ES2PeJ01: 2 Peter & Jude: Introduction, 2 Peter 1:1a and Jude 1a

2 Peter 1:1–4 NIV

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Jude 1 NKJV

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

Today we are going to look at 2 Peter and Jude. These two letters are very similar in their content though with different purposes. They have borrowed either from the same sources that must have been well known to them at the time, or Jude used Peter’s material or vice versa.

So, first I am going to give an introduction to 2 Peter and then we will have an introduction to Jude before looking at a couple of verses.

INTRO TO 2 PETER

Author

In the NIV we do not see the nuance of Simon Peter’s name. In the original it says Simeon. This is how his Jewish name actually is and so it is natural for him to use the original form of his name. It is like my surname Thomas in Macedonian - it’s pronounced the same but it is spelt without the ‘h’. In Greek his name is Simon but in Hebrew Simeon. I’ve never understood why people’s names change depending on where you live.

Now, let me be clear. The majority of scholars do not think that this was written by Peter the Apostle. Few dispute the first letter but the second, what we are looking at today, was not. I will explain why they are wrong. First, of course, is that this is Holy Scripture, and it does not lie to us: It says it is Simeon therefore it is Simeon. Not only that, throughout this letter he talks of seeing Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and also about his own impending death that was prophesied. This means that the letter was written sometime before his death in about 67AD.

Not only that but if this is someone claiming to be Peter and it was not the early church would have rejected this letter outright for they would have regarded it as a forgery.

I think the onus is on others to prove that he did not write the letter rather than on us to prove he did. I think, actually, I know, this was written by Simon Peter for it says so. That’s enough for me and should be for us all.

We do not know where this letter was written from but it was probably Rome as he is expected to have been in prison by this time awaiting his crucifixion. This, of course, is only known from tradition and like all tradition it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Let us not be caught up in arguments about things we can never be sure about but it is helpful to know that this is what is thought to have happened for Peter, for tradition says, he was crucified upside down by Emperor Nero because Peter did not want to die the same way as his master.

Purpose

Peter, in his second letter, calls upon us to establish right and practical living based upon the teachings of the Apostles. We are called to grow spiritually. All this so that we can combat apostasy in the Church and immoral practices. Peter wrote to warn against false teachers and the negative influence they can have on moral living. Jesus is coming back and those who are not doing His will, will be condemned. Persistence in faithfulness to the Word will be rewarded.

The letter emphasises true knowledge of God while facing false teaching and encourages readers to maintain Christian virtue in the midst of the world’s vice.

If we ask for directions, as Sylvia mentioned to me happened to her in Italy, and we ask the wrong person they are likely to send us on a wild goose chase. We need someone to be clear and concise about how to get to our destination. This is Peter and this letter. The main theme is ‘the knowledge of God’. We need answers on the great questions relating to eternal judgement, the coming Kingdom, and how to live as a result. It is then down to us how we hear but if we do not hear, that is, we do not live according to this knowledge then we could hear Peter say instead; “Don’t say I didn’t tell you”.

True knowledge can only come from a true knowledge of Jesus as God’s Son. True knowledge can only come knowing God and fully living as committed disciples. True knowledge can only come from knowing God and that Jesus will return.

In summary:

Preaching the Word: 1 & 2 Peter and Jude—Sharing Christ’s Sufferings The Aim of Second Peter

First, this letter is written to establish, strengthen, and stabilize Christians in the true knowledge of God.

Preaching the Word: 1 & 2 Peter and Jude—Sharing Christ’s Sufferings The Aim of Second Peter

the letter intends to rebuke, warn, and correct those among us who teach and revel in any other knowledge of God.

It is worth bearing in mind what James says in:

James 3:1 NKJV

1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

These need to be sound in their doctrine and in their lives for what they teach and what they do can have a profound effect upon the beliefs and moral outworking of the Christian lives of others.

We are called into the knowledge of God and through it live lives that are fruitful for Him. Such knowledge will also keep us from falling and ensure us that we will enter the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. We are, then, to make every effort to grow in this knowledge and live out the Christian faith. And when I say knowledge I do not just mean head knowledge but a firsthand experience of God through Christ.

Outline

Let me give a quick outline of 2 Peter:

Greeting (1:1-2)

Grow in faith (1:3-11)

Scripture that is worth following (1:12-21)

Warnings about not losing our way (2:1-22)

Reminders that hold us fast (3:1-10)

Be fruitful whilst waiting for Christ to return (3:11-18)

Now I will introduce the letter from Jude:

INTRO TO JUDE

Author

The first thing to note is his name. In English we call him Jude. I am not entirely sure why this is for the Greek clearly calls him Judas. It may be to avoid the notorious one of the same name who betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. But Judas is his name and it will become clear why this is important in a moment.

Jude opens his letter calling himself a slave of Jesus and all people who are close to Jesus are happy to own this title but Jude is even more special for he does not draw attention to the fact that this is the brother of Jesus. We know who he is for he mentions his brother James who also wrote the letter in our bibles of the same name and who was leader of the Church in Jerusalem as mentioned in Acts 15 and we find out that he is Jesus’ brother from Galatians 1:19. I know that for those brought up in the Catholic Church it might come as a shock but not to those who know their bibles: Jesus was born first through the virgin birth but afterwards Mary had other children through Joseph: They are named in Mark 6:3 and in Matthew 13:55-56. They were James, Joses, Judas and Simon. He also had sisters, plural, but we do not know their names. Mary, plainly, did not remain a virgin despite what the Catholic and Orthodox Churches teach.

Jude was not a believer at first, like his brother James, or for that matter any of his siblings but he now believes that Jesus, his brother is the Messiah who came to save the world. Therefore Jude acknowledges that he is the servant of Jesus. Now, not only that, Jude was with Jesus day in day out throughout their childhood and beyond - if there was anything to suggest Jesus was not sinless, anything to suggest He was not what He claimed to be - it is family that discovers it first - and Jude had nothing bad to say only good about Jesus and was happy to own the title of servant.

We should note that some scholars have wondered whether whether this was an authentic letter simply because it quotes from works that are apocryphal. But those parts he does quote can be taken as being absolutely true and were taken into Holy Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We will come to these quotes in due course.

Purpose

Whilst the purpose of Peter’s letter is about the knowledge of God, living right and stability in one’s life in God; Jude’s purpose is to defend the Church against intruders who seek to undermine a Christian’s faith. The purpose is set out clearly in verse 3: contend for the faith. In Peter’s letter we are to expend all our energy on knowing God; in Jude we are to expend our energy on the very real fight against false teachers. We will find that they both write with similar objectives from different angles. Both warn of false doctrine or teaching along with promiscuous living for this invites God’s judgement.

Jude uses very active words: we are to remember the words of the apostles, we are to keep ourselves in the love of God, we are to build one another up, we are to pray in the Spirit, we are to wait for God’s mercy, we are to contend for the faith in words and deed. And it is this last one that Jude is most insistent on. He wants contenders and he wants them now.

Outline

Let me give a quick outline of Jude:

Greeting (1-2)

Purpose (3-4)

God’s past judgement (5-7)

Warning about false teachers (8-16)

Be faithful (17-23)

Doxology (24-25)

So, let us come to the first couple of verses of 2 Peter:

2 Peter:

Verse 1

As with all the letters in the New Testament the author introduces himself, in this case, as Simeon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus. This establishes his authority to write and therefore we are to hear with open ears and attentiveness.

This being said:

Everyone of us fails and have faults. So, when we see those who put themselves forward, who says they will get it done, that they will not fall or fail we respect such and admire them. Today’s films are all about superheroes. And they pack the cinemas. We even have such in our bibles.

Such a person seemed to be Simon. He was no Superman though, I think, he fancied himself one at times.

Preaching the Word: 1 & 2 Peter and Jude—Sharing Christ’s Sufferings Our Appreciation for Peter

This explains the soft spot we have in our hearts for Simon Peter. Peter was a man who made big claims, yet knew how to fall—and fall hard. One writer pictured Peter this way: “When I think of Peter, I imagine a broad-shouldered, loud, extroverted, assertive man who is always sweating.… He was a headstrong, unbridled hulk who was always getting into trouble and causing his Master plenty of the same.”

We find Simon talking when he should be listening when God is speaking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, he was sleeping when he should be praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he stepped out when he should have held back when he cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant, and held back when he should have stepped out in having his feet washed. So many other failures but one that looms larger than all:

Matthew 26:31 NIV

31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Matthew 26:33–35 NIV

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

And what happened? Peter did fall. And the third time before the “intimidating” presence of a young servant girl in the high priest’s courtyard.

But this same Peter speaks of falling nearly straight away in his opening verses and therefore we should really hear what he says:

2 Peter 1:10 ESV

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

What we can take away from all this and take to heart is that he made it through. Why? Because he was good? Because he was such a great guy? No, of course not! He made it because Jesus prayed for him.

Luke 22:32 NKJV

But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

What I love about these words is that if we remember his purpose in writing it was so that Christians would be established, strengthened, and stabilised in the knowledge of God. To this day he is strengthening Christians through what he wrote. He fulfilled his calling - if we remember from John 21 in this morning’s sermon, Jesus told him in restoring his relationship with him: Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. What a guy!

We are all like Simon who mess up. We want to do what is right but we fail, fall down. Our hearts and our flesh fail us but we also will make it like Simon because Jesus is praying for us too:

Hebrews 7:25 NKJV

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We will make it because He is faithful. You can fall and still finish. By God’s grace we stand and God is able to make us stand. It is only because of the righteousness of Jesus. He alone can bring us home.

Prayer

Preaching the Word: 1 & 2 Peter and Jude—Sharing Christ’s Sufferings Our Desire for a Faith that Finishes Well

Our Heavenly Father, we are not Superman. Thank you for this letter from one whom we know fell hard. Take his life and teaching, and under the guidance of your Holy Spirit enable us to get up and stand on our feet again. Show us what it means to follow in the right way. Help us with what is required. And one day, when our life is nearly done, may we, like Peter, be prepared to stand in your presence firmly fixed in abiding faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Benediction

Ephesians 3:17–19 CSB

17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Bibliography

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Blum, E. A., & Wax, T. (Eds.). (2017). CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christ’s sufferings. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). 1 Peter–Jude. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

Elwell, W. A. (1995). Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 15:49 27 April 2019.