2 Peter – We Have It All

We have it all! Peter exclaimed. Everything a believer needs to live a God-honoring, obedient life lies within us when we have God’s Spirit in our hearts. However, if we have never received Him, we remain enslaved to sin and powerless to live a righteous, godly life.

The Christians Peter addressed needed to know just how rich their treasury of grace in Christ truly was. Unaware, they were falling victim to the false teaching some men had brought into the church. In their perverted approach to God’s mercy, they encouraged believers to indulge their sinful desires since Jesus had paid to remove their guilt anyway. In their arrogance, they denied the Lordship of Christ, ridiculed angels, and mocked those who believed in the second coming of Christ.

The believers needed to fight back with the truth. God did not deliver them from sin so that they could become enslaved to it once more! Rather, God had redeemed them from that life of death so that they could enjoy abundant life with Christ—a life filled with His goodness, love and truth. The sinful deeds of the past have no place in the believer’s life. Though we still have a sin nature, God has equipped His people with all the power they need to subdue it and submit to God’s Holy Spirit instead.

So Peter didn’t mince words. He condemned the liars who led God’s people astray, warning them that Jesus would indeed return and they reap His wrath for their rebellion. For the believers, though, Christ’s coming promised eternal peace and joy in God’s presence. Since we have such a bright future ahead, Peter encouraged, let us be found leading the kind of lives our heavenly Father loves when His Son returns.

For the frustrated Christian struggling with sin today, 2 Peter provides hope. Sin cannot condemn us, nor does it define us. God has declared us righteous in Christ, and His Spirit is at work in believers molding us into His image. He equips us with power to respond in obedience, even as His Spirit mightily moves in us to make us the people God created us to be.

What does Peter say about false teachers?

What is the theme of 2 Peter?

Why is it important to pursue spiritual maturity through the Word of God as a remedy for false teaching?