2 Peter Bible Study/Intro & Chapter 1

15 Apr 2016 Walter Lanier

Read Time:3 Minute, 8 Second

Introduction to 2 Peter. In his first letter Peter feeds Christ’s sheep by instructing them how to deal with persecution. from outside the church (see 1Pe 4:12); in this second letter he teaches them how to deal with false teachers and evildoers who have come into the church (see 2:1 and 3:3-4). While the particular situations naturally call for variations in content and emphasis, in both letters Peter as a pastor (“shepherd”) of Christ’s sheep (Jn 21:15-17) seeks to commend to his readers a wholesome combination of Christian faith and practice. More specifically, his purpose is threefold: (1) to stimulate Christian growth (ch. 1), (2) to combat false teaching (ch. 2) and (3) to encourage watchfulness in view of the Lord’s certain return (ch. 3). (this introduction is from the Glo Bible app)

1-2 Peter’s Introduction. In these first verses, Peter opens with a customary opening address, identifying himself and those to whom he writes.

Peter identifies who he is in Christ. Why might this be important to Peter? To the church?
Who does Peter identify as his audience in verse 1? How do we see ourselves in this definition? How is our faith precious to us?

3-4 God’s Provision and the Godly Life. In verses 3 and 4, Peter tells the church of some important things that the Lord provides us to live a godly life and escape the corruption of the world.

What do these verses say that the Lord has provided?
What do we see as the godly life and the divine nature? How is it different from the corrupt world? Do we know what evil desires tempt us?
Peter speaks of the God’s “great and precious promises.” What are some of God’s promises that we stand on to strengthen our lives?
Peter talks about the God who “called us” in verse 3. What does it mean to you to be called by God?

5-9 Add to Your Faith. Where verses 3 and 4 tell us about God’s provision for us, verse 5-9 tell us about what we should be doing for Christian growth.

What do think about the truth that we must add to our faith?
How strong is Peter’s direction? Why do we think he says make “every effort?”
Why does the church need to be reminded of this?
What’s items on this list are you strong in? Which are most challenging? Make a plan for growth.
Verses 8 and 9 tells us the consequences of failing to add to our faith. What are the consequences Peter describes? How have we seen the consequences of a failing faith in our lives or the lives of others?

10-11 Confirm Calling and Election. In verse 10-11, Peter reminds the church that we have a calling and election from God.
What will we do with that truth? How do we feel knowing that God has called us and elected us? What is our reward?

12-15 Peter’s Charge & Passion. In these verses, we see Peter’s deep commitment to getting these words to the church. He will “always remind” us and he “will make every effort” to ensure we don’t forget it. Think about Peter’s journey and why these words and building faith might have been so important to him.

16-21 Peter’s Witness and God’s Prophecy. Peter’s parting words in this chapter remind us that he is not simply speaking what he thinks. He is speaking as a living witness to God’s life, God’s power, God’s transfiguration. In his last words he makes clear that he is not doing things or speaking words in his own power but that his power and his words are from God.