READING TIME: 2-3 MINUTES
April 1, 2020
In 2 Peter 1:1, is faith a gift from God?
2 Peter 1:1: Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (NASB).
Many commentators take “faith” to denote a faith God sovereignly gives a sinner thus enabling him to believe. Here are examples.
• Richard J. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1983), 168.
• Edwin A. Blum, “2 Peter,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 267.
• Michael Green, The Second Epistle General of Peter and the General Epistle of Jude: An Introduction and Commentary, rev. ed., Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991).
• Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and of the Epistle of Jude, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 241.
• MacArthur, Faith Works (Dallas: Word, 1993), 69.
• Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1965; p. 81).
• Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies: In These Last Days [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1973]; p. 16.
Several things work against that interpretation and support taking “faith” to be the Word of God: (1) “Obtain/receive” is an active voice, not passive. (2) The emphasis of the immediate context is on “knowledge” (1:2, 3), and “promises” (1:4) as the means of living out our life and godliness as God intends. Peter’s thrust is on the object-content of our faith, not faith itself. (3) 2 Peter 3:2 speaks of “words” and “commandment” which Peter’s readers share with the apostles (and which have equal value for them as for the apostles).
What does it mean to obtain or receive faith? The active voice of “obtain/receive” shows that they were not passive in obtaining faith, as many Calvinists maintain, but that they took initiative to obtain faith. Thus, Peter does not here say that God gave to them a subjective ability to believe. The benefit they took initiative to obtain/receive was “faith,” in the sense the body of sound doctrine taught and written by the apostles. The point is that faith must be actively exercised by people, not passively received as a gift.
Peter’s readers obtained a great benefit: divine revelation. So it is for you and me. The “faith” or body of sound doctrine we have obtained/received in Scripture is as precious for us as it was for the Apostles. Use of the adjective isotimon (“of the same kind”) supports an objective connotation of “the faith” (pistis), that is, the body of truths which we believe, rather than our individual faith. Peter does not address how the recipients obtained that faith.
Sources Used
Lopez, René A. “Is Faith a Gift from God or a Human Exercise?” Bibliotheca Sacra 164 (July-September 2007): 259-276.
Meisinger, George E. “The Sufficiency of Scripture for Life and Godliness 2 Peter 1:1–4.” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal Volume 1.2 (1995): 5-10.
Olson, C. Gordon. Beyond Calvinism & Arminianism: An Inductive Mediate Theology of Salvation. 3rd Edition Expanded, Revised, & Updated. Global Gospel Publishers, 261.