Douglas Kennard on 2 Peter 2:1

Kennard:

THE EXTENT OF PETRINE REDEMPTION

This is a difficult issue, based on the interpretation of 2 Pet 2:1. Two non-soteriological solutions are suggested: (1) God’s bringing Israel out of Egypt, and (2) God’s temporally delivering false teachers from sins. There are four soteriological solutions as well: (1) Peter’s charitably calling the false teachers by their own description, (2) hypothetical redemption, (3) loss of salvation, and (4) the apostatizing of previously non-saved knowers of the truth. Instead of defending and critiquing each position I will attempt to show that contextually the most reasonable view of 2:1 maintains the apostatizing of previously non-saved knowers of the truth who have been soteriologically redeemed.¹²

The redemption is not that of bringing Israel out of Egypt because 2 Peter 1s written to a mixed group of Christians, some of whom have come from Gentile backgrounds. Most notably, in 2:1 “the people,” which should be understood as Israel,¹³ are distinguished from the recipients of Peter’s letter. That is, Israel had false prophets; the present recipients will have false teachers rise from among them. Furthermore, since 2 Peter is now Peter’s second letter, 2 Peter is written to the same group as 1 Peter (2 Pet 3:1). In this case the recipients of these letters include Gentiles along with Jews, as indicated by the Asia Minor church character and the previous manner of the lives of the recipients, For example, when Jews rejected the offer of salvation Gentiles in Asia Minor rejoiced at being included in salvation. Additionally Peter’s description of the ignorant, futile way of life in Gentile excesses is a strong indication that Gentiles are included (1 Pet 1:14, 18; 4:4). Since Peter writes to a group of Christians from mixed backgrounds it is inappropriate to claim that the exodus was accomplished for them.¹⁴

The context of 2 Peter develops soteriological concerns.¹⁵ For example, the recipients of the letter have the same kind of faith as Peter (2 Pet 1:1). Additionally the recipients have been granted everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Christ (1:3). Furthermore they are to be applying moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance and godliness in their lives as they pursue the kingdom (1:5-6, 11). Following this. Peter guarantees that kingdom salvation shall be fulfilled by appealing to earlier stages of the prophecy that have already occurred (1:16-19). Those who do not pursue such things, however, shall be severely judged and miss salvation (2:2-9). Some have escaped such defilement through this knowledge of Christ only to be reentangled, which results in being worse off than at first (2:20-22). That is, these scoffers shall be condemned while the beloved shall be saved (3:3-15). The temporal deliverances of Noah and Lot in the midst of temporal judgments of others are subsumed under the greater soteriological concerns (2:5, 7, 9). These deliverances are not developed to make the great day of judgment seem less. Rather, they reinforce the fact that since God has judged previously, he will certainly do so again in this greater future judgment when he also saves those who are his. The buying (agorazo) is best seen as soteriological redemption. Even though agorazo does not translate OT words for soteriological redemption, the word always means soteriological redemption in the NT when it refers to people as the object of the purchase (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; Rev 5:9; 14:3-4). The context clearly develops soteriological issues. Within this development there is a major emphasis on lifestyle, which is quite appropriate to Petrine redemption. For example, those who have knowledge of Christ are to abundantly appropriate in their lives faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love (2 Pet 1:2-7). This meaningful way of life assures the believer that he shall bear fruit and enter into the eternal kingdom (1:8-11). This meaningful way of life is the reverse of the preredemptive, futile, sinful way of life (1 Pet 1:18; 2 Pet 1:9). So agorazo here is best seen as soteriological redemption. The lack of a mentioned price is no reason to overthrow this soteriological meaning since half of the NT soteriological meanings of this word omit any mention of a price (2 Pet 2:1; Rev 14:3-4).

Samuel Otes (1578/9-1658) on Jude 4

Otes:

But to leave this, note that Christ here is called our Lord; which he is two ways:

Iure creationis.
Iure redemptionis.

First, By right of creation [Heb. 1:2.]: for by him God made the world, that he gave his only begotten Son to save the world [John 3:16.]: Hereupon says Fail, “Ye are bought with a price.” Now redeeming is either by price and paying, or by power and force. Christ has done both; he gave a price to God, “And gave himself a ransom for all men,” [Titus 2:6.] “He came by water and blood,” [ 1 John 5.] not by water only, but by water and blood. In water, is signified washing; by blood, redemption.

Secondly, by his Power he redeems, and has taken us from the Devil. So faith the Author to the Hebrews, “He has delivered us from death, and him that has the Lordship of death,” [Heb. 2.] And says John says, that “he saw a great battle in Heaven, Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon, and the Dragon fought and his Angels, but prevailed not, neither was their place any more found in Heaven,” [Apoc. 12:7.]. It was a greater matter to Christ to redeem the World, than to make the World. He made it in six days, but he was thirty and three years in redeeming it; he made all with a word, and the host of them by the breath of his mouth. “By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made, and the host of them by the breath of his mouth,” [Psal. 33:6.]. For the letter (He) in Hebrew is but a breath: But he redeemed it with a great price, not with silver and gold, but with blood, not with blood of Bulls and Goates, but with his own precious Blood [1 Pet. 1:18.]: Gold and silver are but red earth, and white earth, which the error of man has made to be esteemed; but the blood of Christ was so precious, that as a Father, Tanti quid vales? what is of equal value price with it? The least drop of Christ’s blood was of such value, in regards of the person, that it was able to redeem ten thousand world; but less than Christ’s blood could not redeem one Soul.

And there were divers and sundry effusions of his blood. The first blood he shed was at his Circumcision, when he was but eight days old; which S. Bernard calls Maturum martyium, a timely martyrdom [De passione Dom. cap. 36.]: to which he further adds, Vix natus est Coeli glorlia, Coeli divitae, deliciae dulcis Jesus, & ecce recenti ortui crucis dolor copulatur; Scarce was sweet Jesus come into the world; who was the Glory, the Riches, the Delight of Heaven, but he underwent the painfulness of the Cross.

The second effusion of blood was in his Agony, whereof Saint Bernard speaks thus, Ecce quam rubicundus, & quam totus rubicundus, Behold, how red, and how wholly red he is? For Saint Luke affirms, that his sweat was like “Drops of blood” trickling down to the ground.

William Burkitt (1650-1703) on 2 Peter 2:1

Burkitt:

BUT there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Observe here, How the apostle foretells the coming of false teachers into the gospel church, as there had been false prophets in the Jewish church: no age of the church ever was or will be free of them; but the run of the last times is most likely to have most of these sour dregs. There shall be false teachers among you; false teachers then may find a scripture prophecy for their being in the church, but they will hardly find a scripture warrant for their being there. Observe, 2. The doctrines which they will teach: and they are damnable heresies. Where note. That Almighty God never intended a certain remedy against heresy, any more than he did against sin and vice; it is certain, that there is no certain and effectual remedy against either of them; God does what he sees best and fittest, not what we think to be so. Note also. That infallibility itself is no effectual remedy against heresy; the apostles were certainly infallible, and yet they could neither prevent nor extinguish heresy, which never more abounded than in the apostles’ times; St. Paul says, there must be heresies, 1 Cor. i. 19. St. Peter here says, that there shall be false teachers. Now, if there must be heresies and false teachers, either the church is not infallible, or infallibility is no effectual remedy against heresy. Observe, 3. That Christ is here called the Lord that bought these men who brought destruction upon themselves, Denying the Lord that bought them: because none should perish for want of a sufficient sacrifice for sin, Christ by his blood purchased for them pardon and life to be theirs, upon condition of believing acceptance. Observe lastly. As the seeds-men, false-teachers, and the seed they sow, damnable heresies, so the crop they shall reap, and that is, swift destruction: as damnable heresies are brought in privily, so the blasphemous heretic, the seducing heretic, the seditious heretic, brings upon himself swift destruction; sometimes temporal destruction in this world, certainly eternal, without repentance, in the next.

William Burkitt, Expository Notes With Practical Observations on the New Testament (Philadelphia: Published by Thomas Wardle, 1835), 2:742. [Italics original; underlining mine.]