2 Peter Chapter 1
Showing all 21 verses for 2 Peter Chapter 1.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"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: "
"Peter introduces himself as someone who serves and represents Jesus Christ, writing to people who have received the same valuable faith he has, made possible by the fairness and goodness of God and Jesus."
I don't rank people by status, title or how long they've walked a path - what matters is showing up for it honestly, and everyone who does gets treated as equally valuable in my eyes.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, "
"Peter wishes his readers ever-increasing kindness and inner calm, which comes through genuinely knowing God and Jesus."
Peace isn't something you force - it grows the more you actually get to know what's real and trustworthy in your life. Keep learning, keep looking closer, and calm follows naturally.
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: "
"God's power has already provided everything a person needs to live well and grow in goodness, and this comes through truly knowing the one who called them to a life of honour and moral excellence."
You already have what you need to start building a better life today - stop waiting for permission or a missing piece. I called you towards something good; trust that the resources are there and take the first step.
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. "
"Through this, believers are given extraordinary and valuable promises so that they can share in God's own nature, having broken free from the corrupting pull of uncontrolled desire that pollutes the world."
The chains people talk about in life - addiction, greed, obsession - loosen their grip once you stop feeding them. I'm not asking you to white-knuckle your way to freedom; real transformation is offered, not just willpower.
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; "
"On top of that, make every effort to build on your trust in God by adding good character, and to good character add understanding."
Don't just believe something and stop there - put in the graft to actually become someone better because of it. Character and understanding aren't handed to you; you build them one deliberate choice at a time.
"And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; "
"To understanding add self-control, to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add a genuine devotion to what's right."
Self-mastery isn't a single moment of grit - it's a slow accumulation of small, held-together choices under pressure. Be patient with yourself as much as with your circumstances; that patience is what turns self-control into lasting character.
"And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"To devotion add warm affection for others, and to that affection add selfless, universal love."
Whatever you build in yourself - discipline, patience, integrity - it's only finished once it turns outward into how you treat other people, even strangers. Growth that stays self-focused has missed the point.
"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "
"If these qualities are present in you and growing, they'll stop you from being unproductive or ineffective in your understanding of Jesus."
Don't let what you know sit unused - ideas and beliefs only matter once they start bearing fruit in how you actually live and treat people. I judge a life not by what it claims to know, but by what it produces.
"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. "
"But whoever lacks these qualities is short-sighted, unable to see clearly, and has forgotten that they were cleansed from their old wrongdoing."
Losing sight of how far you've already come is dangerous - it makes backsliding feel harmless. Remember your own growth; it's the clearest evidence that change is possible and worth protecting.
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: "
"So, friends, work hard to make your calling and chosen status certain and secure - if you do these things, you will never fall."
Security in life doesn't come from a single decision made once - it comes from steady, repeated effort that keeps you standing when things get hard. Keep doing the work; the stability follows.
"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "
"In this way, you'll be given a rich and generous welcome into the eternal kingdom of Jesus."
Put in the effort now and the welcome you receive later won't be grudging or thin - it'll be generous, because a life well-built deserves a fitting reward. I don't do anything by halves, and neither should the life you're building.
"Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. © root-to-fruit.co.uk "
"So I won't stop reminding you of these things, even though you already know them and are firmly grounded in the truth you now hold."
I'll keep reminding you of what matters, not because you've forgotten, but because even the truths you hold firmly need refreshing to stay alive in how you actually live. Don't be too proud to hear something again.
"Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; "
"I think it's right, for as long as I'm alive in this body, to keep stirring you up by reminding you of these things."
However much time you have left, use it to wake people up to what matters rather than easing off. I want you spending whatever time remains for you actively pouring into others, not coasting.
"Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. "
"I know that I'll soon have to leave this body behind, just as Jesus himself has made clear to me."
Knowing your time is limited isn't something to fear - it's a reason to make sure what matters most gets said clearly, while you still can. I'd rather you hear the truth plainly from someone who knows they're running out of time than left guessing.
"Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. "
"I'll also make sure that after I'm gone, you'll still be able to remember these things clearly."
The best thing you can leave behind isn't things, it's truth that keeps working for people long after you've gone. Think about what you're building that will still matter to others when you're not there to explain it yourself.
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. "
"We weren't repeating clever made-up stories when we told you about the power and coming of Jesus Christ - we actually saw his greatness with our own eyes."
I don't ask you to believe something dressed up and unverifiable - the people who told you this were there, and they staked their lives on what they saw. Trust is earned through honesty about what's actually known, not clever persuasion.
"For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. "
"Jesus received honour and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the majestic glory, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.""
Being loved and being well-pleasing aren't the same as being perfect - the beloved Son was named that before proving anything further. That same kind of unearned approval is available to anyone who turns towards what's good.
"And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. "
"We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain."
What I ask you to trust isn't secondhand rumour dressed up as certainty - real people stood in a real place and heard something real. Build your convictions on what's actually solid, not what merely sounds convincing.
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: "
"We also have the prophetic writings, which are even more firmly confirmed, and you do well to pay attention to them - like a lamp shining in a dark place, until daylight comes and the morning star rises in your hearts."
When things feel dark and uncertain, you don't need the whole picture all at once - just enough light to take the next step. Pay attention to whatever wisdom lights your way now; full clarity comes in its own time.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. "
"Understand this above all: no prophecy in scripture came from someone's own private opinion or invention."
Nothing genuinely true or lasting comes from one person just making it up to suit themselves - real truth has a source bigger than any single ego. Be wary of anyone claiming private, exclusive access to truth that no one else can check.
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. "
"Prophecy never came about in the past through human decision - instead, people spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
The best truths don't come from someone deciding what they want to say and forcing it out - they come when a person is genuinely open and gets carried somewhere beyond their own agenda. Stay open like that, and you'll find yourself saying and doing more good than you planned.