Saturday 12 September 2026
- Bible Book:
- 2 Peter
For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. (vs 5-7)
Background
Having spent much of this week with 1 Peter, we could be forgiven for assuming that there would be a smooth continuation as we turn the page of our Bibles to 2 Peter – like when we allow Netflix to move seamlessly from one episode of our favourite sitcom to the next. However, most scholars agree that 1 Peter and 2 Peter were written by different authors, to different audiences, and with a different purpose.
Although both claim to have been written by Peter the apostle, this is generally not believed to be the case, and the style and language of each letter are different. Unlike 1 Peter, 2 Peter does not describe a specific geographical area in which its readers live – instead, it is addresses "those who have received a faith as precious as ours" (v. 1). And instead of addressing first-generation Christians whose faith is threatened by hostility from the non-Christians living around them, this letter seems to speak to second-generation Christians whose faith is threatened by false teachers within the Church itself.
Later in the letter, the author will go on to warn against these false teachers, and particularly their assertion that Jesus will never return. But here, the author starts on a more positive note. He reminds his readers that they have received God’s promises and "everything needed for life and godliness" (v. 3) – he then encourages them "to make every effort" to support their faith with goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. There are echoes here of some of the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23, and a reminder that faith transforms our hearts and our behaviour towards other people.
To Ponder:
- Read that list again: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. Which do you feel is the most important, and why? Which would you most like to ask God to bless you with, and why?
- 1 Peter appears to be written to encourage Christians whose faith is threated by external forces, and 2 Peter to encourage Christians whose faith is threatened by voices within the Church. Today, what do you think is most likely to cause someone to stumble in their faith? What can churches do to support people in these moments?
Bible notes author: The Revd Naomi Oates
Naomi is a Methodist minister, currently serving in four churches across five communities in the North Kent Circuit. When not being rugby-tackled by her two young children, she enjoys cycling, baking and reading Golden Age detective fiction (although not all at the same time).