A Servant and Apostle

Peter opens his second letter by identifying himself with two titles that set the tone for everything that follows: “servant and apostle” (2 Peter 1:1). The first places him alongside every believer as one who belongs to Christ; the second marks him as one commissioned with unique authority to speak on Christ’s behalf. Both titles matter, because this letter will require its readers to submit to Apostolic doctrine over against the claims of self-appointed teachers.

Few books of the Bible have had their authorship debated as vigorously as 2 Peter. Since the early centuries of the church, some have questioned whether Peter actually wrote this letter, noting differences in vocabulary and style when compared to 1 Peter. It’s important to note that when an ancient document bears the name of its author, the burden of proof rests on those who deny that claim. But the differences can be explained without denying that the Apostle Peter stands behind the letter. Ancient authors commonly employed secretaries, and Peter tells us in his first epistle that Silvanus helped him compose that letter (1 Peter 5:12). A different secretary, or no secretary at all, would naturally produce a different style. The early church was deeply suspicious of pseudonymous writings—forged documents attributed to famous figures—and often rejected such works. Church fathers who debated the inclusion of 2 Peter did so because it was less widely circulated, and once its Apostolic origin became clear, it was received into the canon. The rare form “Simeon” in verse 1, closer to the Hebrew original than the common “Simon,” is evidence of authenticity, for a later forger would almost certainly have used the more familiar name.

The greeting in verse 1 states that the letter’s recipients have received a faith “of equal standing” with the Apostles themselves. The word “faith” here likely refers not merely to subjective trust but to the body of Apostolic doctrine. Peter’s readers do not possess a second-class Christianity; they hold the same faith once for all delivered to the saints (see Jude 3), and this faith came to them “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). This phrase is one of the New Testament’s clearest affirmations of the deity of Christ.

Peter writes around AD 65, likely from Rome, knowing that his death is near (1:14), and his letter is a final, urgent testimony from a man who walked with Christ, denied Christ, was restored by Christ, and now stakes everything on Christ’s truth.