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I. James
А. The writer(s), the place, and the time
B. The subject
C. The background
D. The central thought
E. The general sketch
F. The sections
II. 1 Peter (A to F)
III. 2 Peter (A to F)
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: This book was written by James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, a flesh brother of the Lord Jesus (1:1; Matt. 13:55), to the twelve tribes of Israel in dispersion (see 1:1 and footnotes 3 and 4). Because the content does not mention the church being degraded, this book may have been written around A.D. 50. Because it is not easy to find evidence that James left Jerusalem at any time, it was probably written in Jerusalem.
B. The subject: practical Christian perfection.
C. The background: [After studying Paul’s writings and all the Life-study Messages on these writings, we shall no doubt be influenced to receive the light concerning God’s economy and to be strongly for it. But there is the possibility that we may be careless in our behavior or that we may neglect the matter of practical Christian perfection. Therefore, we need the balance provided by the book of James.]
[A striking characteristic of the Epistle of James is that it indicates that we may be very strong in God’s economy, yet may not be complete and entire in our Christian behavior in our personal daily life. Many of us can testify that we have seen the vision concerning God’s economy and that we are absolutely for this vision. However, we still need to pay attention to our behavior in our daily life.] A brother may easily become angry with his sibling, or a sister may not have the proper attitude toward her mother. In such cases, [both the brother and the sister are neither complete nor entire. This is an illustration of the fact that we need the balancing word found in the book of James.]
In Acts 21, James told Paul emphatically that many believers were still zealous of the law. He also asked Paul to perform a Nazarite vow in a purification rite for seven days and to pay for several others who could not afford it. James was mixing the dispensation of law with the dispensation of grace. He was unclear concerning God’s New Testament economy (Acts 21:23-24, 26 and footnote 1).
[In addition to providing balance, the Epistle of James also serves as a strong warning that it is possible to be very godly and yet not be clear concerning the vision of God’s New Testament economy. According to church history, James was noted for living a godly life. One account says that James spent so much time kneeling in prayer that his knees became calloused. James certainly was a godly man, a man of prayer, and prayer is emphasized in his Epistle. Nevertheless, James may not have had a clear view concerning the distinction between grace and law; that is, he may not have had a clear view regarding God’s economy. In his writings there are hints that this was the situation. However, his Epistle is notable and remarkable concerning Christian conduct and emphasizes practical Christian perfection. For this reason, in 1:4 James indicates that the believers should be “complete and entire, lacking in nothing.”]
Because we have pointed out that James may not have been so clear about God’s New Testament economy, you may wonder if his epistle is inspired by God. [In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Therefore, we need to explain carefully what is our attitude toward the inspiration of the Scriptures in relation to the book of James.
First, we definitely believe that all Scripture is God-breathed, that is, inspired by God. We believe that every word of every book of the Bible has been breathed out by God.
Second, although every line and word of the Scripture is inspired by God, this does not mean that every word in this holy Book is the word of God, but we must be very careful in our understanding of this matter. In the Bible there are a great many words that are not God’s words.]
Many [words recorded in the Scriptures are the words of Satan, evil men, God’s opposers, and even the nonsensical talk of godly men. Furthermore, all the words of the Scriptures were breathed out by God and recorded for a particular purpose. In Genesis 3 the purpose is to expose the subtlety of the enemy. In Acts 21 and in the book of James the purpose is to show us the possibility that a godly person may lack the clear, heavenly view of God’s New Testament economy. Praise the Lord that everything in the Bible is God’s breath, and everything has been recorded to serve a particular purpose! We thank God for the Scriptures breathed out by Him.]
Although we know that James was not clear concerning God’s New Testament economy, we should not despise the book of James, because it is part of God’s breathing concerning practical Christian perfection. We need to be clear that God’s New Testament way is for us to believe into Christ and to enjoy the dispensing of life. This life becomes our supply for us to have a godly living that James would approve. The Lord said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens” (Matt. 5:20). The standard of our morality must be high; yet, the living is not a result of our trying to fulfill the law of the Old Testament. Whenever we try to fulfill the law, we do it in the flesh. The Lord also said, “You, therefore, shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Our perfection is not by the law but by grace, in the enjoyment of the life of the Father. Praise the Lord that we are getting clear on God’s New Testament economy.
D. The central thought: [James writes not merely concerning Christian perfection, but concerning practical Christian perfection, that is, a perfection that is not theoretical but practical in our daily living. It is a strong point of this Epistle that James teaches regarding this practical Christian perfection. The many virtues he covers in this book are related to this perfection.]
E. The general sketch: James begins by addressing the twelve tribes in the dispersion. He then presents many points concerning practical virtues of Christian perfection, such as enduring trial by faith, resisting temptation as God-born ones, living a God-fearing life by the implanted word according to the perfect law of freedom, having no respect of persons among the brothers, being justified by works in relations with the believers, bridling the tongue, behaving in wisdom, dealing with pleasures, the world, and the Devil, not speaking against the brothers, confiding not in self-will but in the Lord, awaiting the Lord’s coming with longsuffering, speaking honestly without swearing, and having healthy practices in the church life.
F. The sections: 1) introduction — to the twelve tribes in dispersion (1:1) and 2) practical virtues of Christian perfection (1:2—5:20).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: This book was written by Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1), to the Jewish believers dispersed among the Gentile nations (see 1:1 and footnotes 4 and 5). The time of its writing should be prior to Paul’s martyrdom (see 5:13 footnote 3), so it may have been written around A.D. 64. It was written in Babylon, a large city on the Euphrates (see 5:13 and footnote 2).
B. The subject: the Christian life under the government of God.
C. The background: [The reason the two Epistles of Peter were written, especially the first, was that the dispersed Jewish believers were suffering persecution. They were undergoing a fiery trial. Peter compares this persecution to the burning of a furnace. Because the believers were troubled and perhaps doubting, Peter wrote to instruct them and also to comfort them. In 5:10 he says, “But the God of all grace, who called you into His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and ground you.” Here Peter seems to be telling the believers that there is no need for them to doubt, for God is perfecting them. Just as stones are cut in order to be fit together in a building, we also need to be “cut” in order to be perfected, established, strengthened, and grounded. Peter wrote to comfort the suffering, persecuted saints, showing them that all of them were under God’s government. The exercise of God’s government is first upon His own children.]
D. The central thought: [In his two Epistles Peter is on the subject of God’s universal government. These two books speak concerning the universal government of God.]
[God’s government covers the entire universe. We know this by the fact that Peter speaks of the new heavens and new earth. This indicates God’s universal government. Eventually, in eternity future, everything will be right and in good order, for righteousness will dwell in the new heavens and new earth. Today the earth is filled with unrighteousness and disorder. Nevertheless, God is still governing heaven and earth.
God governs by judging. This is the way God carries out His government.] [In 1 and 2 Peter we have a record of God’s judgment.]
[What is the purpose of God’s governing judgment? God judges in order to clear up His universe. The universe was created by God for a positive purpose, but Satan came in to defile it. Now God is cleansing the universe through judgment. He is doing a thorough work of cleaning the entire universe. Eventually, the universe will be new.]
[God will not live or dwell in a place that is unclean. Thus, God is cleansing, purifying, the universe. First He purifies us, His household. We are now the center of His cleaning work.] After He finishes His cleaning work on us, He will clean the universe during the tribulation and the millennium. After everything is cleansed, the new heaven and new earth will be brought in.
E. The general sketch: [The purpose of the book of 1 Peter is to establish and strengthen the suffering believers who have been chosen by God, sanctified by the Spirit from the world unto God, sprinkled by the redeeming blood of Christ, and regenerated by God the Father unto a living hope, unto an inheritance kept in the heavens for them (1:1-4), yet are as pilgrims still sojourning on this earth (1:1, 17; 2:11). In their sojourn, sufferings are unavoidable. They are used by God to test and prove their faith (1:7), to see whether they will follow Christ in suffering for doing good (2:19-23; 3:14-18). The sufferings are used to arm them with a mind against the flesh, that they might not live in the lusts of men, but in the will of God (4:1-2), that they might share the sufferings of Christ and rejoice at the unveiling of His glory (4:12-19), that they might be witnesses of the sufferings of Christ (5:1), and that they might be perfected, established, strengthened, and grounded for the eternal glory into which God has called them (5:8-10). This is wholly under God’s government that He might judge His chosen people (1:17), to begin His judgment from His own house (4:17). Hence, this book may also be considered a book concerning God’s government.]
F. The sections: 1) introduction — to the pilgrims in dispersion under the operation of the Triune God (1:1-2), 2) full salvation of the Triune God and its issues (1:3-25), 3) growth in life and its results (2:1-10), 4) Christian life and its sufferings (2:11—4:19), 5) the elders’ shepherding and its reward (5:1-4), 6) the mighty hand of God and its goal (5:5-11), and 7) conclusion (5:12-14).
A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: This book was written by Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to the Jewish believers in the dispersion in the Gentile world (1:1 footnote 3). According to the degraded condition of the church in chapter 2, and the commending words spoken concerning the apostle Paul in 3:15-16, this book may have been written after the martyrdom of Paul, possibly around A.D. 69, before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and it must have been written shortly before Peter’s martyrdom (1:14).
B. The subject: the divine provision and the divine government.
C. The background: See this section under 1 Peter.
D. The central thought: [The subject of 1 Peter is the Christian life under the government of God. The book of 2 Peter is a continuation of 1 Peter, and it also emphasizes God’s government. However, in this Epistle we also see God’s provision. Therefore, we may say that the subject of 2 Peter is the divine provision and the divine government.
With God’s government there is God’s provision. God grants us His provision so that we may cooperate with His government. In other words, if we would carry out God’s government, we need God’s provision; that is, we need the divine supply. In 2 Peter the writer first presents the divine supply. We see how God’s power provides all the supply for our need. This is the main significance of this book. Furthermore, the Epistle of 2 Peter shows us a continuation of the picture of God’s government unveiled in 1 Peter. Therefore, what we have in 2 Peter is the divine provision and the divine government.]
E. The general sketch: [After a word of introduction (1:1-2), Peter speaks concerning the divine provision (1:3-21). The divine provision includes two matters: the impartation of the divine power (1:3-11) and the shining of the divine truth (1:12-21). Regarding the impartation of the divine power, we have two main points: all things related to life and godliness with the divine nature (vv. 3-4) and the development by the growth in life unto the rich entrance into the eternal kingdom (vv. 5-11). Regarding the shining of the divine truth, there are also two main points: the glory of the apostles’ witnessing (vv. 12-18) and the light of the prophetic word (vv. 19-21).] [In 2 Peter 2 we see God’s judgment on the false teachers (2:1-3), God’s judgment of old on both angels and men (vv. 4-9), and the evils of the false teachers and their punishment under God’s judgment (vv. 10-22).] [In 3:1-9 we see God’s judgment on the heretical mockers.] In 3:10-12, [Peter speaks concerning God’s judgment on the heavens and the earth.] [In verse 13 we have the expectation of the new heavens and the new earth filled with God’s righteousness; in 14 to 16, the preparation for the coming judgment; and in 17 and 18, the conclusion, where we are told to be on guard and grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.]
F. The sections: 1) introduction — to the believers allotted like precious faith (1:1-2), 2) the divine provision (1:3-21), 3) the divine government (2:1—3:16), and 4) conclusion — to be on guard and grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (3:17-18).
