Jet Tour Through 2 Peter Series

2 Peter - Caution

INTRODUCTION: 2 Peter along with 1, 2, 3 John and Jude were all written to address the very real danger of false doctrine and false teachers in the Church. It is easy to understand why this was so necessary: (1) The NT had not yet been completed, nor widely disseminated; (2) The Christian faith was new, and the religious background of its converts was varied; (3) Profit seeking religious teachers looked for easy opportunities to make a quick buck and found it in the infant Church; & (4) The Jews, jealous for their ancient faith, looked upon Christianity as a threat and sought to return the Jewish Believers to their OT form of worship.

I. The Author of the Book - Peter

A. Peter’s name appears only once in this letter, and 1st person pronouns are used 12 times.

B. In this letter Peter identifies himself as:

1. A servant and an apostle of Christ (1:1);

2. Faithful not to neglect teaching the important truths of Christ (1:12-13);

3. An eyewitness to the transfiguration (1:16-18);

4. Expecting his martyrdom to soon take place (1:14).

C. For biographical information on Peter, see notes above on 1 Peter.

II. The Recipients of the Book

A. Mention of this being the “second epistle” (3:1) he had written to the readers, indicates that it was intended for the same congregations as 1 Peter.

B. For more information, refer to notes on 1 Peter.

III. The Date and Place of Writing

A. Date - Written around 66 AD

B. Place - Unknown

IV. The Purpose of the Book

A. To stir the saints to godliness.

B. To warn of false teachers and scoffers.

C. To contrast true and false knowledge.

D. To describe the judgment of the coming Day of the Lord.

V. The Keys to the Book

A. Key thought - True knowledge is evidenced by growth in godliness.

B. Key phrase - “there shall be false teachers among you”

C. Key verse - 2:1

D. Key words -

1. Know - 16 times

2. Day - 12 times

3. Righteousness - 8 times

VI. The Outline of the Book

A. The Development of faith (Ch. 1)

1. The Gift of faith (vv. 1-4)

2. The Growth of faith (vv. 5-11)

3. The Ground of faith (vv. 12-21)

B. The Denunciation of false teachers (Ch. 2)

1. Their Conduct (vv. 1-3)

2. Their Condemnation (vv. 4-9)

3. Their Characteristics (vv. 10-17)

4. Their Claims (vv. 18-22)

C. The Design of the future (Ch. 3)

1. Derision (vv. 1-7)

2. Delay (vv. 8-9)

3. Dissolution (vv. 10-13)

4. Diligence (vv. 14-18)