2 Peter - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

KW 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a bondslave and an ambassador of Jesus Christ, to those who
have been divinely allotted like precious faith with us by the equitable treatment of our
God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
KJV 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
TRANSLATION HIGHLIGHTS
Peter opens his 2 nd epistle using his Jewish name, Simeon, and the name the Lord gave
him, Peter. He contrasts two levels of life he operated in, one high (apostle) and the other
low (bondslave). Both high and low ranks are due to his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Before becoming a Christian, he was a businessman in the fishing industry. Upon
becoming a Christian, he became a bondslave; he was bought for a price out of the slave
market of sin and now has work to do as an apostle for his Master. In military terms, he
has just given his readers his “name, rank and serial number” ... Simeon Peter, an apostle,
bondslave number 555 in the army of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some commentators think
this letter was written by a forger, but would a forger add the Hebrew name Simeon to his
greeting? I prefer the idea that it was dictated to someone with a clumsy or erratic
knowledge of Greek.
He writes his letter to the elect of God, to those who had obtained by divine appointment
(Constative Aorist tense) the same gift of faith (by regeneration) that the other apostles
had received. Initial entrance into God’s plan is equal in value, quality and quantity for
all believers; that is the just and equitable (righteous) modus operandi of Jesus Christ, our
God and Savior. Salvation mechanics are identical for all believers. “Righteousness”
refers to the redemptive work of Christ in this context, rather than a divine attribute.
There are no varying degrees of election or the resultant faith that brings us into
relationship with Him. Positionally, the highest apostle and the lowest neophyte are on
the same spiritual level ... as are Jewish and Gentile Christians. “God” is a reference to
the deity of Christ, not a reference to the Father, in this introduction.
RELEVANT OPINIONS
The name Simeon is a variant of Simon and occurs in the address that James delivered at
the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15:14. (S. Kistemaker) Symeon Peter contains the
history of his soul: the first tells of his admission into the old covenant by circumcision;
the second, of his admission into the new covenant through faith in Jesus Christ. He had
passed through a great spiritual change; so had those to whom he was writing; they had
been gathered, one by one, into the fold of Christ, some from heathenism, some from
Judaism. His first name seemed to speak to his fellow-countrymen; he was a Jew, as they
were; he bore the name of one of their old patriarchs. (B. Caffin) Apostle stresses his
solidarity with Christ, servant with his readers. (M. Green) Lanchano implies God’s
sovereign choice rather than anything they might have done to deserve such a gift. (K.
Gangel) They had no special advantage over us simply because they were privileged to
walk with Christ, see Him with their own eyes, and share in His miracles. It is not