2 Peter 1:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

NIV: And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

NASB: And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

CSB: And I will also make every effort so that you are able to recall these things at any time after my departure.

NLT: so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.

KJV: Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

NKJV: Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

Peter knows that his death is near, as mentioned in verse 14. Tradition says that Peter was crucified, though he asked to be hung upside down, since he didn't feel worthy of dying the exact same death as Christ. This passage is meant to remind his readers of the truths they already know. Losing Peter would not mean losing the truth. Nor would it mean that these Christians would not be able to follow God as they should.

According to Peter, these are facts his readers already know. They are aware of what God wants from His followers, we simply need to be willing to follow them. What Peter describes in verses 5 through 11 is not a new teaching. Nor is it something his readers aren't already aware of. It's a fundamental part of their Christian faith.

Peter was planning for their future. He wanted to ensure that after he died, they would hold fast to the vital truths they already knew. In doing so, Peter continues to obey Jesus' command to feed the sheep (John 21:15–19), right up until his last days on earth. He continues to serve as Jesus served. He continues to follow the Lord.

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.