2 Peter 1

The Favor of God Paraphrase

Growing in Faith and Knowledge of Jesus

¹ This letter comes from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. I am writing to you who have received the same precious faith as ours—a faith given to you through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

² May you have more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

God’s Power for Living a Godly Life

³ By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. This power comes to us through knowing Him—the One who called us to Himself by His own glory and goodness.

⁴ Because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These promises enable you to share in His divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by human desires.

Building Christian Virtues

⁵ So make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge;

⁶ to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

⁷ to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Confirmation of Your Calling and Election

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,

¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter’s Reminder of Christ’s Return

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,

¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.

¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure, you will always be able to remember these things.

The Eyewitness Testimony of Christ’s Glory

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.

The Reliability of Scripture

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.

²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes:

1.“Divine power” (Greek: δύναμις θείας, dýnamis theías) refers to the supernatural empowerment that comes from God, enabling believers to live a life pleasing to Him.

2.“Glory and excellence” (Greek: δόξα καὶ ἀρετή, dóxa kai aretḗ): This phrase emphasizes the perfect and praiseworthy nature of God’s character, drawing people to Him.

3.“Corruption” (Greek: φθορά, phthorá) indicates the moral decay and destruction brought about by human sinful desires.

4.“Nearsighted and blind”: A metaphor that describes spiritual forgetfulness, where one fails to remember the transformation brought by faith and forgiveness in Christ.

5.“Cleansed from their past sins”: This refers to the forgiveness and purification believers receive when they turn to Jesus in faith, symbolized by baptism.

6.“Majestic Glory” (Greek: μεγαλοπρεπὴς δόξα, megaloprepḗs dóxa): A title for God the Father, emphasizing His supreme splendor and authority.

7.“Morning star” (Greek: φωσφόρος, phōsphóros): This imagery suggests the arrival of full understanding and hope, often associated with the coming of Jesus.