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Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 1:1-4
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.
Second Peter 1:1 and 2 are the introduction to this Epistle. Verse 1 says, “Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been allotted like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Simon is Peter’s old name, and Peter is his new name given by the Lord (John 1:41-42). Simon refers to his old man by birth; Peter, to his new man by regeneration. The two names are combined here as one to signify that the old man, Simon, has now become the new man, Peter.
The name Simon Peter may be an allusion to the old universe and the new universe. This Epistle indicates that under God’s government the old universe will be changed into the new universe (2 Pet. 3:10-13). We may say that the new heaven and new earth are represented by Peter and that the old universe is represented by Simon. In the four Gospels we see Simon as the old man representing the old creation. Now in Peter’s Epistles we see a new man, a new person, representing the new universe.
In 1:1 Peter refers to himself as “a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.” In the first Epistle he mentions only that he is an apostle; he does not say anything about being a slave. But here Peter says that he is both a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word “slave” indicates Peter’s submission to the Lord, and the word “apostle,” the Lord’s commission to him. Submission and commission imply a two-way traffic between us and the Lord. When we submit ourselves to Him, He will commit something to us. With a slave there is submission, but with an apostle there is the Lord’s commission.
The word “those” in 1:1 refers to the Jewish believers in dispersion in the Gentile world. In 1 Peter 1:1, Peter refers to them as “the chosen pilgrims of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”
In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter speaks of those “who have been allotted like precious faith.” As the children of Israel were allotted a piece of the good land (Josh. 14:1-5), we have been allotted like precious faith. This implies that all the things which relate to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3), including the divine nature (v. 4) partaken of by the believers through the like precious faith according to the precious and exceedingly great promises, are the real inheritance given to the believers by God in the New Testament.
The children of Israel with their twelve tribes were to possess the good land. The Lord told Joshua to make an allotment of land to each of the twelve tribes. This was done through the Urim and the Thummim, which were on the breastplate worn by the high priest. By means of the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim, God could speak to His people. God used the Urim and the Thummim to reveal His will. It was through the Urim and the Thummim that Joshua came to know God’s instructions concerning which lot should go to each tribe. Once again, Peter uses an Old Testament term to describe a New Testament reality.
We know that the good land, the portion of the children of Israel in Old Testament times, typifies the all-inclusive Christ. Now, according to the New Testament, our portion is Christ. Colossians 1:12 refers to Christ as our portion: “Giving thanks to the Father, who qualified you for a share of the portion of the saints in the light.” As the good land was the portion of the Old Testament saints, so Christ is the portion of the New Testament believers. Furthermore, in the Old Testament the good land was allotted to the twelve tribes, and in the New Testament precious faith is allotted to us.
The phrase “allotted like precious faith” causes a difficult problem for translation and exposition. How can faith be our allotted portion? According to the Bible, Christ is our portion. This means that it is Christ who has been allotted to us. But here Peter says that we have been allotted like precious faith. How are we to understand this? To speak of Christ being our portion may be somewhat doctrinal. It is more experiential to say that faith is our portion. If Christ is merely Christ to us and not also faith, we would not be able to participate in Him or share in Him. In order for us to partake of Christ, He must become our faith.
In 1:1 Peter speaks of the allotment of “like” precious faith. The Greek word rendered “like” literally means of equal value or honor; hence, equally precious. It does not mean equal in measure, but equal in value and honor to all the receivers. All the portions of the precious faith are equal not in measure, quantity, but equal in quality. For example, the portion of the good land allotted to each of the twelve tribes differed in size. Judah received a larger portion than Benjamin did. But although the allotments were different in size, they were equal in quality. The quality of the land was the same for each tribe. For this reason, each allotment was equally precious. The principle is the same with the like precious faith.
We have seen that our portion today includes all things which relate to life and godliness. This includes the divine nature, of which the believers partake through the like precious faith according to the precious and exceedingly great promises. All these elements put together make up our portion. Please remember that our allotment comprises all things relating to life and godliness, including the divine nature partaken of by us. All this is the inheritance given by God to those who believe in Christ.
What is our real inheritance? Our inheritance is all things relating to life inwardly and godliness outwardly. Our portion includes the divine nature, of which we partake through the common faith, which is equally precious. When we put together these different items — faith, divine nature, precious and exceedingly great promises, life, and godliness — we have the totality of our allotted inheritance.
Peter also says that the believers have been allotted like precious faith “with us.” The pronoun “us” refers to the apostle Peter and all the other believers in the Jewish land. All the believers in the Gentile world share the same precious faith to substantiate the blessing of life of the New Testament with all those in the Jewish land as their common portion allotted to them by God.
Verse 1 ends with the phrase “in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The preposition “in” here may mean in the sphere of or by means of. We have been allotted like precious faith in the sphere of or by means of the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our God and Savior are both Jesus Christ. This indicates Jesus Christ is God to be our Savior. He is the very God whom we worship becoming our Savior to save us. At Peter’s time this designated and separated the believers in Christ from the Jews, who did not believe that Jesus Christ was God, and from the Romans, who believed that Caesar, not Jesus Christ, was their God.
The righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is an important matter that requires a proper understanding. Notice that here Peter speaks of the righteousness not only of our God, but also of our Savior. From what Paul says in Romans we can see that the righteousness of God is one thing and that the righteousness of Christ is another. But here Peter combines these two kinds of righteousness when he speaks of the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Is this the righteousness of God, or is it the righteousness of Christ? Of course, most of us would say that it is both the righteousness of God and of Christ. But how can the righteousness of Christ become the righteousness of God?
The Greek word for righteousness in 1:1 may also be rendered justice. Our God is righteous, just. In His justice, He has allotted the precious faith as a divine portion equally to all believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, without respect of persons. And now He is not only our God but also our Savior. Thus, His righteousness now is not the righteousness merely of God, nor merely of Christ, but the righteousness of both our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As our Savior, His righteousness is His righteous act, His death on the cross in absolute obedience (Phil. 2:8), accomplishing propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), enabling us to be justified by God (Rom. 5:18). As our God, His righteousness is His justice in that, based upon the righteous act, the redemption of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24-25) justifies all the believers in Christ (Rom. 3:26), both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 3:30). In and by means of such a twofold righteousness, the righteousness of both our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, the precious faith, the precious substantiation of the New Testament blessing, has been allotted equally to all believers among all nations.
Let us consider this matter very carefully. Because of the incarnation, God is not merely our God; He is also our Savior. This is the reason Peter speaks of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, His righteousness is not only the righteousness of God or the righteousness of Christ; it is the righteousness of both our God and our Savior. As our Savior, Christ’s righteousness consists in His righteous act. Romans 5:18 says, “So then, as it was through one offense unto condemnation to all men, so also through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men.” This righteous act was Christ’s death on the cross in absolute obedience to God. Through His crucifixion, Christ accomplished propitiation for the sins of the whole world and made it possible for us to be justified by God. Now God in His righteousness justifies all believers in Christ. The righteous act of Christ is the basis upon which God now justifies us. Therefore, the righteousness of Christ as our Savior is His death on the cross for the accomplishment of our redemption. As God, His righteousness consists of His justifying all believers based upon Christ’s redeeming death.
By this we see that in 1:1 two kinds of righteousness — the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ — are put together. The righteousness of Christ accomplished redemption. Now God in His righteousness justifies us. It is in the sphere of this twofold righteousness and by means of this twofold righteousness that the precious faith has been allotted equally to all believers.
Peter’s word concerning the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is rich in what it indicates and implies. The common thought among the Jews at Peter’s time was that God gave them certain blessings for their enjoyment. Those blessings were given according to their own righteousness. The Jews thought that if they lived and acted righteously, they would have their own righteousness before God. That was the righteousness according to the law. Hence, it is called the righteousness of the law. This means that our own righteousness is the righteousness of the law. Paul refers to this in Romans 10:3: “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, did not submit to the righteousness of God.” In Philippians 3:9 Paul declared that his desire was to be found in Christ, “not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God based on faith.” It is not according to this kind of righteousness, the righteousness of the law, that God has allotted us our New Testament portion. The New Testament portion is allotted to us by God in and by the kind of righteousness that is both the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of God is versus our own righteousness, and the righteousness of Christ is versus the righteousness of the law.
We have spoken concerning four kinds of righteousness: our righteousness, God’s righteousness, the righteousness of the law, and the righteousness of Christ. We have received the allotment of like precious faith not by our righteousness or the righteousness of the law, but by the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ. This twofold righteousness is the means in which and by which God has allotted to us our New Testament portion. We need to be clear that the portion, the allotment, is one thing and that this twofold righteousness is another thing. The portion is the inheritance God has allotted us, and the righteousness is the means or instrument by which the inheritance has been allotted.
We have seen that the New Testament inheritance is all things relating to life and godliness, including the divine nature. This inheritance also involves faith and the precious and exceedingly great promises. When all these items are added together, we have the New Testament inheritance. By what means has God given us this portion? In what sphere has He allotted it to us? We must be impressed with the fact that it is by means of and in the sphere of a twofold righteousness, the righteousness of God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not allotted by the righteousness of man, which is also the righteousness of the law. It is by the righteousness of God, which is the righteousness of Christ.
Peter’s word regarding the righteousness of our God and Savior indicates that the dispensation has changed. In the Old Testament the basis upon which people were blessed was their righteousness according to the law. This means that they were blessed according to man’s righteousness, which is also the righteousness of the law. But now, in the New Testament, God gives us a wonderful portion not because of our own righteousness according to the law, but because of His righteousness according to Christ’s redemption. Here Peter seems to be saying, “Jewish brothers, you must know that the dispensation has changed. Don’t go back to the law. God has allotted our New Testament inheritance to us not according to the righteousness we may have by keeping the law, but according to His own righteousness fulfilled by the death of Christ. Christ’s righteousness fulfills God’s righteousness. It is by this kind of righteousness that God gives the New Testament blessing. Therefore, the age has changed. Don’t go back to the law or to Moses — come to Christ. What we have is not our righteousness according to the Mosaic law. It is God’s righteousness fulfilled by the righteous act of Christ on the cross. It is in this righteousness and by this righteousness that God has allotted us equally our New Testament inheritance.” I hope that we all shall have a clear understanding concerning this twofold righteousness.
