II Peter 1 · The Lantern

A Greeting from Peter

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith equal in privilege with ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

There is nothing to equal this, which is why we pray and seek after the angel of peace. Everywhere we pray for peace in the churches—in the prayers, in the supplications and in the sermons. And the Guardian of the church gives it to us not once or twice but many times over: "Peace be unto you." Why? Because peace is the mother of all good things and the foundation of our joy.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you, etc. In the first Epistle he wrote: Grace and peace be multiplied to you (1 Peter 1). But in this one: Grace and peace be fulfilled to you, because, of course, he wrote the former letter to those beginning, and this one to those more perfect.

The connection is as follows: grace and peace be multiplied to you, who, in the knowledge of God and of Christ Jesus our Lord, have received a faith equally precious with ours, according to the righteousness of our God.

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Accordingly his divine power has given us all things toward life and godliness, through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence,

Here Peter is talking about the Scriptures, the miracles which Christ did in the flesh, the work of baptism and the doctrine which was preached, all of which bring us into the enjoyment of eternal life.

Through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue. And this too depends on the previous passage, because through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we have recognized all the mysteries of His divinity by which we are saved.

The connection is as follows: may grace and peace be multiplied to you, since all things pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus, have been granted to you by His divine power—that grace—for the knowledge of glory and virtue, for which the greatest promises have been granted, so that you, having escaped from the worldly corruption that c…

through which he has given us the precious and magnificent promises, so that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world in desire.

And as, if one devote himself to Ischomachus, he will make him a farmer; and to Lampis, a mariner; and to Charidemus, a military commander; and to Simon, an equestrian; and to Perdices, a trader; and to Crobytus, a cook; and to Archelaus, a dancer; and to Homer, a poet; and to Pyrrho, a wrangler; and to Demosthenes, an orator; and to Chrysippus, a dialectician; and to Aristotle…

Why should I add further, carrying you, as it were, through the whole course, that God made man partaker of the Divine nature, as we read in the Epistle of Peter?

The connection is as follows: so that you, having escaped from the worldly corruption that is brought about through fleshly lust, might become partakers of the divine nature, for "having escaped" means the same as "having been freed." He calls the consequence of worldly lust "corruption" because it is composed of and revolves around corrupt things.

And for this very reason, bringing in all earnestness, supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, to virtue, knowledge, to knowledge, self-control, to self-control, perseverance, to perseverance, godliness, to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. The step leads to promotion: first indeed faith, which is the foundation and basis or principle of good things.

He shows the degrees of progress. In the first place is faith, since it is the foundation and support of good. In the second place is virtue, that is, works, for without them, as the Apostle James says, "faith is dead" (Jas. 2:26). Next is discernment. What kind of discernment?

To this piety blessed Peter invites us, who was the other Apostle, in his second Canonical epistle saying: "Supply in faith virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge abstinence, in abstinence patience, in patience piety, in piety brotherly love, and in brotherly love charity." What does he mean? He places piety in the middle of two, namely between patience and charity.

and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness,

and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

For these things being in you and abounding make you neither idle nor unfruitful as to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These things, as well as those already mentioned, namely, virtue, knowledge, continence, patience, godliness, brotherly love and charity, must not only be present in us, they must be present to overflowing. For if their presence is a good thing, how much more their abundance!

For if these things are with you and abound, you will be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "For if these things are with you and abound." What are these? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, which must not only be present but also abound.

What are "these"? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, which must not only exist but also increase. For if acquiring them is profitable, then increasing them is far more profitable. What then is the benefit of them? That the one who has them is safe at the second coming of the Lord.

For the one in whom these things are not present is blind, being short-sighted, having received forgetfulness of the purification of his former sins.

When we hear these things, we must fortify ourselves and obey what is said, and cleanse ourselves from earthly things. If we do that, we shall share in his blessings, and we shall not need anything else. But if we do not obey, we shall be destroyed. What difference does it make whether we are destroyed through wealth or through laziness?

For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. "has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." This is similar to what was said by blessed James: "For if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer: he shall be compared to a man beholding his natural face in a mirror.

Blind (μυωπάζων). This expression refers to mice (μυων), which constantly remain in blindness underground. The saying of the Apostle Peter is similar to what was said by the Apostle James, namely: "whoever hears the word and does not do it, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror" (Jas. 1:23).

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for doing these things you will never stumble at any time.

For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.

Therefore I will always be ready to remind you concerning these things, though you know them and are strengthened in the truth that is present with you.

The people to whom Peter is writing already know what he has to say because they have read his first letter. The truth which he has to share with them is the New Testament, for as Paul said: "The old has passed away, and all things are made new in Christ."

Peter repeats what he has already said about virtue and the commandments consequent on it, through which we shall enter the kingdom of heaven with great assurance. Notice how, when speaking of the kingdom of heaven, Peter first goes over the things we should be afraid of and then over the good things, ending up with the judgment seat.

About what — "about these things"? About the aforementioned, namely: virtue, knowledge, and the rest. Note how previously the apostle sought to motivate by fear — the coming of the Judge, and now he persuades by the promise of good things — entrance into the eternal Kingdom of God.

And I count it right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance,

Peter thought that it was right to call Gentiles to faith, but the Jews did not. This is why he expresses himself like this here.

I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, etc. We usually make use of a tabernacle in journey or in war, and rightly therefore the faithful, as long as they are in the body and are away from the Lord, testify that they are in tabernacles, in which they may conduct the journey of this life and fight against the adversaries of the truth.

So that with the constant reminder of the same things they would not think they were being condemned for idleness, and not be grieved, the apostle added: "though you know and are established in the present truth." And in explanation of the reason for the constant reminder, he added that he knows that the dissolution of his body will soon follow.

knowing that the putting off of my tent is imminent, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.

And I will be diligent that at every time, after my departure, you may be able to call these things to remembrance.

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty

For we did not follow contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

The constructions of the heretics are myths and human fantasies, which Paul wants us to avoid, as he writes: "Warn a heretic once or twice, and after that have nothing to do with him." Peter is here already starting to do battle against the heretics. To the extent that they do not possess the truth, heretics are obliged to concoct a lie by using flowery words.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths, etc. Here he touches upon both pagans and heretics, the former of whom did not fear to call whatever pleased them gods; the latter, after receiving the mysteries of the true God, no longer paid attention to the divine Scriptures but instead tried to transfer them by badly interpreting them according to their own erroneous understand…

Demanding strict attention from the believers to his proclamation and insisting on this at length, even though they already know and have heard it more than once, the apostle now says: it is not in vain that I dwell on this, but because I recognize the full importance of it. Why so?

For having received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory: “My Son, my beloved — this is he, in whom I found delight.”

The one who received glory and honor was not inferior to the one who bestowed these things, because it was in his human flesh that the Son received them, not in his eternal divinity.

And there were certain ones who said that the second Epistle of Peter, in which the Epistles of Paul are praised, was not his. But if they had been willing to weigh the words of that Epistle, they could have thought far otherwise.

Not because there is any prophecy about a voice of the Father that came down from heaven, but because from this voice of the Father from heaven, which testified to the sonship of Jesus Christ, we became convinced that everything revealed through the prophets indisputably pertains to Him of whom the Father testifies.

And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven, being with him on the holy mountain.

And we have the prophetic word made more certain, to which you do well to take heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts —

The blessed apostle Peter, with two other disciples of Christ the Lord, James and John, was up the mountain with the Lord himself and heard a voice coming down from heaven saying "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

The prophets of the New and of the Old Testament spoke in the same Spirit. If it is true that some things were saved to be revealed in the New Testament, it is also true that the prophets of the Old Testament were commanded to be silent about them. For prophets are not what they are merely because of what they say. Their whole being proclaims their calling.

The second certainty existed in the minds of prophets. We have the word of prophecy, surer still, to which you do well to attend, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. This, then, you must understand first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is made by private interpretation.

knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of one’s own interpretation.

For prophecy was never brought by the will of man, but men spoke from God, being carried by the Holy Spirit.

For as the blessed prophets were made, so to speak, eyes for us, they foresaw through faith the mysteries of the word, and became ministers of these things also to succeeding generations, not only reporting the past, but also announcing I the present and the future, so that the prophet might not appear to be one only for the time being, but might also predict the future for all…

For prophecy never came by the will of man, etc. They could always foretell the future; but the Spirit itself filled their hearts whenever it wished; thus, it was not in their power to teach whatever they wanted, but they spoke only what they had learned, enlightened by the Spirit. We say this so that no one may dare to interpret the Scriptures according to their own will.

"For prophecy never came by the will of man" (2 Pet. 1:21), this means: the prophets received prophecy from God, but not as they willed, but as the Spirit of God acted; they were conscious of and comprehended the prophetic word sent down to them, but they did not provide an explanation of it.

II Peter1

A Greeting from Peter

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty