We have pointed out that the Epistles of Peter are on the subject of God’s government, in particular on God’s governmental dealings through judgment. This is the central subject of these two books. Nevertheless, the structure of 1 and 2 Peter is the Triune God, who has been processed to become our portion so that we may participate in Him, partake of Him, and enjoy Him through His Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of glory, and by the exercise of our spirit.
I encourage you to study all the details in the Epistles of Peter. However, as you study these details, do not be distracted from the central thought and the basic structure of God’s holy writings in general and the Epistles of Peter in particular. The basic structure is the Triune God who has been processed to become our all-inclusive portion. We enjoy Him by exercising our spirit to cooperate with and respond to the divine Spirit. We should never forget this basic structure or be distracted from it. If we hold firmly to the basic thought and the basic structure as we study all the other points in the writings of Peter, we shall be enriched and we shall experience the Triune God in a very rich, absolute, and detailed way.
The three Epistles of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude cover many points. But the basic structure of these Epistles is the Triune God operating on His elect that they may be brought into the full enjoyment of the Triune God. Both Peter and Jude indicate strongly that the Triune God has passed through a process in order to do many things for us and to become everything to us that we may partake of Him for our enjoyment.
Peter begins his first Epistle with a word concerning the threefold operation of the Triune God upon His chosen people to bring them into the participation and enjoyment of Himself. At the beginning of his second Epistle Peter speaks concerning the divine provision. He tells us that the divine power has granted us and even imparted to us all things related to life and godliness in order that we may partake of the divine nature. Furthermore, according to chapter one of 2 Peter, the divine provision gives us not only the divine life but also the divine light (v. 19).
At the end of his first Epistle Peter says, “But the God of all grace, who called you into His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and ground you” (5:10). Here Peter indicates that we shall be grounded in God Himself. Then at the end of his second Epistle Peter says, “But grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18). Here the knowledge of our Lord is equal to the truth, the reality of all that He is. Therefore, in this verse Peter charges us to grow in grace and in truth, reality. Although Peter covers many matters in his Epistles, the basic structure of his writings is the Triune God becoming our grace that we may enjoy Him, grow in life, and through the growth in life be perfected, established, strengthened, and grounded in the Triune God.
As we study the details of the Epistles of Peter and Jude, we need to remember that all the detailed points help us to solve our problems so that we may be brought back to the enjoyment of the Triune God. Therefore, we should not consider the details in a detached way. Every point is a help in solving our problems so that we would not be distracted further from the enjoyment of the Triune God, but instead be brought back to this enjoyment.
Toward the beginning of his Epistle Jude charges us to contend for the faith: “Beloved, using all diligence to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, entreating you to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3). We have seen that the faith is the New Testament inheritance substantiated to us and realized by us. We pointed out in the Life-study of 2 Peter that this inheritance is actually the Triune God processed to be our portion.
Toward the end of his Epistle Jude says, “But you, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (vv. 20-21). Jude’s word concerning building up ourselves in our most holy faith is equal to Peter’s word about being built up a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5). Then Jude goes on to speak of living in the Triune God. This is indicated by Jude’s word concerning praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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