Peter wrote his last letter, Second Peter, right around the year that Jerusalem came under seige from Titus and the Roman Army (~AD 67-70). I believe the Lord gave Peter insight into Jerusalem's final destruction as originally spoken by the Lord in Matthew 24:1-14. Peter wrote, "Knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is imminent, even as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. Moreover I will also be diligent that you may be able, after my exodus, to bring these things to mind at all times." (2 Peter 1:14-15). Peter clearly knew that his earthly walk was nearly over. He continued to write about the preeminence of Christ, mentioning the incident when he, James and John were taken by the Lord to the "Mount of Transfiguration" and God the Father declared, "This is My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I delight." (1:17) Then, he wrote about "a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts." (1:19) These verses indicate that the darkness of the age was at a low point and that the Lord, as the morning star, hidden to all but His own children, would be guiding His children in the midst of the great darkness.

In chapter 2, Peter mentions false prophets among the people, and false teachers who revile the way of the truth (vv. 1-2). In verse 3 he speaks of their destruction and alludes to the judgment of angels who disobeyed (v. 4), to the flood in Noah's time upon the ungodly (v. 5), to the reduction of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes (v. 6) and to the rescue of righteous Lot who had been oppressed by the licentious manner of life of the lawless (v. 7). Peter finishes that section of his letter with: "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of trial and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment." (2 Peter 1:9) The outward situation was desperate. Peter sensed the "day of judgment" was impending. This time would be a "trial" for all of God's genuine children as God inflicted judgment and punishment on the evil age very much as He had during Noah and Lot's time. I think Peter knew that the immediate context was the utter destruction of Jerusalem by Rome.

Who were the false teachers and false prophets that Peter was referring to? What was the situation that believers in Christ were facing and would face in the world, the evil age? Peter was writing with a clear burden to address issues he himself had struggled with during his lifetime and ministry before the Lord. He was offering his final fellowship to enable faith seekers a way to "go on" and mature in the Lord (just as the author of Hebrews did in Hebrews 6:1-20 and 10:19-39 in about the same year, ~AD 67). There was a strong Jewish influence in the church and there was a strong "heathen" influence in the church. Both of these factors brought in many heresies, rituals and practices, and negative factors to God's Bride. The Jews never made the change of Covenant from the Old Testament to the New Testament. God showed them over and over that the Old Testament was obsolete and that the New Testament was His way. He destroyed Jerusalem several times in the past, yet always with a promise of restoration. The Jews falsely take this to mean that the outward Jerusalem has eternal significance. No, it is the NEW SOURCE, the NEW JERUSALEM, that has significance. In the Old Testament God visited man and had an outward relationship with man. In the New Testament God became a man and now has an inward relationship with man. It is this inward source that we must seek, find and follow.

Peter is infamous for his three denials of the Lord just prior to the Lord's crucifixion. He has been labelled the impetuous, strong-willed fishermen. Peter was strong in his natural man, but proved weak in his faith while the Lord discipled him on earth. After Pentecost, Peter became the foremost apostle spokesmen, preaching the gospel and used by the Lord to save thousands into the Kingdom of God. He was called to go with Cornelius, a gentile ruler, and baptized his entire family into the Kingdom of God. Yet, Peter shrank back from that calling to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). Paul rebuked him publicly in Galatians 2:11-19 because he was a hypocrit. He was enjoying fellowship with non-Jewish believers UNTIL brothers came from Jerusalem. Then, he separated himself as if there was some kind of difference between a Jewish believer and a non-Jewish believer. Paul made clear in Galatians 3:27-28 and Colossians 3:10-11 that there is no Jew nor Greek, no male nor female, no rich nor poor, no civilized nor uncivilized, etc. in the Body of Christ. There are only brothers and sisters in Christ, baptized into Christ, identified in Christ alone.

Peter must have struggled a great deal with the influence that Judaism had on him and on the saints in the churches. James, in Acts 21:18-26, spoke of tens of thousands of new believers who were zealous for the Mosaic law! Something was not proper. The source of God had been compromised by old traditions, old culture and former practices. The Jewish faith as established in the Old Testament had infiltrated the new born New Testament church. Hebrews even speaks of believers struggling due to the influence of Judaistic practices brought into the church (Hebrews 10:26). Some of the outward sacrificial observances of the Jewish faith were being held in the church. Then, alongside, were the fleshly evils of the age. For instance, Corinth was known for its fornication combined with worship of dieties. Philosphies ran rampant that contradicted God's New Testament economy.

Peter was a mature, spiritual brother in Christ. He called himself an elder, an overseer of the flock, although he exalted the true Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, Jesus Christ. So all the words that he chose to write (not being an experienced, trained author) bore great significance and practicality. It is noteworthy that Peter wrote so much from his personal experience of walking with Jesus close to 40 years prior. Surely, Peter had seen the churches degradation over the 30 years after Pentecost. He personally struggled with the Jewish versus Gentile issue that was so prevalent throughout early church history. He had been instructed by the Lord to accept the Gentiles into the Body of Christ without reservation (Acts 10-11). He had cooperated with the Lord in ministering to the non-Jewish believers. But the Judaistic pressure in Jerusalem, where he mainly ministered, was overwhelming.

I believe that Peter had learned a great deal in his walk before the Lord ... mainly through failure. We all know he was infamous for the three-fold denial of Christ the night He was betrayed. Then, he just couldn't bring himself to lead the saints when he knew in his spirit that Christ had indeed risen from the dead. He chose to lead himself and seven others back to their former occupation: fishing. He had been called to be a fisher of men, yet he shrank back to become a fisher of fish again. He was called to receive the Gentile believers into the Body of Christ and to minister to them. He shrank back to become somewhat Judaistic.

There is not a lot of Biblical reference about Peter from AD 50 to AD 63. However, by the time of Peter's epistles, he had gained much training, enlightenment and desperacy before the Lord. I believe Peter was overflowing with burden to speak to all saints the light of Christ ... unmixed, unadulterated and unbiased by the compromise, the division, the confusion of the times. Peter poured himself out as a drink offering on papyrus. And a key virtue that God had worked into Peter was his ability to speak his mind without pretense. His two epistles are so precious and sweet, yet firm, honest and specific. Peter did not write a doctrinal thesis to the church. On the contrary, he laid out a simple, experiential letter that all saints could grasp and enter into the spirit of.

A constant battle for believers in Christ is following Christ in their spirit versus trying to keep the law. Probably no saint could appreciate this struggle as much as Peter. He had been regenerated through the living and abiding word of God (1 Peter 1:23). He had tasted the guileless milk of the word and that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:2-3). He had walked with the Head of the Corner, Jesus (1 Peter 2:4-8). He had personally observed His Savior endure reviling, suffering and brutal death without committing any sin or speaking any guile, but by committing Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-25). When Peter exhorts the mature ones to shepherd the flock, he was speaking from experience of being shepherded by the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-11).

So Peter had much training in the matter of following Christ versus another source. I have heard it said that there are only two kinds of religion in the world: 1) genuine faith in Christ based on Christ's Person and work without regard to man's effort, and 2) all others ... which require men to do something to improve themselves. When Peter writes that we should supply bountiful to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly love and love, it seems to require effort on our part. Isn't this related to keeping the law? The answer is: not necessarily, but very possibly. The way we understand and apply Peter's word determines whether we are truly following Christ in spirit or whether we are on a self-improvement program.

The Lord told the woman at the well in John 4:21, "An hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father." Then, in verses 23-24, the Lord continued: "An hour is coming and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness." The most important matter for a believer is to consider their source. Worship is totally related to contacting the source of Eternal Life and this source is God the Father in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The Triune God is our unique source. The words "worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness" refer to each and every one of us taking God the Father in Christ through the Spirit as our source moment by moment, and day by day. To live the Christian life we must constantly take the Triune God as our source. Any other source results in something other than God, no matter how "good" it seems.

Back in Genesis 3, the issue of source is introduced to mankind. God made a beautiful garden with every kind of plant and tree ... all for food. Then, in the middle of the garden the Lord placed two trees: 1) the tree of Life and the 2) tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God set man in the garden and gave him the freedom to chose which source he wanted. Initially, man chose the tree of life: God Himself. But eventually, man chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice, the words, "good and evil." Good is actually associated with evil when the source is not of God. Good and evil, without God, are two sides of the same coin. If we chose the wrong source, even if it is "good", without God, that source results in death along with evil. Cain learned this lesson. He worked hard to produce a "good" offering for God, yet God would not accept nor even look upon it. Why? Because Cain offering was from the wrong source. Abel, on the other hand, chose the proper source: God Himself. see also: Two Manners Of Life

Peter starts his second epistle by mentioning that the divine power grants us all things related to life (eternal life) and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) because we are partakers of the divine nature (v. 4). Peter pointed us to the source of our Christian existence: God who possesses the divine power, divine life and godliness. This is why I started explaining these verses with the matter of "source." Then, Peter says, "Adding all diligence, supply bountifully to your faith ..." These words would be misinterpreted by many as a matter of keeping the law: you have to do something, you have to be diligent, you have to supply yourself. NO! Peter is NOT saying that we should use our personal effort, our natural strength and abilities to follow the Lord. He is telling us to tap into the proper source with all of our might and gain the supply from our proper source. The diligence I possess must eventually stem from the Lord Himself. The bountiful supply that I gain is the Lord Himself.

Peter says to supply bountifully to our faith, virtue. What is virtue? We can define virtue as good character, proper disposition, a proper humanity full of virtues like kindness, goodness, self-control, meekness, longsuffering, etc. Virtue is basically the divine attributes of God lived out in our humanity. The virtue Peter speaks of is a product of our experience of God as the initial stages of our Christian life. Even before we are saved, we experience virtue, which results from the proper source: the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Creator, the Author and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Virtue is something we experience from the time we are born ... even in the natural realm. God imparts Himself as virtue into all men and women. For instance, how do you explain the change in a woman as she becomes pregnant to the point of giving birth and then raising a child? Surely, there is such a thing as "maturnal instinct." Actually, this is virtue from God. A virtuous mother is the most self-sacrificing person on earth. She rises early and basically never sleeps through the night once her children are born. God imparts Himself as virtue into mothers. He is the source that gives them the strength to deny themselves again and again and pour out their entire being for their offspring. What a wonderful picture of God's attributes lived out in human virtues. Another example is when we have the ability to forgive someone else, especially an "enemy." This is just not humanly possible, but it is divinely possible. There have been times in all of our lives, when we have been able to forgive someone who wronged us or mistreated us. The Lord may have prompted us to help an unlovely person in some way. Instead of usurping our position of authority over others, we may show kindness and goodness. We may submit to ones under our authority to display the virtue of humility and servitude. I believe all people observe these kinds of virtues in their lives. This is God coming to man to unveil Himself in such a wonderful way.

The real issue Peter is writing about is: "Do you recognize the source of the virtue?" God is always coming to man, condescending to meet man where he is. God desires that man knows Him intimately and God desires to intimately know man in a sweet, mutual relationship. But man usually does not recognize God, does not give the glory to God and does not yield to God. Peter is telling us to recognize the virtue that God is in our daily life and tap into it. He is exhorting us to give glory for the wonderful virtue that we experience ourselves, whether on the giving end or the receiving end. The highest virtue is to yield our natural life, our fleshly capabilities to God's control.

So what is the knowledge we are to supply bountiful in our faith, beyond virtue? So many Christians and people are fooled into thinking that outward knowledge matters in itself. They respect those who have gone to seminary because of the outward knowledge. They honor those who have earned degrees in divinity because of the status. But this is NOT the knowledge that Peter is promoting. The knowledge Peter tells us to focus on is the knowledge of our source: God Himself is the only knowledge that matters in our Christian walk. As we grow in Christ, we will recognize Him more and more in our daily life. We will see Him operating (through His marvelous virtue) in others, in circumstances, and in ourselves. To recognize, give glory and yield to God is the knowledge we must pursue. We must always consider which source we are tapping into. We must always discern what source produced the virtues we observe or whatever matter we are pursuing. We may have been blessed with a high paying job. The issue is not the high paying job. The issue is the source of that high paying job. Did God grant us that job in His economy or did we gain that position another way (through God's permissive will or sovereign will rather than His intended will). God allows us to do many things apart from Himself. Because God permits us to do something does not equate to Him approving it.

The spiritual knowledge we must possess daily is the knowledge of God operating within us. Hebrews 8:11 says, "And they shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother saying, 'Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them." This verse proves that the real knowledge is to know the Lord personally, affectionately and intimately. Each one, from the little one to the great one, clearly implies that this is not some outward knowledge, neither is it based on maturity in life, but is an inward realization of God as our source. The apostle John stressed this same point, "And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him." Each one of us has experienced God's inner anointing, His inner teaching. Each one of us has observed God's virtue and should have recognized it, given God glory for it and then yield to Him as our source. We need to be diligent to turn to that source and away from all other sources. This matter is of utmost importance in today's church. Too many church leaders allow saints to depend on them for them spiritual growth and development. NO. NO. NO. God is our only Father (Matthew 23:9). God is our only teacher (Matthew 23:10). God is our only perfector (Hebrews 12:2). He does utilize other believers, other situations and other people, but He is the true source of our learning. Otherwise, it is not valid.

Again, many Christians would now start to feel "heavy." "Oh, no, now I have to have self-control." The strong-willed person feels vindicated because they may have more self-control than others. But again, 2 Peter 1:6 is not referring to our natural self-control based on our own disposition or character development. Peter lists a particular sequence: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control. These must go together in that order. First, we have faith: that is our source: God Himself. Next, virtue is recognizing, giving glory and yielding to this source. Thirdly, after experiencing God as our source again and again, we have the "full knowledge" of God. We can discern matters and make decisions based on which source we are dealing with. We see the "tree of life" versus the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." So the next stage of our growth is to learn self-control. Once we recognize the source, we must tap into it. God has now placed us "between the two trees" and gives us the choice. Self-control is to chose the proper source moment by moment, day after day. Self-control causes us to regulate our actions, our decisions and even our thoughts based on the proper source. We were born into Christ (faith) without any knowledge. We experienced God in various ways (virtue) as we grow, and eventually, we recognize the source (knowledge).

Peter alludes to such knowledge when he exhorts younger men to be subject to mature ones (1 Peter 5:5) and that they should be humbled under the mighty hand of God, casting anxiety on Him because He cares for them (vv. 5:6-7). If we take God as our source, we will be humble because the world will not understand and we may not even understand. Taking God as our source leaves us without boast, without pride, without reasons. But knowing God as our source brings grace and humility among our brothers and sisters because none of us is the source, God is. We all follow Christ. We all live Christ. He is the source. To have this knowledge is necessary for proper growth in the divine life.

Steel is strong substance because it has passed through fire and pressure. God will mature His dear, beloved children through the "pressure and fire" in our daily lives. The more we chose the proper source (self-control), the more we will be tested. This brings endurance. It's one thing for God to allow adversity and then quickly save us out of it. It's another thing for Him to leave us in adversity. Can we still seek and tap into the proper source when all is not well outwardly. God tests us through our boss, through our peers, through the evil age, through sickness, etc. These tests are not temptations, but rather, they are tools to strengthen us inwardly (1 Corinthians 10:13). Endurance is the "steel" producing process of our Christian faith. We become strong through trials (James 1:2-4). The trials eventually confirm that God is our source ... no matter what! Peter extends beyond self-control to endurance. Endurance is self-control is any and all situations. It is the ability to chose God as our source in all things to when we have done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-13). Ephesians 6 lists the "full armor" of God that we may be able to stand against the strategems of the devil. The devil's plan is simple: sidetrack us from our God-ordained source. If Satan can derail us from God as our source, he has succeeded. So the apostle Paul uses the term, "wrestling" when describing the armor of God. We are constantly groping, wrestling, wrangling our way back to our proper source: righteousness, peace, faith, truth, salvation. These are all part of the process of gaining endurance in Christ.

Endurance brings us to godliness. The apostle Paul addressed the matter of godliness in 1 Timothy 3:16, "And confessedly great is the mystery of godliness, He who was manifested in the flesh." Godliness means to manifest God in the flesh. The life of Jesus Christ was such a manifestation. He lived God for over 33 years. He manifested to His disciples, to the Jews, to the Romans and to the entire world who God is. Christ unveiled the wonderful divine attributes in His human virtues. Once He died and resurrected He imparts His divine life and His divine nature with its divine power into us, his genuine believers. Now, we become his manifestation. This is not some cheap, easy slogan, but the reality of a mature, spiritual life and walk before the Lord. When we continually take God as our source in all situations (self-control with endurance), there is a manifestation of God to others. Godliness is expressed in the virtues of "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law!" (Galatians 5:22) This is godliness!

More than once in the gospels, the Lord said, "You will know a tree by its fruit." (Matthew 7:16-20; Luke 6:43-45) How do you know that you are tapping into the proper source: God Himself? Is there a "litmus test" of faith? The answer is unequivocably: "YES"! The Lord says, "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Peter had marvelous insight related to spiritual things! Peter, the uneducated fisherman made his spiritual walk practical to the point that he could share this pattern with us. He laid out the path of experiential Christian faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness ... all the way to brotherly love. To love the brothers proves that we are sourced in God. The apostle John repeated this same pattern in his epistles (1 John 2:9-11; 3:11, 14-18; 4:7-21). John was the final New Testament word to God's children and he stressed two main points: 1) God as the source which is proven out by 2) us loving our brothers. Wow!

In Matthew 22:35-40 the Lord answered a lawyer's question concerning the greatest commandment in the law. The Lord said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Very possibly the apostle John reiterated the Lord's words to stress what was really important in an evil age: 1) God as our source of fellowship, and 2) loving the brothers (your neighbor).

Now, we should all feel exposed due to how little we take God as our source. So many "churches" claim to follow Christ, yet where is the brotherly love? Where is the "church in Philadelphia" as John wrote in Revelation 3:7-13. John in that letter wrote to a "weak" bunch of believers who clung to their source, the living Word of God (Christ) and did not deny His name. They were lovers of Jesus by faith and lovers of each other by name! They were 'Philadelphia.' Many Christians affiliate themselves with certain groups. Other give allegiance to groups. The real issue is the fruit of our lives. Do we love ALL the brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we receive those whom God has received or do we cast judgment on another's servant (Romans 14)? Throughout church history, God has raised up His servants to recover truth. Yet, time after time, saints have switched sources somewhere along the line and produced denominations, divisions, facts, sects ... all between brothers and sisters. We place doctrine higher than love. We place practice and liturgy higher than loving the brothers. We place history higher than love. And we place culture higher than loving the brothers.

Now I speak that which I do not know. The topmost enjoyment of Christ, the highest maturity in the Lord is to go beyond brotherly love to love. Love is "agape", the love of value, the very expression of God Himself because God is love (1 John 4:16). There is the opportunity for all of God's children to match Him in life, in nature, in expression, in virtue, in purpose, in economy ... just not in His Godhead with its supernatural abilities (omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence). There are dear ones of God who have gone before us and surely there are dear ones living today, who have matured to this point: they are God manifested in the flesh in their daily walk to the point that they live the "beattitudes." (Matthew 5:1-12) Whatever God has commanded us to do only represents who He is. Once we have learned to take Him as our source in everything, we will live Him out in all we do. As Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Now, these believers match God in His divine view of man. God loves the world (John 3:16). God hates evil (Romans 3:19, 23; 1 John 3:8). God brings all men to Himself (John 3:14-19; 1 Timothy 2:4). These believers not only know the source of their existence, but they will bring others to that same source. This is love at its highest.