The Apostle Peter wrote his inspired letters so that those who read them might be able to reason in a pure way. The basic premise of Peter’s second inspired letter is that uncorrupted thought depends upon having a correct view of who Jesus is. If we have a proper understanding of Jesus and accept His authority over us, then our eternal destiny is secure. If, on the other hand we reject Jesus’ position we will fall into error. We will fall prey to false teaching and will misunderstand God’s promises. This in turn, will lead to our destruction. In view of this, who is Jesus? What does Peter say about Him? In chapter 1, verses 1 and 2 Peter writes, “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” In this brief greeting Peter says a great deal about who Jesus is.
Peter calls himself a servant of Jesus. If Peter is a slave then Jesus is the master. How did Jesus become the master? In chapter 2 verse 1 Peter indicates that Jesus has become the master of those who follow Him by purchasing them. But from whom or what did Jesus purchase them? Peter provides the answer when he writes in chapter 2, verse 19, “…for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.” We have all allowed sin to master us and therefore we became slaves to sin. But Jesus paid the price to purchase us from sin. He gives us the freedom to choose whether we will remain slaves of sin or will enter His service. In writing to the followers of Christ the Apostle Paul explains it this way, “…whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered. Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18) What was the purchase price for our freedom from sin? Scripture says about Jesus, “…you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,” (Revelation 5:9)
It is because Jesus frees from the bondage of sin that Peter also calls him the Savior. Paul writes about God, “who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)
Another title that Peter uses for Jesus is Christ, that is, the Anointed One. The Jewish national and spiritual leaders were appointed by anointing them with oil. Also, the Jewish prophets had predicted that one day God would anoint a great leader. For example it says in Psalms, “The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, [that is, the Lord] and against his Anointed.” (Psalm 2:2) The promise of the coming Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus. God Himself anointed Jesus. The Scripture says, “…God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power…” (Acts 10:38) But what position did God’s anointing give Jesus? The first position Jesus received as a result of his anointing is that of prophet. The work of a prophet is to deliver God’s message. Jesus said, “…I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.” (John 8:28) Jesus was also anointed to be high priest. The priest’s role is to offer sacrifices on behalf of sinners and to present the people’s requests before God. Jesus does both of these things. He sacrificed His own sinless life on our behalf and He presents our petitions before God. Scripture says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all; the testimony in its own times;” (1 Timothy 2:5-6) A third position which Jesus has been given is that of king. Jesus said, “…All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18) To summarize, when we give Jesus the title “Christ” we are acknowledging that he is prophet, priest and king.
It is because of the authority that Jesus has as king, both on earth and in heaven, that Peter also calls him Lord. But this raises a question. The word that Peter uses means ‘divine ruler.’ How can any man, even the sinless Jesus, be divine? Peter answers this question, and at the same time presents us with a greater difficulty, when he writes, “…in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ…” (1:1) In this phrase Peter very clearly calls Jesus ‘God.’ Scripture also says, “For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9) In another place it says about Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2) From this we see that according to Scripture, Jesus is not a created being as are other men, but is eternally coexistent with God. Jesus Himself said, “…He who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9) and “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) Since Jesus refers to God as the ‘Father’ in these passages, it is appropriate to mention that Jesus is called the ‘Son’ in verse 17 of Peter’s second letter. It is important to understand that the title ‘Son’ describes a spiritual relationship rather than a physical one. To say that Jesus is God’s son in a physical sense is blasphemy. Scripture calls Jesus the Son of God for three reasons: 1) He did not have an earthly father. 2) His life was a perfect demonstration of God’s character. 3) Jesus’ own testimony. For example he said to the Jews, “It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.” (John 8:54) If we are going to accept Jesus as a prophet then we must also accept His testimony about Himself.
Though Peter calls Jesus ‘God’ in verse 1, he makes a distinction between them in verse 2. He says, “Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” Does this means that the followers of Christ believe in two gods? No! Absolutely not. Let us be very clear about this. From the very beginning to the very end the Holy Scriptures make it plain that there is only one God. Nor do the followers of Christ try to divide God, or to place someone else alongside of him. God is, and will always remain, One. But if God is One, then how can Jesus and the Father both be considered God? When asked about this, the followers of Christ will freely admit that this is something they do not fully understand. How can the creature fully comprehend the One who created him? It is not our place to argue with God, but to humbly accept what He has revealed about Himself through His word. The Scriptures say that God came down to earth in the form of Jesus in order to save the creatures He had made from the consequences of their own sin.