Where it fits

Second Peter is the twenty-second book of the New Testament, with three chapters. The author names himself Simon Peter, says he expects to die soon (1:13–15), and mentions an earlier letter (3:1), which most take to be 1 Peter. Its authorship is among the most debated in the New Testament. Some in the early church hesitated over it, and many scholars think a follower wrote it in Peter's name, while others defend Peter's authorship and point to his eyewitness claim (1:16–18). If Peter wrote it, it dates from the mid-60s AD. Read straight through, it takes about eight minutes.

Who, to whom, and why

Peter writes like someone settling his affairs. He wants believers to remember what they know after he is gone (1:12–15). Chapter 1 urges them to build on their faith with goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, affection, and love (1:5–7). He roots this in what he saw: he was with Jesus on the mountain and heard the voice from heaven say, “This is my beloved Son” (1:16–18). He also roots it in the Scriptures, which came as people spoke from God, moved by the Holy Spirit (1:19–21).

Chapter 2 is a sharp warning. False teachers will slip in, bring destructive ideas, and exploit people out of greed. Peter says they will be judged as surely as the angels who sinned, the world of Noah's day, and Sodom and Gomorrah, while God rescued Noah and Lot (2:1–10). Much of it parallels Jude. In chapter 3, scoffers ask, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (3:4), since nothing seems to have changed. Peter answers that God made the world and once judged it by water, that he does not run on human schedules, and that his delay is patience, because he wants everyone to come to repentance (3:3–9). The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and believers should live holy lives while they wait for a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness is at home (3:10–13). The letter ends with a call to grow in grace and in knowledge of Jesus (3:18).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. Keep growing. Faith isn't a one-time event. Peter says to work hard to add goodness, knowledge, and love to faith (1:5–8), so that believers are fruitful and not stuck.
2. Scripture came from God. No prophecy came by human will, Peter says, but people spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (1:21).
3. God's delay is patience. God isn't slow about his promise. He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but all to come to repentance (3:9).

Passages people ask about

• 2 Peter 1:16–18. Peter's eyewitness account of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8).
• 2 Peter 3:8–9. The line about a day with the Lord being like a thousand years. See the misunderstanding below.
• 2 Peter 3:10–13. The day of the Lord and the new heavens and new earth. Christians understand the “elements” melting (3:10) in different ways, but most take it as God purifying creation, not abandoning it.
• 2 Peter 3:15–16. Peter calls Paul his “beloved brother,” says some things in Paul's letters are hard to understand, and ranks them with “the other Scriptures,” an early sign of how quickly Paul's letters were treated as authoritative.

How it points to Jesus

Peter calls Jesus “our God and Savior” (1:1) and “Lord and Savior” (1:11; 2:20; 3:2, 18). He bases his case on seeing Jesus' glory on the mountain (1:16–18) and on the promise that Jesus will return. The letter ends with a call to grow in the grace and knowledge of “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18).

A common misunderstanding

The line about a day with the Lord being like a thousand years (3:8) is often used as a formula, either to decode the days of creation or to calculate prophecy. Peter has neither in mind. He is answering people who say Jesus is taking too long. His point is that God isn't bound by human clocks, and that what looks like delay is mercy, giving people time to turn.