2 Peter 1:3

2 Peter 1:3. Seeing that his divine power hat gifted us. This verse and the next are attached by the A. V. immediately to what precedes. They are thus made part of the opening benediction. This was once almost the accepted connection. It was retained by the great critic Lachmann, and it appears to be favoured by the punctuation which is adopted in the most recent critical edition of the original, namely, that by Westcott and Hort. Alford, too, holds that the connection with the former verse should not be broken, as it is characteristic of the writer of this Epistle ‘to dilate further when the sense seems to have come to a close.' There is much, nevertheless, against this. The inscriptions of the Epistles are short, compact, and self-contained. That of the former Epistle of Peter is decidedly so. In a few of the Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1John, 3John) there is no introductory greeting, or at least no benediction. Where there is such, it closes the inscription. Even in the case of the Epistle to the Galatians, which might seem to be an exception to the general form, the longer inscription is concluded by a doxology. This being the general model of the inscriptions, it is better to connect 2 Peter 1:3-4 with what follows. They thus lay the deep foundation for the exhortation, which follows in 2 Peter 1:5. That foundation is the liberal grant of grace which believers have received from Him in whom they believe. The grant, too, is described at some length, as regards its source, its extent, the means of its attainment, the object with which it is bestowed. So Bengel conceives that in the present paragraph we have the truth which is enshrined in the Master's parable of the Virgins (Matthew 25) expounded without the parabolic form, the 3d and 4th verses dealing with the flame, that is to say, with that which is simply conferred by God without action on our side, and the subsequent verses dealing with the oil, that is to say, all that which we ourselves have to contribute in order to maintain, extend, and utilize the flame. The A. V., therefore, somewhat misses the point by its ‘according as,' which gives the idea of a standard to which our efforts are to conform. What is intended is neither this, nor a mere explanation such as is supposed by some (e.g. Bengel, Mason) on the analogy of 2 Corinthians 5:20, but the emphatic statement of a fact, which is thrown into the strongest relief at the outset. They had received a great endowment of grace, and this at once made them capable of acting out the lofty pattern of character immediately depicted, and laid them under obligation to do. Hence the opening phrase should be rendered ‘considering that,' ‘forasmuch as,' or (with the R. V.) ‘seeing that.' The verb rendered ‘given' in the A. V. is not the ordinary verb, but a richer form which may be translated ‘gift' or ‘grant' It occurs only once again in the N. T., namely of Pilate's grant of the body of Jesus to Joseph (Mark 15:45). The bestowal of this endowment of grace is ascribed to ‘His Divine power.' Whose? Gods, say some; Christ's, say others; while a third party say it is the power of God and Jesus in the oneness of their nature and activity. On the whole, the second view (which is that of Calvin, Huther, etc.) seems most likely. It would be somewhat superfluous to describe the power as Divine, if the Subject in view were God the Father. It is not superfluous, if the Subject in view is that ‘Jesus our Lord' who was ‘crucified in weakness' but also ‘raised in power,' and who puts forth the ‘power of His resurrection' (Philippians 3:10) in the imparting of all needful gifts to His servants. This epithet ‘Divine,' indeed, occurs only twice again in the N. T., namely in 2 Peter 1:4 and in Acts 17:29. The power of Christ which works in behalf of Christians, secures for them this wealth of spiritual privilege only because it is a power of a Divine order.

with all things pertaining to life and godliness. The sense might perhaps be more adequately given thus ‘with all things, to wit all those pertaining to life and godliness.' The grant is represented as a universal one, so far as these particular objects are concerned. By ‘life and godliness' we are not to understand man's temporal interest on the one band and his spiritual interest on the other. Both terms refer to the latter interest. As the subjoined statement shows, ‘life' has here the wide sense of life truly so called, the eternal life which Christ (John 17:3) identifies with the knowledge of the only true God and Him whom He sent. The term for ‘godliness' is one in which the original idea is that of reverence, or the fear of God. It is of somewhat peculiar usage in the N. T., being found nowhere but in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy 2:2; 1Ti 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:7-8, etc.), and on the lips of Peter (Act 3:12; 2 Peter 1:3; 2 Peter 1:6-7; 2 Peter 3:11). It has a distinctively Old Testament tone. The two words, therefore, express two distinct things, the former denoting the new, inward condition of the believer, the latter the attitude toward God which corresponds with that condition. It is to be noticed, however, that what Peter describes believers to be gifted with is not the life and godliness themselves, but all things pertaining to these. The new ‘life' itself is also a Divine gift. But that ‘life' admits of being regarded under the aspect of a thing appropriated and used by the recipient of it, as well as a thing communicated by grace. It is with the latter that Peter deals at present. Taking it for granted that the gift of life is there, he will have it understood that this is not to lie dormant, because the Divine power of Christ has furnished with the new life itself also all that is serviceable to our living it out for ourselves, and giving effect to it in a type of conduct ruled by the fear of God.

through the knowledge of him who called us through glory and virtue. The same intense term for ‘knowledge' is used here as in 2 Peter 1:2. The calling is given as belonging entirely to the past (‘called,' not ‘hath called'), the first definite introduction into Christ's kingdom being in view. The Person who ‘called us' is in all probability God; although some (e.g. Schott) take Christ to be intended in the present instance, holding that at least occasionally, as in Romans 1:6 the usual N. T. practice of ascribing the ‘call' to God the Father is departed from. The A. V. is entirely in error in rendering the last clause ‘ to glory and virtue.' In this it has followed the ‘unto' of the Genevan; Tyndale, Cranmer, and the Rhemish rightly give ‘by.' Otherwise the reading varies between two forms which have much the same sense, viz. ‘through glory and virtue,' and ‘by his own glory and virtue.' By the ‘glory' we may understand the sum of God's revealed perfections. As to the term ‘virtue,' see on 1 Peter 2:9, where it is used to express the excellencies of God. It occurs again in 2 Peter 1:5 of this chapter, and in the N. T. its use is confined to the writings of Peter, with the single Pauline exception of Philippians 4:8. In the Classics it denotes excellence, whether physical or mental. In the Greek Version of the O. T. it represents the Hebrew term for the majesty (Zechariah 3:3; Zechariah 6:13, etc.) and the praise (Isaiah 42:8) of God. Here the combined terms appear to describe the Divine perfections both as revealed and as efficient. What is meant, therefore, is that this grant of ‘all things serviceable for life and godliness,' which Christ's Divine power has secured for us, becomes actually ours only as we know the God whom Christ has declared, and who called us out of darkness by revealing His own gracious perfections and making them efficient in our case. There is a measure of resemblance to 1 Peter 1:21, where it is said to be by Christ that we believe in God.