The last book we studied in a verse by verse fashion was Peter’s first epistle. That was three years ago. Tonight I’d like to begin to take a look at the sequel – Peter’s second Holy Spirit inspired work. And why? Out of many reasons, I’ll just point out that here is a letter addressed to you. It goes without saying that there is material in this book which is important to you and me.
The other day I went to the mail box and found several pieces of mail. But one stood apart from the ads and bills. It was a addressed by hand; a letter from a friend addressed to me. As you might imagine, it was the first envelope that I opened. That illustrates what we have here in II Peter.
This letter begins with the penman’s name and the people to whom he wishes to speak. Chapter 3, verse 1 tells us that it was addressed to the same people as his first epistle. “This second epistle, BELOVED, I now write unto you; in BOTH which I stir up your pure minds…” And here we have, “Simon Peter… to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Last week, I was anxious to read what my friend had written to me. And we should be anxious to hear what Peter has for us. What the Holy Spirit has for us through Peter. This is not from some cousin whom we know is probably asking for money. This is not an invitation to the wedding of some relative we’ve met only once. It is not from someone we hardly know. This is from a person who loves us, because he tells us so. And this is from someone who was personally acquainted with our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is from someone special. Someone with blessings and insight beyond just about anyone else in world. We should be excited about reading from so important a man as the Apostle Peter.
Let’s consider 4 points contained in these first two verses: the servant, the saints, the Saviour and the salutation.
Our writer considers himself to be a SLAVE of Jesus Christ.
“Simon Peter, a SERVANT and an apostle Jesus Christ.” Since he doesn’t start by reminding us that his brother was the Apostle Andrew, I’m not going there either. He doesn’t talk about his wife and children, or his miracle-receiving mother-in-law, so I won’t talk about them. We could spend time discussing his relationship with John the Baptist, but since he didn’t we won’t. What interesting stories he could share with us about Christ’s forerunner. But he didn’t mention John here or anywhere else, unless it was in a limited way through his friend Mark. I’m not going to spend any time on the highlights of Peter’s life, or his low points and sins either, even through there are dozens and dozens of lessons we could draw from them. We aren’t beginning a studying Peter tonight; we are considering his Second Epistle.
So he calls himself “a servant” of Jesus Christ. That word “servant” could be translated “bond slave,” but it doesn’t need to be. Peter could have called himself a worshiper of Christ, because the Son of God deserves worship. He could have called himself a disciple of Christ – a student of Christ – a follower of Christ. But he didn’t. He only spoke of himself as one of the Lord’s servants.
I wonder at what point in his life it was that Peter first considered himself to be Jesus’ servant. When he first followed his brother toward the person John called “the lamb of God,” he probably didn’t describe himself as a “doulos” – “servant” of the Lord. At what point in his life, did he stop using the word “disciple” or “student,” or “follower” to pick up “servant?” That question raises another: Have you yet started calling yourself a servant of the Lord? Do you consider yourself to be a servant of Christ? And perhaps more importantly, do you deserve to be called a servant of God? At what point do any of us move from “babe in Christ” to “disciple” and on to “servant?”
In my study of this verse, after I spent time reading, re-reading, meditating and jotting down thoughts which I believe the Holy Spirit gave me, I turned to my library and some of the commentaries I have. I noticed that one or two declare that Peter was a servant BECAUSE he was minister of the Gospel – he was a servant because he was an apostle. But what the Spirit laid on my heart was different. I think that every Christian should at some point become a servant of Christ. You don’t have to be a pastor, evangelist, deacon or arch-deacon to be a servant of God. Any of us can serve God by serving others; by prayer; by hospitality; by encouragement; by sharing what we know of Christ with others – witnessing of our faith. At some point in our lives, every Christian should grow up enough to move from BEING served to actually SERVING as much as possible.
Peter was a servant of Jesus Christ. But in addition to that he was also an “apostle.” Remember that “apostolos” basically refers to someone who has been sent – like an ambassador. But in the New Testament, it is clearly taught that an apostle of Jesus Christ was a special office. Even though at one point 70 men were “sent out” by Christ in pairs, they were not officially apostles. And the 144,000 gospel preachers of the Tribulation will not be called “apostles.” The church’s first serving deacons were not apostles.
Without getting into questions about Judas Iscariot, Matthias and Paul, there were only twelve apostles. And those twelve men were very important to the early development of Christianity and the Lord’s churches. So when Paul or Peter referred to themselves as such, it was to emphasize their Christ-given authority. By using the word here in verse 1, Peter is kindly telling us that he had Christ’s authority to say the things he was about to say. As much as some modern preachers would like to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think, there are no apostles in the world today. I am not an apostle, although in one sense I am a prophet. I can only take the words which Spirit, through the apostles, has left us, and redistribute them to you. I am not a foreteller of scripture; I am merely a forthteller – a “doulos” of Christ, who serves Him by trying to do His will in whatever opportunity He has placed in front of me.
One more thing about Simon Peter, before moving on, these words and this letter carry the perfume of humility. Despite, appropriately referring to his apostleship, he makes no attempt to beat his readers over the head with his special position or authority. He may be the chief butler in the house of God, but he’s still only a servant among many other servants. He was certainly no more saved than any other saint of God. His eternity with the Lord is not going to be any longer than that of anyone else. He had no more access to the power of the Holy Spirit than any of the door-keepers in the house of God. His earlier sins reminded him from time to time that he had the same flesh and weakness as everyone else. He had been a slave to sin, but the Lord had broken those chains. If his age, position and past life did anything, it was only to put a little urgency into his ministry and service. “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”
Through Peter’s eyes, now let’s consider the SAINTS to whom he was writing.
Clearly, he was thinking about certain people, but through the Spirit he was writing to you and me. “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us.” Notice that not only does Peter refuse to inflate his position or himself in that position, but he lifts up his reader to the level of himself. Those Christians were living under the blessing of the same faith as the Apostles – “with us.”
God doesn’t have different means of salvation for different kinds of people. The Hindus are not saved their way, while the Muslims are saved their way, and the Catholics their way. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He is “the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but through him.” That also means that apostles are not saved differently from deacons or deaconesses.
And notice that out of the various Biblical ways salvation could be explained, Peter refers only to “faith.” “By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…” The thing that made Peter’s readers equal to himself was their mutual faith in Christ. Jude calls it “the COMMON faith,” not that it is ordinary or mundane, but that it is the same for everyone. That faith is the GIFT of God, or as Peter puts it – it was something they “OBTAINED.” Salvation is not something anyone “attains,” and faith is not something our brains can be “trained” to do. Faith is God’s gift, and so no one recipient should ever think of himself greater than any other recipient.
And by the way, saving faith is extremely valuable – it is not just valuable, it is extremely valuable – “precious.” We all have been blessed with valuable things, but some go above and beyond value – they are priceless. When those who have lived and died laughing at your Christianity are finally cast into the Lake of fire, they will see the true value of faith in Christ. It is precious; it PRICELESS; it is neckless of pearls, each one of which is “without price.” And how was it that God gave us that saving faith? It was “through the righteousness of God our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
I am not going to try to finish this four point message this evening. If it please the Lord we will do that next Wednesday, when we look at the Saviour and Peter’s salutation. But in regard to these saints, and to us, faith is “through the righteousness of Christ.” Somewhat differently, salvation is “through the righteousness of Christ.” Christ is the Lamb of God who is without blemish and spot – totally righteous – unlike our total depravity. Christ Jesus, our vicarious sacrifice, is infinitely and perfectly holy. We know that without that absolute righteousness He could not have been made our substitute. We are saved through the righteousness of Christ.
But Peter doesn’t exactly say that in this verse. This says that the precious FAITH which saved us is through the righteousness of Christ. And we might add that EVERYTHING about our salvation is rooted in the righteousness of God. That we need to be saved is due to our sinfulness in the light of God’s righteousness. Despite the sins of the people who crucified Him, God was righteous in ordaining Jesus’ death for us. And despite the argument that God is unrighteous in giving salvation to some and not everyone, there is no unrighteous in the Lord. Romans 9 – “As it is written, Jacob have I love, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there UNRIGHTEOUSNESS with God? GOD FORBID.” And as in every other part of our salvation, righteousness was the solution or emulsion in which God granted – and we obtained – His saving grace.
There is more to say about this righteousness as it relates to our God and our Saviour. But I will save that part for our lesson next week. In the mean time I’ll simply close with Peter’s salutation: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.”