NOTES for Pe2 1:1-10
The Second Catholic Epistle of the Apostle Peter essentially continues the same thoughts that the apostle expresses in his First Epistle. After giving his readers an opening blessing, the apostle again speaks of what the ancient Church called “the two ways.” “There are two ways, one of life and one of death,” as the Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, begins. In today’s passage, however, the Apostle Peter supplements this with a description of a person’s gradual growth in God’s righteousness. In verses 5–7, he calls us to grow and lays faith as the foundation of this growth. He then says that faith provides the basis for virtue. Of course, if you do not believe, where will you find the strength to act virtuously?
The apostle then calls us to show, and consequently to find, knowledge in virtue. Here we follow the Greek text, since the Synodal translation is approximate at this point. This is so because only a virtuous life makes a person capable of knowing the Lord Himself. This profound, heartfelt knowledge of Christ leads you along His way. It is the way of self-restraint and patience, the way of humility. The apostle then says that self-restraint and patience, and nothing else, are the foundation of godliness, whose highest expression is brotherly affection and love. In conclusion, we hear an astonishing promise that gives us hope for life: “if you do these things,” the apostle says, “you will never stumble.”