Divine Safeguards - 2 Peter
Introduction
Proposition: To remind believers that God has equipped them with Divine safeguards against the danger of leaving the faith.
Interrogative: What are the safeguards against the danger of leaving the faith?
I. Growth In salvation (1:1-11)
A. The Reality of God’s Power (1:1-4)
As in most other New Testament letters, Peter began by naming the sender, the recipients, and adding a greeting. The sender, “Simon Peter,” is identified in the first words of the letter and the recipients by the phrase “to those who … have received a faith as precious as ours.” The greeting is communicated in v. 2. Virtually all New Testament letters contain greetings that are more weighty than what is typical in Greco-Roman culture. Peter not only identified himself but explained why he was qualified to write to his readers. He was a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. The recipients are described in terms of their faith in God, which is theirs by virtue of the righteousness of their God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Peter did not restrict himself to the usual “greetings” (chairein) of the Greco-Roman world, but he prayed that God’s grace and peace would abound in their lives through the knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus. Some of the central themes of the letter appear in the greeting: the centrality of faith in the Christian life, the saving righteousness of God, the primacy of Jesus Christ, and the importance of knowing God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, the themes of grace and knowledge form an inclusio since the letter ends with an admonition to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (3:18).
The grammar of vv. 3–4 is complicated and difficult, and the NIV has smoothed it out for English readers.1 Verse 3 begins with the word hōs (“as”). Most likely the “as” clause that introduces vv. 3–4 introduces the exhortation that follows in vv. 5–7.2 This yields good sense, for God’s power and grace are the foundation for the call to a life of godliness in vv. 5–7. Others argue that the “as” in v. 3 loosely connects vv. 3–4 with v. 2. If this is the case, hōs could be translated as “seeing that.”3 The logical relationship between the verses if we follow this latter interpretation would be as follows. In v. 2 Peter prayed that grace and peace would abound in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Verse 3 explains the resources believers have through knowing God. Those who know God have everything they need for life and godliness. A decision is difficult here since the grammar is rather awkward. We probably should see vv. 3–4 as linked with vv. 5–7, for the salutation would be unusually long if vv. 3–4 were joined with vv. 1–2.4 Furthermore, it seems to make the most sense to see vv. 3–4 as the presupposition for the exhortation in vv. 5–7.5 The contents of vv. 3–4 are crucial in interpreting the imperatives that follow in vv. 5–7. Peter did not fall prey to moralism or synergism. The call to godliness is rooted in and secured by God’s grace; his gracious power supplies what he demands.
Unraveling the logic within vv. 3–4 is not easy. I understand the flow of thought as follows. Those who know God have everything they need for life and godliness, that is, they have everything they need for eternal life—the eschatological gift of life that has been inaugurated in the present age through the death and resurrection of Christ.6 The reason they have everything they need for eternal life is explained in the last part of v. 3, namely, Christ has called believers by means of his moral excellence and glory. Christ’s call, as Peter understood it, is an effective one, so that believers understand the glory of Christ when they are called to salvation. When God calls or speaks, it is so, as when he said, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). The call of Christ, then, is effective and performative.
Understanding the connection between vv. 3 and 4 is, if anything, more difficult. Identifying the antecedent of the pronoun “these” (hōn) is the subject of debate. It probably refers back to “his own glory and goodness” (v. 3). We could say that Christ has given precious and very great promises to his people as they perceive his glory and moral beauty. The glory of Christ is not limited to his moral excellence, but his moral excellence and goodness are what Peter emphasized here. And through these promises (toutōn in Greek) believers participate even now in the divine nature, since they have escaped the corruption that is in the world, a corruption that has its roots in evil desire. Peter was not saying, of course, that believers are sinless now. In one sense believers have already escaped the corruption of the world and are like God even now, but the process will not be completed until the day of the Lord. Only on the last day will believers be free from sin and fully like God.
B. The Necessity of Spiritual Growth (1:5-11)
1. The importance of Diligence
2. The Importance of Knowledge
The logical relationship between vv. 3–4 and vv. 5–7 is crucial. Verses 5–7 summon the readers to a life of virtue, but vv. 3–4 remind us that a life of godliness is rooted in and dependent upon God’s grace. Believers should live in a way that pleases God because Christ has given them everything they need for life and godliness. The indicative of God’s gift precedes and undergirds the imperative that calls for human exertion. Peter did not lapse, therefore, into works righteousness here since he grounded his exhortations in God’s merciful gifts.
The striking feature in these verses is the chain of eight virtues. It is doubtful, contrary to some commentators, that the number eight is selected because it is the perfect number.37 Nor should we conclude that there are only eight virtues to be pursued. We make a mistake in detecting any significance in the number of virtues listed. Peter used a literary form here that is called sorites, in which we have a step-by-step chain that culminates in a climax. We see an example of this in Wis 6:17–20: “The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom” (RSV). An example that is even closer appears in the Mishnah: “Heedfulness leads to cleanliness, and cleanliness leads to purity, and purity leads to abstinence, and abstinence leads to holiness, and holiness leads to humility, and humility leads to the shunning of sin, and the shunning of sin leads to saintliness, and saintliness leads to the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead (m. Sotah 9:15).38 When we examine the chain of virtues in 2 Peter, it is doubtful that we should understand each virtue as actually building on the previous one.39 Charles insists that there is a logical progression.40 He explains the order as follows: Faith is the root of all moral virtue, and such virtue is linked with what we do with our knowledge of God.41 If we use this knowledge well, we will exercise self-control. Such self-control will give us ability to endure difficulties. Endurance will then lead to godliness in our relationships, and these relationships will be governed by brotherly affection and Christian love.
Even in Charles’s analysis he seems to intertwine virtue and knowledge by implying that the former is somehow dependent on the latter.42 It is difficult to see how goodness literally precedes knowledge. One could just as easily argue that we need knowledge in order to pursue what is good. Or, at the very least, we can conceive of how the two are mutually interrelated. Neither is it evident that one will only have self-control when one has knowledge. And, is it clear that self-control must precede endurance? The ethical chain of virtues, therefore, is more likely a literary device, and it would be a mistake to read anything into the order in which the virtues are listed. Practically, the matter is important, for the other interpretation could possibly lead one to work on one virtue at a time, thinking that one virtue must be “mastered” before moving on to another. Such a view of the Christian life smacks of moralism and a Ben Franklin approach to the Christian life, where we concentrate for a period of time on a particular virtue. Such a view is an invitation to self-effort instead of dependence upon God. There could be two exceptions to what has just been said. It does seem significant that the chain begins with faith and ends with love. Faith is the root of all the virtues, and love is the goal and climax of the Christian life.43 Otherwise, we should not press the order of the virtues listed, nor should we think Peter encouraged his readers to work first on one virtue before moving to the next one.
The word “for” (gar) connects vv. 8–11 with vv. 5–7. If the virtues listed in vv. 5–7 are abounding in the lives of believers, their knowledge of Jesus Christ is fruitful and effective (v. 8). On the other hand, if these qualities are lacking, such persons are blind, and they have forgotten about their forgiveness of sins (v. 9). What precisely was Peter saying in such statements? Verses 10–11 help us clarify what he had in mind. Believers are enjoined to confirm their calling and election by practicing the virtues described in vv. 5–7. It is only by practicing these virtues that the readers will avoid stumbling. That is, the readers will escape apostasy if they put into practice such godly qualities. In this way, that is, by living a godly life, they will enter into the eternal kingdom on the day of the Lord. It would be tempting for some who are familiar with Paul to dismiss this theology as a form of works righteousness. But Paul himself insisted that those who practice the works of the flesh will not inherit God’s kingdom (Gal 5:21). He taught the unrighteous that they would be excluded from the kingdom (1 Cor 6:9–11). Moreover, Peter had not abandoned the fundamental character of God’s grace. We have already seen in 1:3–4 that everything needed for life and godliness has been given to us. Christ’s call is so powerful that we are promised that we will obtain glory and moral virtue. Even now believers have escaped the world’s corruption in the sense that their desires have been changed, though the consummation of that process will only occur on the day of the Lord.
Transition:
II. Dependence on Divine Revelation (1:12-21)
A. The Certification of Apostles (1:12-15)
B. The Dependability of the Written Word (1:16-21)
In the previous paragraph (vv. 12–15) Peter resolved before his death to remind his readers of the truth of the gospel, focusing especially on the need to live virtuously, so that they would enter the heavenly kingdom (vv. 5–11). The call to virtue is grounded in God’s saving work and should not, therefore, be dismissed as works righteousness. In vv. 16–21 he began to respond to those who were deflecting his readers from their eternal reward.16 The false teachers doubted the future coming of Jesus Christ, apparently maintaining that life will go on as it always has (3:3–7). If there is no second coming or judgment, Peter’s emphasis on pursuing godliness diligently to receive an eternal reward collapses. Living a godly life is optional, to say the least, if one’s heavenly destiny is not involved. We see from v. 16 that the false teachers rejected the idea of a future coming of Jesus Christ as a fable.17 Peter defended the truth of the coming of Christ in a surprising manner. He appealed to his eyewitness testimony of what occurred at the transfiguration. Apparently he conceived of the transfiguration as a proleptic and prophetic indication of the glory and power of Christ that would be displayed at his future coming. Peter combated the idea that the coming of Christ is a fable by appealing to history, to what was seen and heard, and the historical event of the transfiguration anticipates a later event in history—the coming of Jesus Christ.
Application: Do you elevate your own experience or private interpretations above the objective truth of God’s Word?
Transition: Peter’s confidence in the written Word is contrasted with the deception of these false teachers.
III. Discernment in Identifying False Teachers (2:1-22)
A. Deceptive in their Infiltration (2:1-3)
It now becomes evident why the readers needed to be reminded about the importance of a godly life and why they needed to maintain the truth of Jesus’ future coming. False teachers had arisen within the church who denied the former and questioned the latter. If there is no future coming of the Lord, the foundation for ethics vanishes, and the way is opened for a dissolute lifestyle. The words in chap. 1 do not represent an abstract thesis on Christian growth. Peter urgently responded to a threat to the churches, to false teaching that was inevitably accompanied by an evil lifestyle.
The connection between the end of chap. 1 and the beginning of chap. 2 is prophecy. Peter concluded the first chapter by emphasizing that his readers should pay heed to the prophetic word as their source of illumination and teaching. The prophetic Scriptures should be trusted because both the revelation and its interpretation are from God, since the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets. Now in chap. 2 he remarked that not all prophets were from God. As the Old Testament amply demonstrates, false prophets also existed among God’s people. Indeed, it was prophesied that false teachers would also arise in the church. The prediction about the arrival of false teachers, according to Peter, had now been fulfilled. Errant teachers were in the midst of God’s people, and they were introducing teachings that would lead people to eternal destruction. People would suffer judgment because they denied the Lord Jesus Christ by both their behavior and teaching, despite the fact that as their master he bought them and made them his servants. When Peter thought of denying the Lord, he considered the penalty that comes from such denial—swift destruction. In vv. 2–3 the influence of the false teachers is sketched in. Many would be attracted to their antinomian sensual teaching, and their dissolute lifestyle would bring criticism upon the gospel of truth. The false teachers were motivated by covetousness, and they would exploit others with their rhetorical artistry. Nonetheless, though judgment seemed to be far off, it would come. They would not escape forever.
B. Doomed by Their Iniquity (2:4-10a)
Verse 3b is a transitional verse, and hence some commentators link it with this section; but since the verse is transitional, it fits well with either paragraph.25 The logic of vv. 1–3 functions like this: Because the false teachers both lived wickedly and disseminated their wickedness to others (vv. 1–3a), therefore God would certainly judge them (v. 3b). The theme of God’s judgment in v. 3b also informs vv. 4–10. God’s future judgment of the wicked is certain (v. 3b) because God has consistently judged the wicked throughout history. Three examples of the judgment of the wicked are adduced: (1) the judgment of the angels of Gen 6:1–4, (2) the destruction of the world during the time of the flood, and (3) the razing of Sodom and Gomorrah. We know that the false teachers in 2 Peter were skeptical about the Lord’s coming and hence about the future judgment (3:3–7). Three representative and typological examples of God’s judgment demonstrate that God’s character has not changed. Previous judgments in history point toward and anticipate the final judgment, which is the climax of all other judgments. In the summary of Jude 5–7 the Jewish tradition on which both Jude and 2 Peter drew is sketched in, and readers should consult the discussion there for important antecedents to Peter’s thought.
The parallels with Jude (vv. 5–7) are significant, though Peter departed from Jude in terms of exact wording. Peter and Jude both mentioned the judgment on angels and Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter, however, included a reference to the flood, while Jude drew attention to the judgment of Israel after their liberation from Egypt. Jude did not present the incidents in canonical order, placing Israel at the beginning of his list. Peter, on the other hand, followed the canonical order of the judgment of the angels of Genesis 6, the flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Can we detect any reason for the difference? We know from 2 Pet 3:6 that the flood functions as a particularly vivid example and type of God’s future judgment. Nothing prepared the people of Noah’s day for such a calamity. It was unexpected, and Peter suggested that Noah was mocked by his contemporaries for proclaiming its imminence. The completeness of the destruction also prefigures the final judgment. Only Noah and his family were left. The rest of the world was swept away. Recalling the flood is apt indeed in the situation addressed by 2 Peter since the false teachers denied future judgment and ridiculed believers who continued to believe in the future coming of Christ.
Peter wove in another theme lacking in Jude, namely, the preservation of the righteous, in which Noah and Lot were presented as key examples. The future judgment does not only consist of the condemnation of the wicked, but it will also involve the vindication of the righteous, whom God is able to preserve in the midst of difficulties. Perhaps Peter included this theme because the faithful were a small minority in the church, needing encouragement with the onslaught of the false teachers. The false teachers had emerged from within the church (2:1), in contrast to Jude, where the opponents were intruders from the outside (Jude 4). Believers are encouraged with the grace of God, for if God strengthened Noah and Lot in situations where evil dominated, then he would also preserve the believers who were confronting the deception posed by false teachers.
We should also notice the structure of the text. Peter began with a protasis, an “if” clause in v. 4, and the apodosis (a “then” clause) is delayed until v. 9. He gave a series of three examples of God’s judgment and two examples of his preservation in vv. 4–8, leading up to his conclusion in v. 9.26 The structure of the text helps us to see clearly Peter’s main themes: the judgment of the wicked and the preservation of the godly. We can set forth the text like this:
If God judged the angels (v. 4), and
if he judged the flood generation (v. 5),
while at the same time sparing Noah (v. 5),
and if he judged Sodom and Gomorrah,
while at the same time preserving (v. 6) Lot (vv. 7–8),
then it follows that the Lord will preserve the godly in the midst of their trials (drawing this conclusion from the examples of Noah and Lot),
and it also follows that the Lord will punish the ungodly on the day of judgment (drawing this conclusion from the three examples of the angels, the flood, and Sodom and Gomorrah).
Verse 10a functions as a transition to these verses, and two reasons for the judgment declared in vv. 4–9 are identified: the sexual sin and rebelliousness of the false teachers. Moo is correct in suggesting that vv. 10b–16 unpack these two themes in reverse order—the arrogance of the teachers in vv. 10b–13a and their sensuality in vv. 13b–16.66 Actually, we should specify a third reason for the judgment: their greed for money. All three of these themes were mentioned in vv. 1–3, where the teachers denied the Lord who purchased them (v. 1), seduced others with their sensual teaching (v. 2), and exploited others with their covetousness (v. 3). The focus on the same three sins in 2:10–16 demonstrates that the argument of 2:1–16 falls into an A B A pattern.
A The sins of the false teachers recounted: 2:1–3
B Therefore the teachers will be judged: 2:4–10
A´ The sins of the false teachers elaborated: 2:10–16
The detailing of the false teachers’ sins provides reasons why the judgment of 2:4–10 is justified. Neither should we collapse 2:1–3 and 2:10b–16 as if the arguments are identical in every respect. Second Peter 2:1–3 focuses on the adverse affect the false teachers had on others, while 2:10b–16 zeroes in on the evil of the teachers, without noting their influence on others. Verses 10b–16 are more graphic and descriptive, so that the readers had no doubt of the evil of the false teachers.
The verses are also effective rhetorically, something that is more difficult to detect in English. The argument of vv. 10–12 is carried along by the words blasphēmountes (“slander,” v. 10), blasphēmon (“slanderous,” v. 11), and blasphēmountes (“blaspheme,” v. 12). In v. 12 words of destruction are featured: phthoran (“destroyed”), phthora (omitted in NIV), phtharēsontai (“perish”). The parallels are easily missed since the NIV translates the first use of the noun phthora as “killed.” In v. 13 we see another play on words, which the NIV captures quite nicely, adikoumenoi misthon adikias (“They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done”). The next line contains alliteration: hēdonen hēgoumenoi tēn en hēmera (“their idea of pleasure … in broad daylight”). The word tryphēn (“carouse”) has a cognate later in the verse, entryphōntes (“reveling,” v. 13). The exact phrase misthon adikias is used in vv. 13, 15 (“wages of wickedness”), but the duplication is missed by the NIV in v. 15 precisely because the NIV aptly translates the expression in v. 13 with a play on words in English, demonstrating that it is impossible for any English translation to communicate every nuance of the text. Finally, in v. 16 the term paraphronian (“madness”) probably plays off the term paranomias (“wrongdoing”).
2:10b The rebelliousness of the false teachers is communicated with the two terms: “bold” (tolmētai) and “arrogant” (authadeis).67 The two words overlap in meaning—the former occurring in both Philo (Joseph, 222) and Josephus (J.W. 3.475), while the latter is a bit more common in the literature (Gen 49:3, 7; Prov 21:24; Titus 1:7; cf. Josephus, Ant. 1.189; 4.263; 1 Clem 1:1). Together they could be translated “boldly arrogant.”68 The false teachers were blessed with an extraordinary confidence, but unfortunately this confidence was not leavened with wisdom or humility.
The arrogance of the false teachers is reflected in that they were “not afraid to slander celestial beings.” Literally, “they do not tremble” (tremousin) in slandering “glories” (doxas). The NIV provides an interpretation here since the word “glories” could refer to human beings—either church leaders or civil authorities (cf. Ps 149:8; Isa 3:5; 23:8; Nah 3:10; 1QpHab 4:2; 4QpNah 2:9; 3:9; 4:4; 1QM 14:11).69 It seems more likely that angels are designated as glorious beings (Exod 15:11, LXX; T. Jud. 25:2; T. Levi 18:5; 1QH 10:8). We might also think that the reference is to good angels since describing evil angels as “glories” seems inappropriate. Nevertheless, the context suggests that evil angels are indeed in view, as will be argued from the next verse.70
D. Devastating in their Impact (2:18-22)
The emphasis shifts from the character of the false teachers to their effect on others. Peter began by emphasizing how deceptive they were. They promised water and clarity to those who were thirsty and confused, but instead they left them parched and confused. Hence, their judgment (v. 17c) is just. Verses 18–19 explain more specifically how they seduced recent converts. We are told three things: (1) They spoke with a kind of assertive confidence that made the weak think they must have known what they were talking about. (2) They appealed to sinful human desires, arguing that it made no difference at all if we indulge our sexual appetites to the full. (3) They maintained that their teaching was the pathway to freedom, arguing that the gospel originally received is nothing other than bondage. Peter (v. 19) saw the promise of freedom as highly ironic since the teachers themselves were captivated by sin. It is difficult to know if Peter referred to the teachers or those seduced by them in vv. 20–22. In either case he explained that apostasy is dangerous because once one embraces the gospel and then turns back, it is even harder to reclaim them afresh for the truth. The last state has become worse than the first. It is better not to have known the righteous way than it is to repudiate it, probably because those who have known it will not be inclined to consider the truth again. Those who have fallen reveal themselves to be like dogs and pigs. Their true nature emerges in that they return to vomit or the mud pile. Peter warned his readers, therefore, that they should not travel the road of those who had been seduced, for it is a road that descends steeply and quickly, and climbing upwards again is virtually impossible, probably because those who have descended no longer desire to return.
IV. Confidence in the Return of Christ (3:1-17)
A. The Sureness of the Day of the Lord (3:1-10)
A new section is clearly marked in terms of both content and structure. Peter’s long discussion on the false teachers (chap. 2) concludes, and he turns afresh to his readers. The new section is introduced with the affectionate words “dear friends” (agapētoi), better rendered “beloved.” The purpose of the second letter is to arouse the readers from lethargic thinking and to remind them of the words of the Old Testament prophets and the command, that is, the moral requirements of Jesus Christ—as these commands have been transmitted by the apostles. The particular reason the readers were to remember such teachings is explained in vv. 3–4. Peter reminded them that the arrival of mockers in the last days was prophesied. Hence, their immoral lifestyle and their rejection of the Lord’s coming should occasion no surprise. The arrival of the false teachers fulfilled predictions that must come to pass before the Lord returns. The opponents rejected the second coming, arguing that from the beginning of time (i.e., since the time of the patriarchs) history continues without cosmic interventions from God. Peter had a three-pronged argument against this view in vv. 5–7. First, the very creation of the world represents God’s intervention in the world. The opponents had failed to see the implications of their own view, for by appealing to creation they concurred that there was a beginning, a time when God brought the world into being. Second, the opponents might object that God set the world in motion but did not intervene cosmologically thereafter. But such a view does not account for the flood, which involved a cataclysm for the entire world. Third, history will end with a great conflagration, when the present heavens and earth will be burned, and the ungodly will be judged.1
The importance of remembering continues in the present paragraph. In vv. 1–2 the readers were exhorted to remember the words of the prophets and the commands of the apostles. Such remembrance was crucial because scoffers had emerged who doubted the future coming of Jesus Christ. Indeed, these scoffers had forgotten (v. 5) and not perceived the significance of God’s works in history. They had forgotten these things because they had strayed from God and repudiated the gospel. Peter feared that they could influence his readers. But he also was concerned that the faithful might forget (v. 8) important truths, not because they were rebelling but simply because the false teachers might sow confusion in their minds. Hence, he gave them two further arguments about the coming of the Lord. First, the apparent failure of the Lord to appear within a certain time frame should not dampen their faith. The Lord does not reckon time as we do (v. 8). A thousand years is like one day to him. What seems like a long time to us is not long to him. The fact that he has not arrived, therefore, says nothing about whether he will come in the future. Second, the Lord is not slow in fulfilling his promise to return (v. 9). He delays his coming to give opportunity for all to repent. Finally, in v. 10 Peter reiterated with confidence that the day of the Lord will arrive. It will come suddenly, and when it does, the world as we know it will be dissolved.
B. The Sanctification of God’s People (3:11-18)
The section here could easily be split into three sections (3:11–13, 14–16, 17–18). I have chosen to combine them for thematic reasons. The end is coming, and the present heavens and earth will be destroyed (3:7, 10, 11a). Since this world is temporary, Peter exhorted the readers to live godly lives (v. 11). Not only should they look forward to that day, but they can also hasten its arrival (v. 12). And Peter reminded them again that a fire will burn in that day that will consume the present world (v. 12b). Language of destruction may imply utter dissolution, but this is not the ultimate end. A new heavens and earth will arrive, and righteousness will dwell in that world (v. 13). By implication, then, the false teachers will be excluded, and only those who heed Peter’s message will be included. Hence, this leads naturally to the exhortation to be diligent (cf. 1:5–7) and to be spotless and blameless and at peace with God on the day of judgment (v. 14). The exhortation here is parallel to the one in v. 11, and both are grounded on the eschatological future.
Eschatology and ethics are firmly wed in 2 Peter. The apparent delay of the future, after all, is only meant to give people an opportunity to be saved. This, Peter explains, is in accord with what Paul himself taught in his letters. In other words, Paul himself exhorted people to holiness and salvation in light of the end of history. Apparently some were misusing and distorting what Paul wrote in his letters, probably to advance an antinomian and licentious agenda. We see, therefore, that such misunderstandings were not innocent mistakes, nor did they relate to inconsequential matters. Those who hoist Paul’s writings (and other Scriptures) to support license are destined for destruction, that is, eternal judgment. Thinking of those who twist Paul’s writings and other Scriptures led Peter to an exhortation that aptly sums up the entire letter. We could understand the “therefore” (oun) in v. 17 to introduce an inference from all of 1:1–3:16. Given all that Peter had taught, the readers should have been on their guard and alert. Given the fact that those who ignored his teaching would be destroyed (3:16), that only those who were holy would experience God’s saving peace (3:14), and that Peter had warned them in advance of the danger of such teachers (3:17), they must be alert. Otherwise, they could be carried away from their firm standing in Christ by the false teachers and commit apostasy. At the end of the letter, as at the beginning, Peter wrote so that his readers would not commit apostasy. The antidote to apostasy is not merely negative, that is, resisting the influence of the false teachers, but also positive. The readers were to grow in grace, just as Peter prayed that grace would be multiplied for them in 1:2. And they were also to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. We have seen throughout this letter how important knowledge is (1:3), and believers will stay true to the gospel only if they continue to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. Peter concluded with a doxology to Jesus Christ, praying that the glory will be his forever.