responsibilities, namely, God’s power, and His promises. We, for our part, need to give diligence to our responsibilities of responding to God’s power and remembering God’s promises.” (Constable commentary) And one key way to do this is studying God’s Word, memorizing it, meditating on His Word then applying it.
Summary
I like this quote from Dr. Constable, a summary of the letter. “The Christian life is a lot like water skiing. We have to lean back [in faith] and let God pull us out of the dragging influences that hold us down. However, we also have to hold on to the rope: to keep following His leading. When we do both things He enables us to overcome.” (Constable commentary)
RЯeflection
- Are you a recipient of God’s grace? If not, click here. If you are, ask if you are living in this grace and, dig in with us as we go through this letter.
- Do you get the analogy of water skiing? Are we leaning on God fully, in faith, to save us from our sins? It’s easy to “fall back” into the water (as Peter did when he walked on water) when we see the troubles of life around us. Keep holding on and trusting God. Don’t let go. He alone will save us.
