The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 655
5:3 nor as being lords. This is the third major temptation for a pastor: 1) laziness (v. 2); 2) dishonest finances (v. 2); and 3) demagoguery. In this context, “lords” means to dominate someone or some situation. It implies leadership by manipulation and intimidation. See notes on Matt. 20:25–28. Rather, true spiritual leadership is by example (see 1 Tim. 4:12).
5:4 Chief Shepherd appears. The Chief Shepherd is Jesus Christ (cf. Is. 40:11; Zech. 13:7; John 10:2, 11, 12, 16; Heb. 13:20, 21). When He appears at the second coming, He will evaluate the ministry of pastors at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 3:9–15; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10). crown of glory. Lit. the crown which is eternal glory. In the NT world, crowns were given as marks of victorious achievements (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24, 25). Believers are promised crowns of glory, life (James 1:12), righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), and rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19), and all are imperishable (1 Cor. 9:25). All the crowns describe certain characteristics of eternal life. See note on 1 Thess. 2:19. that does not fade away. The Gr. word for “not fade away” is the name of a flower, the amaranth.
5:5 submit yourselves. See 2:18—3:9. elders. The elders are the pastors, the spiritual leaders of the church (cf. v. 1; notes on 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). The church members, especially the young people, are to give honor, deference, and respect to spiritual leadership. Submission is a fundamental attitude of spiritual maturity (cf. 1 Cor. 16:15; 1 Thess. 5:12–14; Titus 3:1, 2; Heb. 13:7, 17). Lack of submission to the elders not only makes the ministry difficult, but also forfeits God’s grace, as noted in the quote from Prov. 3:34 (see note on James 4:6). be clothed with humility. To “be clothed” lit. means to tie something on oneself with a knot or a bow. This term was often used of a slave putting on an apron over his clothes in order to keep his clothes clean. “Humility” is lit. “lowly mindedness,” an attitude that one is not too good to serve. Humility was not considered a virtue by the ancient world, any more than it is today (but cf. John 13:3–17; Phil. 2:3, 4; see also Prov. 6:16, 17; 8:13; Is. 57:15).
5:6 under the mighty hand of God. This is an OT symbol of the power of God working in the experience of men, always accomplishing His sovereign purpose (cf. Ex. 3:19, 20; Job 30:20, 21; Ezek. 20:33, 37; Mic. 6:8). The readers of Peter’s letter were not to fight the sovereign hand of God, even when it brought them through testings. One of the evidences of lack of submission and humility is impatience with God in His work of humbling believers (see notes on 2 Cor. 12:7–10). exalt you in due time. Cf. Luke 14:11. God will lift up the suffering, submissive believers in His wisely appointed time. See notes on Job 42.
5:7 casting all your care upon Him. This verse partly quotes and partly interprets Ps. 55:22. “Casting” means “to throw something on something,” as to throw a blanket on a donkey (Luke 19:35). Christians are to cast all of their discontent, discouragement, despair, and suffering on the Lord, and trust Him for knowing what He’s doing with their lives (cf. 1 Sam. 1:10–18). Along with submission (v. 5) and humility (vv. 5, 6), trust in God is the third attitude necessary for victorious Christian living.
5:8 Be sober. See notes on 1:13 and 4:7. be vigilant. Strong confidence in God’s sovereign care does not mean that the believer may live carelessly. The outside evil forces which come against the Christian demand that the Christian stay alert. your adversary. Gr. for a legal opponent in a lawsuit. the devil…a roaring lion. The Gr. word for “devil” means “slanderer”; thus a malicious enemy who maligns believers. He and his forces are always active, looking for opportunities to overwhelm the believer with temptation, persecution, and discouragement (cf. Pss. 22:13; 104:21; Ezek. 22:25). Satan sows discord, accuses God to men, men to God, and men to men. He will do what he can to drag the Christian out of fellowship with Christ and out of Christian service (cf. Job 1; Luke 22:3; John 13:27; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4; Rev. 12). And he constantly accuses believers before God’s throne, attempting to convince God to abandon them (Job 1:6–12; Rev. 12:10).
5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith. Cf. James 4:7. “Resist” means “to stand up against.” The way to resist the devil is not with special formulas, or words directed at him and his demons, but by remaining firm in the Christian faith. This means to continue to live in accord with the truth of God’s Word (see notes on 2 Cor. 10:3–5). As the believer knows sound doctrine and obeys God’s truth, Satan is withstood (cf. Eph. 6:17). the same sufferings. The whole brotherhood, the entire Christian community, is always going through similar trials brought on by the roaring lion who never stops trying to devour believers (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).
5:10 who called us. As always in the NT epistles, an effectual, saving call. See notes on 1:5; 2:9, 21; 3:9. after you have suffered a while. Christians are to live with the understanding that God’s purposes realized in the future require some pain in the present. While the believer is being personally attacked by the enemy, he is being personally perfected by the Lord, as the next phrase attests (cf. 1:6; also 2 Cor. 1:3–7). perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle. These 4 words all speak of strength and resoluteness. God is working through the Christian’s struggles to produce strength of character. In vv. 5–14, Peter elucidated briefly, but in wonderful richness, those attitudes which are necessary for the believer to grow in Christ to effective maturity. These include submission (v. 5), humility (vv. 5, 6), trust (v. 7), sobermindedness (v. 8), vigilant defense (vv. 8, 9), hope (v. 10), worship (v. 11), faithfulness (v. 12), and affection (vv. 13, 14).
5:12 Silvanus. This is the Silas who traveled with Paul and is often mentioned in his epistles. He was a prophet (Acts 15:32) and a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37); he was apparently the one who wrote down Peter’s words and later took this letter to its intended recipients (cf. Introduction: Author and Date).
5:13 She who is in Babylon. This refers to a church in Rome (cf. Rev. 17, 18; Introduction: Background and Setting). Mark my son. Mark, called John Mark, was the spiritual son of Peter. Tradition indicates that Peter helped him write the Gospel of Mark (cf. Acts 12:12). This is the same Mark who once failed Paul (Acts 13:13; 15:38, 39; Col. 4:10), but later became useful again for ministry (2 Tim. 4:11).
1 Peter 1
1:1 a John 7:35; James 1:1
1:1 1 sojourners, temporary residents
1:2 b Eph. 1:4
1:2 c (Rom. 8:29); 1 Pet. 1:20
1:2 d 2 Thess. 2:13
1:2 e Rom. 1:5
1:2 f Is. 52:15; Heb. 10:22; 12:24
1:2 g Rom. 1:7
1:3 h Eph. 1:3
1:3 i Gal. 6:16; Titus 3:5
1:3 j (John 3:3, 5)
1:3 k 1 Cor. 15:20; 1 Pet. 3:21
1:4 l Col. 1:5
1:4 2 imperishable
1:5 m John 10:28; (Phil. 4:7)
1:6 n Matt. 5:12
1:6 o 2 Cor. 4:17
1:6 p James 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:12
1:6 3 distressed
1:7 q James 1:3
1:7 r Job 23:10
1:7 s (Rom. 2:7)
1:8 t 1 John 4:20
1:8 u John 20:29
1:8 4 M known
1:11 v 2 Pet. 1:21
1:12 w Eph. 3:10
1:12 5 NU, M you
1:14 x (Rom. 12:2); 1 Pet. 4:2
1:15 y (2 Cor. 7:1)
1:16 z Lev. 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7
1:17 a Acts 10:34
1:17 6 sojourning, dwelling as resident aliens
1:18 7 perishable
1:19 b Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:2
1:19 c Ex. 12:5; Is. 53:7
1:20 d Rom. 3:25
1:20 e Gal. 4:4
1:20 8 revealed
1:21 f Acts 2:24
1:21 g Acts 2:33
1:22 h Acts 15:9
1:22 i John 13:34; Rom. 12:10; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8
1:22 9 NU omits through the Spirit
1:22 10 Lit. unhypocritical
1:23 j John 1:13
1:23 k 1 Thess. 2:13; James 1:18
1:23 11 perishable
1:23 12 imperishable
1:23 13 NU omits forever
&
nbsp; 1:24 l Is. 40:6–8; James 1:10
1:24 14 NU its glory as
1:25 m Is. 40:8
1:25 n (John 1:1)
1:25 15 spoken word
1 Peter 2
2:1 a Heb. 12:1
2:2 b (Matt. 18:3; 19:14; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17); 1 Cor. 14:20
2:2 c 1 Cor. 3:2
2:2 1 NU adds up to salvation
2:3 d Ps. 34:8; Titus 3:4; Heb. 6:5
2:4 e Ps. 118:22
2:6 f Is. 28:16; Rom. 9:32, 33; 10:11; 1 Pet. 2:8
2:7 g Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Luke 2:34
2:7 2 NU disbelieve
2:8 h Is. 8:14
2:8 i 1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11
2:8 j Rom. 9:22
2:9 k Is. 9:2; 42:16; (Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:6)
2:10 l Hos. 1:9, 10; 2:23; Rom. 9:25; 10:19
2:11 m (Rom. 8:13); Gal. 5:17; James 4:1
2:12 n 2 Cor. 8:21; Phil. 2:15; Titus 2:8; 1 Pet. 2:15; 3:16
2:12 o Matt. 5:16; 9:8; John 13:31; 1 Pet. 4:11, 16
2:13 p Matt. 22:21
2:13 3 institution
2:16 q Rom. 6:14, 20, 22; 1 Cor. 7:22; (Gal. 5:1)
2:16 r Gal. 5:13
2:16 4 wickedness
2:17 s Prov. 24:21
2:18 t Eph. 6:5–8
2:19 u Matt. 5:10
2:20 v Luke 6:32–34
2:21 w Matt. 16:24; 1 Thess. 3:3, 4
2:21 x (1 John 2:6)
2:21 5 NU you
2:21 6 NU, M you
2:22 y Is. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21
2:23 z Is. 53:7; Heb. 12:3; 1 Pet. 3:9
2:23 a Luke 23:46
2:24 b Is. 53:4, 11; 1 Cor. 15:3; (Heb. 9:28)
2:24 c Rom. 7:6
2:24 d Is. 53:5
2:24 7 wounds
2:25 e Is. 53:5, 6
2:25 f Is. 40:11; (Ezek. 34:23); Zech. 13:7
2:25 8 Gr. Episkopos
1 Peter 3
3:1 a Gen. 3:16; 1 Cor. 14:34; Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18
3:1 b 1 Cor. 7:16
3:1 c Matt. 18:15
3:2 d 1 Pet. 2:12; 3:6
3:3 e Is. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:9
3:4 f Rom. 2:29
3:4 1 imperishable
3:6 g Gen. 18:12
3:7 h 1 Cor. 7:3; (Eph. 5:25); Col. 3:19
3:7 i 1 Cor. 12:23
3:7 j Job 42:8
3:8 2 NU humble
3:9 k (Prov. 17:13)
3:9 l Matt. 5:44
3:9 m Matt. 25:34
3:10 n Ps. 34:12–16
3:10 o James 1:26
3:10 3 restrain
3:11 p Ps. 37:27
3:11 q Rom. 12:18
3:12 r John 9:31
3:13 s Prov. 16:7
3:14 t James 1:12
3:14 u Is. 8:12
3:15 v Ps. 119:46
3:15 w (Titus 3:7)
3:15 4 set apart
3:15 5 NU Christ as Lord
3:16 x 1 Tim. 1:5; Heb. 13:18; 1 Pet. 3:21
3:18 6 NU, M you
3:20 7 NU, M when the longsuffering of God waited patiently
3:21 y Acts 16:33; Eph. 5:26
3:21 z (Titus 3:5)
3:21 a (Rom. 10:10)
3:22 b Ps. 110:1
3:22 c Rom. 8:38; Heb. 1:6
1 Peter 4
4:1 1 NU omits for us
4:2 a John 1:13
4:3 2 NU time
4:5 b Acts 10:42; Rom. 14:9; 2 Tim. 4:1
4:6 c 1 Pet. 1:12; 3:19
4:6 d (Rom. 8:9, 13); Gal. 5:25
4:7 e Rom. 13:11; Heb. 9:26; James 5:8, 9; 1 John 2:18
4:8 f (Prov. 10:12); 1 Cor. 13:4; James 5:20
4:9 g 1 Tim. 3:2; Heb. 13:2
4:9 h 2 Cor. 9:7
4:10 i Rom. 12:6–8
4:10 j Matt. 24:45; 1 Cor. 4:1, 2
4:10 k (1 Cor. 12:4)
4:11 l Eph. 4:29
4:11 m (1 Cor. 10:31); Eph. 5:20
4:11 3 utterances
4:11 4 sovereignty
4:13 n James 1:2
4:13 o 2 Tim. 2:12
4:14 p Matt. 5:11; Luke 6:22; Acts 5:41
4:14 q Matt. 5:16
4:14 5 insulted or reviled
4:14 6 NU omits the rest of v. 14.
4:15 7 meddler
4:16 8 NU name
4:17 r Is. 10:12
4:17 s Luke 10:12
4:18 t Prov. 11:31
4:19 u Ps. 37:5–7; 2 Tim. 1:12
1 Peter 5
5:1 a Matt. 26:37
5:1 b Rom. 8:17, 18
5:2 c John 21:16; Acts 20:28
5:2 d 1 Cor. 9:17
5:2 e 1 Tim. 3:3
5:2 1 NU adds according to God
5:3 f Ezek. 34:4; Matt. 20:25
5:3 g Ps. 33:12
5:3 h John 13:15; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:7; 2 Thess. 3:9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7
5:3 2 masters
5:4 i Is. 40:11; Zech. 13:7; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25
5:4 j 2 Tim. 4:8
5:5 k Rom. 12:10; Eph. 5:21
5:5 l Prov. 3:34; James 4:6
5:5 m Is. 57:15
5:8 3 self-controlled
5:8 4 watchful
5:8 5 NU, M omit because
5:10 n 1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Thess. 2:12
5:10 6 NU the God of all grace,
5:10 7 NU, M you
5:10 8 NU will perfect
5:11 o Rev. 1:6
5:12 p 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1
5:12 q Acts 20:24
5:13 r Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37, 39; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24
Introduction to Second Peter
Title
The clear claim to authorship in 1:1 by the Apostle Peter gives the epistle its title. To distinguish it from Peter’s first epistle, it was given the Greek title “Petrou B,” or 2 Peter.
Author and Date
The author of 2 Peter is the Apostle Peter (see Introduction to 1 Peter). In 1:1, he makes that claim; in 3:1, he refers to his first letter; in 1:14, he refers to the Lord’s prediction of his death (John 21:18, 19); and in 1:16–18, he claims to have been at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–4). However, critics have generated more controversy over 2 Peter’s authorship and rightful place in the canon of Scripture than over any other NT book. The church fathers were slow in giving it their acceptance. No church father refers to 2 Peter by name until Origen near the beginning of the third century. The ancient church historian, Eusebius, only included 2 Peter in his list of disputed books, along with James, Jude, 2 John, and 3 John. Even the leading Reformers only hesitatingly accepted it.
The question about differences in Greek style between the two letters has been satisfactorily answered. Peter wrote that he used an amanuensis, Silvanus, in 1 Peter (cf. 1 Pet. 5:12). In 2 Peter, Peter either used a different amanuensis or wrote the letter by himself. The differences in vocabulary between the two letters can be explained by the differences in themes. First Peter was written to help suffering Christians. Second Peter was written to expose false teachers. On the other hand, there are remarkable similarities in the vocabulary of the two books. The salutation, “grace to you and peace be multiplied,” is essentially the same in each book. The author uses such words as “precious,” “virtue,” “putting off,” and “eyewitness,” to name just a few examples, in both letters. Certain rather unusual words found in 2 Peter are also found in Peter’s speeches in the Acts of the Apostles. These include “obtained” (1:2; Acts 1:17); “godliness” (1:3, 6, 7; 3:11; Acts 3:12); and “wages of iniquity” (2:13, 15; Acts 1:18). Both letters also refer to the same OT event (2:5; 1 Pet. 3:18–20). Some scholars have pointed out that there are as many similarities in vocabulary between 1 and 2 Peter as there are between 1 Timothy and Titus, two letters almost universally believed to have been written by Paul.
The differences in themes also explain certain emphases, such as why one letter teaches that the second coming is near, and one deals with its delay. First Peter, ministering especially to suffering Christians, focuses on the imminency of Christ as a means of encouragin
g the Christians. Second Peter, dealing with scoffers, emphasizes the reasons why that imminent return of Christ has not yet occurred. Other proposed differences invented by the critics, such as the contradiction between including the resurrection of Christ in one letter and the Transfiguration of Christ in the other, seem to be contrived.
Moreover, it is seemingly irrational that a false teacher would spuriously write a letter against false teachers. No unusual, new, or false doctrines appear in 2 Peter. So, if 2 Peter were a forgery, it would be a forgery written by a fool for no reason at all. This is too much to believe. The conclusion to the question of authorship is that, when the writer introduced the letter and referred to himself as Peter, he was writing the truth.
Nero died in A.D. 68, and tradition says Peter died in Nero’s persecution. The epistle may have been written just before his death (1:14; ca. A.D. 67–68).
Background and Setting
Since the time of the writing and sending his first letter, Peter had become increasingly concerned about false teachers who were infiltrating the churches in Asia Minor. Though these false teachers had already caused trouble, Peter expected that their heretical doctrines and immoral life-styles would result in more damage in the future. Thus Peter, in an almost last will and testament (1:13-15), wrote to warn the beloved believers in Christ about the doctrinal dangers they were facing.
Peter does not explicitly say where he was when he wrote this letter, as he does in 1 Peter (1 Pet. 5:13). But the consensus seems to be that Peter wrote this letter from prison in Rome, where he was facing imminent death. Shortly after this letter was written, Peter was martyred, according to reliable tradition, by being crucified upside down (see note on John 21:18, 19).
Peter says nothing in the salutation about the recipients of this letter. But according to 3:1, Peter was writing another epistle to the same people to whom he wrote 1 Peter. In his first letter, he spelled out that he was writing “to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1). These provinces were located in an area of Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey. The Christians to whom Peter wrote were mostly Gentiles (see note on 1:1).