Recently I felt drawn to study the book of 2 Peter. I’m somewhat familiar with the basic contents of the book, but to start I read over the book a few times, meditated on what I’d read and prayed for clearer understanding. I also read a few commentaries of some of the passages.
When thinking of what study method I should use for this study I felt a basic fact finding approach would be a good start. In this you ask the following questions to get at the facts: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
It is clear Peter is the author, and the same believers to whom he wrote his first Epistle were to be the recipients of this second letter. They were the believers in what is now known as Turkey. Actually, it would be correct to say that all believers down through the centuries and to the present can take it as a letter for them from the heart of Peter.
In fact, since a major focus of the letter is the second coming of Jesus Christ it is more relevant to us than it was to the first recipients, since His return is closer now. And the conditions described in chapters 2 & 3 are very current in our world.
It’s time we took Jeremiah’s challenge to heart in chapter 6 verse16 of his prophecy: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” If you do that you will find many of the things Peter describes all around you. It’ll be like reading today’s newspaper or listening to today’s newscast.
Let me encourage you to sit down and read these three chapters in preparation for starting this study together.
