2ND PETER WAS WRITTEN TO ISRAEL

[douge]

By examining verses in the books written by Peter, it can be determined that his writing is to the believing remnant of Israel, not to the church, the body of Christ.

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To gain entrance into the kingdom Israel had to endure until the end, remain steadfast, and be fruitful (Psalm 78:37 Hebrews 3:14 John 15:2 Matthew 7:16).

2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

To enter the kingdom, Israel had to be faithful, and not become entangled in the world in turning from the holy commandment (Hebrews 6:1-6 Hebrews 10:38 Luke 13:24-30 Romans 7:12 Luke 1:72).

3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

In this verse Peter identifies himself as being an apostle to the circumcision, which is Israel, and therefore, is speaking in his epistles unto Israel (Galatians 2:8). Israel was to be mindful of what was spoken uno them by the holy prophets and apostles (2 Peter 1:19-21).

3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

God not only promised a new heavens and a new earth, he promised Israel would remain before him in Isaiah 66:22 (Hebrews 12:28).

3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

The Lord is not slack concerning the promise of his coming, or his promise to restore Israel in the kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7 Matthew 19:28 Acts 3:21); Israel was being urged not to fall from the steadfastness that would ensure entrance into the kingdom on earth (2 Peter 1:11).

[frienduff thaylorde]

Its all inspired BY the SPIRIT and thus its for the good of all who do read it and believe in Christ .     Let us never pick and choose which books to omit .  rather was was  written down for our learning 

is good for all who do believe ,whether jew or gentile  .     Exactly .  be encouraged its written to BELEIVERS .  which means whether I am a jew and you a gentile ,    ITS FOR US BOTH .    YEP .  

feast on it and love it .  

[Jostler]

9 hours ago, douge said:

By examining verses in the books written by Peter, it can be determined that his writing is to the believing remnant of Israel, not to the church, the body of Christ.

 

 

I am truly astonished, unable to comprehend how you and others have this desire to divide what the Lord has joined and made one. 

Quote

Eph 2:11-16

¶

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 

 

¶

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

 

Quote

Gal 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

Quote

Col 3:11

where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

 

???  How?  Why?  I truly don't get it. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Jostler

[Willa]

There is only one way into God's presence, and that is through the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.  So we can be righteous Jews, male or female, slave or free.  We all are sinners in need of God's merciful grace, and made righteous by His blood.  Every one of us comes by way of the cross by faith.  

[Willa]

3 hours ago, charisenexcelsis said:

Does that written to Israel not apply to us and does that written to Gentiles not apply to the Jews? I am curious why Hebrews, James, and Peter are written in Koine Greek.....

Koine Greek was the international trade language of the time.  Most people understood it.

[Justin Adams]

4 hours ago, charisenexcelsis said:

I know. It was one of my minors. My point is that if there is such a separation, which I don't believe, then why write it in the language of the Gentiles.

 

It is pointless to maintain the odd idea that these books were only written to Israel. It is OBVIOUS they are written to believers and those they were evangelizing. 'All Israel will be saved' INCLUDES all believers...

We are of the 'seed of Abraham' and are ALL included in the Abrahamic covenants...

To say otherwise is to cause division and a hopeless and Theo-political dichotomy.

[Justin Adams]

9 hours ago, douge said:

By examining verses in the books written by Peter, it can be determined that his writing is to the believing remnant of Israel, not to the church, the body of Christ.

Peter also mentions that the ones bringing DIVISION and bad DOCTRINE are likened to the 'angels that sinned'... and they sinned long before the flood when there was NO ISRAEL...

These purveyors of FALSE DOCTRINE are to be treated like the holy watchers (Gen 6) that descended on Mt. Hermon and really got dumb humans to sin greatly and taught them ways to destroy themselves and the hidden arts. Every one knew these events. Well, everyone except our modern church..

[douge]

11 hours ago, Jostler said:

 

I am truly astonished, unable to comprehend how you and others have this desire to divide what the Lord has joined and made one. 

 

 

 

???  How?  Why?  I truly don't get it. 

 

If we mix what was given for Israel with what was revealed to Paul we will be confused and in error.

As an example if you apply everything Peter and Jesus says to yourself, then Peter says we are saved by baptism in 1 Peter 3:21, just as found in Mark 16:16, which is not preached by Paul.

[dhchristian]

16 hours ago, douge said:

By examining verses in the books written by Peter, it can be determined that his writing is to the believing remnant of Israel, not to the church, the body of Christ.

2 Peter is written to those who have been called to serve Christ in the ministry. (Make your election and calling sure) Not all Christians are chosen to serve in this capacity but have "Obtained" (Chosen by lot) like faith unto the apostles (2 Peter 1:1). 

[Justin Adams]

16 minutes ago, douge said:

Peter 3:21

Baptism does not save any more than circumcision saved the Israelis.

https://carm.org/baptism-and-1-pet-321

1 Pet. 3:21 says, "And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  This is the only verse that says "baptism now saves you."  But, is it teaching that we must be baptized in water to be saved?  No.  But, but to rightly understand it, we need to look at its context.

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him," (1 Pet. 3:18-22).

The above translation in verse 21 from the NASB is a good translation: "and corresponding to that, baptism now saves you."  The key word in this section is the Greek antitupon.  It means "copy," "type," "corresponding to," "a thing resembling another," "its counterpart," etc.  It is what the NIV translates as "symbolizes," the NASB as "corresponding to that," and the KJV as "like figure."  Baptism, then, is a representation, a copy, a type of something else.  The question is "Of what is it a type?" or "baptism corresponds to what?"

If we look at the context, an interesting possibility arises.  What does baptism correspond to?  Is it the flood?  Or, is it the ark?  What was it that saved Noah and his family - the flood or the ark?  Obviously, it was the Ark.  Noah built and entered the ark by faith, and he was saved (Heb. 11:7). The flood waters destroyed the ungodly.  Also, Peter consistently refers to the flood waters as the means of destruction of the ungodly (2 Pet. 2:5; 3:6) - not the salvation of Noah and his family. Rather, it was the Ark that saved - the ark that Noah entered by faith.  It may very well be that baptism refers to the Ark - not the waters which may be why the rest of the verse says, "not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God," which is consistent with what Paul said in Col. 2:11-12 where he equates baptism with being circumcised of heart.  In other words, Peter clarifies that it isn't the water baptism that saves but the appeal to the heart.

But, to be fair, the Greek seems to imply that the baptism is referring to the water - not the ark. Still, we need to consider this and make some observations. If we were to look at the flood waters as the thing that removed evil from the land, we could say that "correspondingly" the waters of baptism removes the sin from our hearts.  Though this reading seems a bit more natural, it, too, as problems.

The water of baptism is not what saves us; the sacrifice of Christ does which we receive by faith. We read numerous verses about justification by faith (Rom. 5:1), salvation by faith (Eph. 2:8), etc., not justification "by faith and baptism" or salvation "by faith and baptism."1 The fact is that salvation is received by faith. Peter, not wanting to declare that baptism itself is what saves us, quickly adds, "not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience." Water baptism, then, must accompany the work of the Holy Spirit in the person.  Peter's explanatory comment shows us that the act of physical baptism is not what saves but the "baptism of appeal to God."  This appeal to God is by faith the same as Noah's faith in God led him to build the Ark, enter it, and remain in it.  It was the Ark that saved Noah - not the flood waters.

The flood was for Noah a type of baptism even as the passage through the Red Sea was a type of baptism for the Israelites.

"I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same supernatural food 4 and all drank the same supernatural drink.  For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ," (1 Cor. 10:1-4).

The "baptisms" of both Noah and the Israelites served as types of a transition; that is, they moved people from the old world to the new - from the old covenant to the new covenant.  It is not the water that saves but the spiritual thing associated with that water that saves.  For Noah, it was faith in God.  For Moses, it, too, was faith in God.

But some may say that the work of the Holy Spirit and the act of baptism are simultaneous - that the Holy Spirit works in and through baptism to bring regeneration.  But this cannot be the case since the Bible tells us that salvation is by faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8).  Besides, we have a clear instance in scripture where people are saved before their baptism.