Day 331

Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 28:17-18

TODAY WE BEGAN the second letter of the apostle Peter —which is thought to be the final writing of the old saint. However, it must be noted that the authorship of this letter has been questioned, dating back into antiquity. The acceptance of Peter’s authorship happened over time, and the letter was fully considered Scripture by the fourth century. In modern times, however, scholars have observed stylistic differences between 1 and 2 Peter. Those defending Peter’s authorship would say that he simply dictated the text to a different secretary. All in all, there are compelling reasons to consider this letter as we do the book of Hebrews —author unknown. But there are equally compelling reasons to consider the author to be the apostle Peter, as named in the letter.

If the apostle Peter wrote 2 Peter, it would have likely been written in the late 60s AD. He was martyred shortly thereafter. Church tradition holds that during his execution, Peter was crucified upside down, at his request, although the Bible does not verify this.

Peter did not explicitly say to whom he was writing in this letter. He said he was writing to “you who share the same precious faith we have” (2 Peter 1:1). We assume that he was writing to the same people he’d previously written to, because he referred to the first letter in this one.

Whereas 1 Peter sought to bolster and instruct believers about how to endure the crushing pressures coming against them, 2 Peter will warn about false teachings and evil behavior from within.

Rather than simply looking at this letter as an encouragement to live better, we must note that Peter knew he was about to die —he said as much in the letter. This is a man who walked with Jesus along the Sea of Galilee, saw Christ perform miracles, laughed with Him, cried with Him, lived with Him, ate His last supper with Him, denied Him, and mourned His death. But this is also a man who saw Jesus raised to life again. This is the man who preached the first sermon after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, in which three thousand people chose to follow Jesus (Acts 2:14-41).

These may be the final living words of the apostle Peter, and they should carry great weight in our lives. With those final words, he chose to encourage maturity, combat false teaching, and remind us of the certainty of Christ’s return.

MEDITATION:

Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.