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February 27, 2002,
March 13, 2002 2 Peter 1:2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; χάρις υμιν καὶ ειρήνη πληθυνθείη εν επιγνώσει του θεου καὶ Ιησου του κυρίου ημων 2 Peter 1.2 Principle: Peter genuinely wants the readers to understand, appreciate, and experience God’s grace (free favor) and God’s peace (spiritual welfare and harmony) multiplied many times over in their day to day lives—at home, work, play, and worship. This multiplication of grace and peace occurs in our lives as we gain a thorough and agreed to knowledge of our Heavenly Father and of Jesus our Lord by the study of the Word of God and the faith application of that Word. 1. Grace and Peace. χάρις υμιν καὶ ειρήνη These are two prominent truths that Paul, Peter, and John stress in the beginning of their letters. The constant use shows the emphasis on these two truths. The emphasis is not only a routine greeting, but also because grace and peace are foundations for the faith in all three phases: s1, s2, s3. This is a genuine greeting. a) Grace cari~ charis is God’s free favor upon mankind and especially believers. Grace has its origin in God. Grace is the expression of his deity, Godness, or character. He blesses us because he wants to bless us, and he can be righteous and bless us because of the reconciling work of Jesus Christ. b) Peace eirhnh eirene. The well being of the person, especially a soul well being because God has removed the sin barrier between him and mankind and because God has provided all the spiritual assets for living the spiritually harmonious life with him and other believers (Luke 10.5; Acts 16.36; Romans 1.7; 1 Corinthians 1.3; John 16.33). c) In this usage grace and peace is a greeting and expression of desired blessing on the people: to appreciate and experience God’s free favor and God’s spiritual welfare and harmony in our lives—with him and with other believers (Romans 1.7; 2 Corinthians 1.2; Philemon 3 and others). d) Peter genuinely wants the readers to understand and experience God’s grace and peace in their day to day lives—home, work, play, worship (and I use worship for the entire Christian life including assembly). Peace is joined with grace, “grace and peace” thirteen times in the New Testament. e) Doctrine: Peace 2. Be multiplied to you. a) Verb is plhqunw plethuno, first aorist passive optative. To increase greatly in number or extent, to multiply. Acts 6.7; 6.14; 12.24; Matthew 24.11; 2 Corinthians 9.6; Hebrews 9.14. b) Moods: Indicative—certain or asserted; Subjunctive—probable or desired; Optative—possible; Imperative—intended. Optative is used 68 times in the NT; μὴ γένοιτο makes up 15 of the uses. c) This use of the optative in 2 Peter 2.2 expresses a wish (optative of obtainable wish. This is a polite request. Other examples are often translated “may….” (1 Thessalonians 5.23; Romans 15.13) d) This is Peter’s prayer or expressed wish. e) The aorist passive stresses that God will multiply grace and peace for the readers in life here and now. The aorist is a snapshot of the action in contrast to the imperfect and present, which takes a motion picture as it unfolds. (GGBB, 555). 3. Grace and Peace χάρις υμιν καὶ ειρήνη found in this formula in the NT. a) Romans 1.7 b) 1 Corinthians 1.3 c) 2 Corinthians 1.2 d) Galatians 1.3 e) Ephesians 1.2 f) Philippians 1.2 g) Colossians 1.2 h) 1 Thessalonians 1.1 i) 2 Thessalonians 1.2 j) Philemon 3 k) 1 Peter 1.2 l) 2 Peter 1.2 m) Revelation 1.4 4. In or by the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. εν επιγνώσει του θεου καὶ Ιησου του κυρίου ημων. This is the means or the sphere that believers appreciate and experience the grace and peace blessings. In a certain place or sphere or environment. That of a full knowledge of…. a) I take the force of the preposition (εν επιγνώσει) as means instrument: for example, you gain strength by means of exercise. Sphere (in) is very close. My choice is that the meaning is more clear with means instrument and verse one “by the righteousness” seems to be means instrument also. Then in verse 3 and 4 we have DIA with the genitive expressing means. I may be putting too much parallelism in where there is none. The actual meaning does not significantly change. b) By means of a full knowledge of God (father) and Jesus (son and lord) grace and peace will be multiplied to believers. You know one by knowing what they are like and what they think and what they do and how they treat people. This is different from knowing casually or as an acquaintance. The better we know, the more grace and peace will be multiplied to us. c) Examples of knowing the father and son include knowing who they are and what they have done for us: Doctrines of God; sin barrier; fellowship; spirituality; salvation; death; forgiveness; relationships with the father and son. d) Knowledge επιγνώσi~ epignosis Knowledge (noun, epignosis 1.2, 3, 8; 2.20). Epignosis is knowledge that you are in familiar with. It is knowledge with which you are in agreement and sympathy. You take it into yourself and you are at home with it. This knowledge is accurate and real to you and is part of the framework of your life. You will use this knowledge because it is valuable and familiar. It means more to you than intellectual data. This knowledge teaches, guides, protects, and encourages you. Gaining epignosis knowledge is important and results in blessing. e) “of God and of Jesus” both are objective genitives. They are the objects of the verbal idea in full knowledge. By fully knowing them, grace and peace will be multiplied for us. f) Lord is kurios. BAGD2 458, 1. An owner or one in high position 2.religious use, a designation of God; deified rulers; Jesus; Christ. Lord is both a title of God and indicates that Jesus is the ruler of every believer. The Christian life Lordship of Christ is clearly taught in 1 Peter 3.15. g) Doctrine of epignosis knowledge. 2 Peter 2.1 Principle: Peter genuinely wants the readers to understand, appreciate, and experience God’s grace (free favor) and God’s peace (spiritual welfare and harmony) multiplied many times over in their day to day lives—at home, work, play, and worship. This multiplication of grace and peace occurs in our lives as we gain a thorough and agreed to knowledge of our Heavenly Father and of Jesus our Lord by the study of the Word of God and the faith application of that Word.
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