Threats from Outside the Church-II Peter

"The earliest references to this letter, in the writing of Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome, show that there were some who doubted the apostolic authorship of the letter, while others accepted it as apostolic. Eusebius, for example, did not say that the letter was spurious but at the same time he was not prepared to grant it equal footing with other books of the canon about which he had no question. Nor did Origen say that it was spurious, only that its authenticity was disputed. . . . those [of today] who accept the apostolic authorship point to a similarity in the two letters in the use of certain words and phrases, the emphatic autobiographical references, and similarity in teaching. The date of the letter is considered to be in the early sixties of the first century since Peter died in A. D. 64 or 67."-Harper Study Bible, Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1971.

If I Peter was about dealing with threats from outside the church, II Peter is about handling threats from inside the church. Chapter 2 is perhaps the most descriptive and descriptive of false teachers of any passage in the New Testament.

• Salutation (II Peter 1: 1-2.)

A. "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ"-do we believe this?

B. Do we believe that we can (are able) to have a faith like Simon Peters?

If not, why not? Probably all of us utter the cry of the father of Mark 9-"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." See Mark 9: 17-27. "I have

some faith; even a little faith; help me to believe more!" We cry.

• How should we go about increasing our faith? In what should we be trying to have faith? Ourselves? Our spouses? Or Jesus Christ?

1. Romans 10: 17

2. Related-see James 1: 5-8.

3. Personal advice. When in doubt, don't fool with doctrinal issues. Read The Gospel of Mark again-and again, and again. Read about the miracles.

• How much confidence should we have in our standing with the Lord?

1. I John 5: 13-"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

2. Romans 8: 31-35. Who can be against us?

3. I John 1: 6-10 and/or ff. There is a companionship, a relationship. You're not "in" one second and "out" the next, like a tricky ankle (of mine!).

• True knowledge (II Peter 1:3 - 21).
• The growth of true knowledge

1. We have been granted ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness. Not will be - have been. You're richer than you ever imagined.

2. We have become partakers of the divine nature of God himself. We are taking on His ways, learning His values, learning-if ever so slowly-to think in spiritual ways, like God does. See I Corinthians 2: 6-16 for a further explanation of what it is that we have. It's far more precious than we have any

appreciation of.

3. Add some things:

A. Faith

B. Virtue

C. Knowledge

D. Self control (Paul-"Oh wretched man that I am!"

E. Steadfastness

F. Godliness-yes, with God's help you can. Matthew 5: 48.

G. Brotherly affection. "He who loveth not knoweth not God."

H. Love. From phileo to agape.

• The ground of true knowledge.
• Being "in this body" II Peter 1: 13. See also Paul in II Cor. 5: 1-10.
• Peter was ready to "put off this body." He wasn't suicidal or careless; he just knew that there was something better waiting for him.
• The scriptures were not cleverly designed myths. II Peter 1: 16-21.
• What does verse 21 mean?

• False teachers (chapter 2)

A. The history of false teachers

B. Recognizing false teachers today

C. Lasciviousness (Licentiousness) and revelry (boisterous parties with dancing) will be trademarks of these "easy-going" false teachers.

D. Don't be a back-slider!

III. The coming of the end.

A. It is not God's nature to condemn; He wishes that all would come to repentance.

B. But He will pronounce judgement on those who refuse to repent.