2 Peter 1:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

NIV: But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

NASB: For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

CSB: The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

NLT: But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

KJV: But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

NKJV: For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Peter's letter is written to Christian believers. He has said that in our knowing God, through faith in Jesus, God has made it possible for us to possess the qualities of goodness which Jesus Himself demonstrated. Peter listed those qualities, telling us to make every effort to add them alongside our faith. Now he makes a commentary on what it means if we do not have those qualities: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In short, it means our whole existence as believers is an exercise in missing the point.

In truth, Peter is even more specific than that. He says that, if we fail to use these tools, we have become so nearsighted that we are as good as blind. We are living as if we were unbelievers, who really are blind, spiritually. Peter's point seems to be that a Christian preoccupied with the short-term, on what they want out of the moment immediately in front of them, has lost the ability to see life from any kind of eternal perspective.

Those who set aside the positive traits Peter listed have forgotten that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Again, the idea seems that of overlooking who we are and what our lives are for. We still see participating in sin, or less-than-Christlike behaviors, as normal. Instead, we should see those as things we we've been cleansed from, which we have the power to move on from.

Again, it's critical to remember that Peter is addressing believers: men and women who are saved by faith in Christ and will spend eternity with God. The tragic loss of abandoning these qualities, living only for ourselves, is the loss of opportunity. It's not a question of losing salvation, but of failing to become who we can be in the here and now, used as God intended to fulfill His purpose on earth.

2 Peter 1:3–15 urges Christians to understand that they are, right now, fully equipped to lead the life to which God has called them. Since they are equipped, they must use those tools through personal effort. They should strive to add Christ’s goodness and other powerful qualities to their lived-out faith. Growing in those qualities leads to a productive, effective life of knowing the Lord. Lacking Christ’s qualities leads to the opposite. Peter continues reminding the reader of what they already know, in order to keep stirring them up, to ensure they remember all of this after he has died (which will be soon).

Peter begins this brief letter to Christians by reminding them they are not missing anything they need to lead the good and godly lives they are called to. They must work, then, to add to their faith the goodness and qualities of Jesus. This requires effort, unlike eternal salvation which is not based on our work. Those who lack these positive attributes will live as unproductive and ineffective servants of God, nearly as blind as unbelievers and forgetting that their sins are forgiven. Peter, near death, insists that his eyewitness testimony about the transfiguration confirms that the prophecies about the Messiah are true. Jesus is coming back.

Peter begins his letter by urging his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Rather, they should work to add all of Christ’s qualities to their lives. Then Peter begins to lay a foundation to support his attack on the false teachers in the church. He also introduces ideas supporting his declaration that the Day of the Lord is coming. Later chapters will use the background of this first chapter to support those arguments.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.