2 Peter 3:17-18

BE ON GUARD watch out!

error ⇔ wandering n. — inadvertent incorrectness understood as if wandering away from the path to one’s destination.

to be deceived together ⇔ be misled together v. — to be or become deceived along with another or others; conceived of as being led astray along with another or others.

to lose a state ⇔ fall out of v. — to leave a certain state or condition; conceived of as falling out of an area.

steadfastness ⇔ steadiness n. — freedom from wavering or indecision; especially constancy of resolve or conduct.

STEADFASTNESS (secure position) Word meaning to endure patiently. A steadfast person is one who is reliable, faithful, and true to the end (also-perseverance)

STEADFASTNESS - strong foundation

Steadfastness. (2003). In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1533). Holman Bible Publishers.

to grow v. — to become larger, greater, or bigger, increase

to grow v. — to increase in the extent of or in the instances of an activity or state—‘to increase, to grow, to spread, to extend.’

Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 600). United Bible Societies.

In growth, there is no passivity nor stagnation.

in - marker of a position defined as being in a location, in, among (the basic idea, Rob. 586f)

ⓐ of the space or place within which something

Rob. Rob. = ATRobertson, A Grammar of the Greek NT in the Light of Historical Research—List 6

someth. someth. = something

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 326). University of Chicago Press.

grace (outworking) n. — the resulting activity that is a necessary consequence of genuine, beneficent goodwill; especially used of the outworking of God’s goodwill.

grow in faith, grow in love, grow in faith

knowledge n. — the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning; sometimes simply endowed by God (often with focus on application of the knowledge).

Opening Up 2 Peter (Be like Jesus (v. 18))

Be like Jesus (v. 18)

Seductive influences of new and forceful teachers were at work in the congregations and they were destabilizing the faithful, so a growth in grace and knowledge was urged upon them, not to impress the world but to rescue fellow believers from spiritual disaster.Knowledge of Christ and knowledge about Christ are both, if they keep pace with each other, the safeguard against heresy and apostasy, and the means of growth in grace. The best antidote to error is truth, and Christians must constantly be exposed to the truth, lest error creeps in unawares.Peter wants his readers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, taking time in Bible study and in living out their faith. In Galatians 2:9–10, Paul gives a rich example of such growth:James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.An interesting pointIt is noticeable that in this verse Peter gives his Saviour’s full name and title:LORD: he is the mighty God, the second person of the Trinity.JESUS: he is the Saviour. He came to die on a cross, so that through his death we may have life, joy and peace.CHRIST: he is the promised one, who came as predicted.In concluding his letter, Peter writes the obvious. But it is so easy to forget the truth about the Saviour when faced with enticing and tantalizing words and theories. Always go back to basics; remember who Jesus is, what his titles and name mean, and error will be kept at bay.

Opening Up 2 Peter (Be Ready for Jesus)

Perhaps we should use this list today.In closing, Peter uses a wonderful note of praise: ‘To him be glory both now and for ever!’ This is not wishful thinking or a vain hope, but a statement of praise to the Lord and Saviour to whom Peter owed everything. True Christians are not after glory for themselves, but they long to give all the glory to God for who he is and for his marvellous deeds in time and eternity.Peter’s last word is ‘Amen’, which indicates participation in and commitment to the fulfillment of the word of God, and the encouragement of fellow believers.