What you need as a believer

The Benediction’s Purpose

Peter begins the letter with the benediction: “May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” Why does Peter add this blessing? It serves the letter’s purpose: to rouse believers to perseverance and faith. Knowing that false teachers aim to deceive and unsettle their souls, Peter encourages them to remain steadfast, looking forward to Christ’s return and the final day of judgment.

How will believers endure to the end? How will they overcome the false teachers’ deceptions and resist temptation? Peter points to the grace and peace of God as their sustaining power, praying that it be multiplied to them throughout their lives.

Grace and Peace: All Spiritual Good Things

William Ames explains that “grace” refers both to God’s free favor and its application in the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit, while “peace” is the quietness of mind that flows from grace. Grace is the first blessing, peace the last, and all other spiritual benefits fall between them.

When Peter prays for grace and peace to be multiplied, he is asking for an abundance of all spiritual blessings. This teaches believers not only to seek grace and peace for themselves but also to pray for these blessings to be multiplied in the lives of others.

Continual Growth in Grace and Peace

Peter’s prayer reminds us that we must continually seek greater abundance in spiritual blessings. We should never become complacent with the grace and peace we currently possess but strive to grow in these areas through diligent study and deeper knowledge of God and Christ.

Peter writes, “Grace and peace are multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” This theme runs throughout the letter and culminates in Peter’s final exhortation in 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

This growth is essential for combating sin, false teaching, and the devil’s schemes. It challenges those who feel stagnant in their spiritual lives, encouraging them to actively pursue a deeper knowledge of God and Christ. As Alexander Nisbet observes, believers are responsible for their growth in grace and peace because these blessings are proportionate to their knowledge of God.

Head and Heart Knowledge

Peter emphasizes both intellectual and experiential knowledge of God. While growing in doctrinal understanding is vital, believers must also deepen their relational experience with God in Christ. True knowledge is not only known to be true but also felt and enjoyed.

Christ: The Source of Grace and Peace

Ultimately, all grace and peace flow from Jesus Christ. No one can approach God the Father apart from Christ. Without Christ, the Father is a God of wrath and judgment. Through Christ, believers receive spiritual blessings, comfort, and peace. Christ serves as the channel through which all blessings are conveyed to believers, and they must continually seek these blessings in prayer, trusting that God is willing and ready to give them.

The Letter’s Purpose

This initial greeting lays out the purpose of Peter’s letter. False teachers were attempting to lead believers astray by convincing them to disregard what they had been taught and to live sinful lives under the pretense of grace. These teachers dismissed the reality of Christ’s second coming and the final judgment, urging believers to “abound in sin that grace may abound more.”

Peter writes to counter this deception, reminding believers:

1. Who They Are – Servants of God and Jesus Christ.
2. What They Have – A faith of equal standing with the apostles.
3. What They Need – The continual multiplication of grace and peace throughout their lives.

Peter encourages them to persevere in faith and stand firm until Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

“Peter Sets The Stage For The Purpose Of The Letter” sermon (2 Peter 1:1-2)