1–2 Peter: An Expositional Commentary

Saint Andrews Expositional Commentary #9

by R.C. Sproul

How can we persevere through persecution? First-century Christians wrestled with this question. They were often harassed, slandered, beaten, and ostracized for their faith. As they endured these difficult circumstances, we can imagine their joy upon receiving two encouraging letters from the Apostle Peter. No stranger to suffering, Peter likely penned these letters while in a Roman prison just before his martyrdom. In this volume, Dr. R.C. Sproul takes us through Peter’s epistles line by line. As we lift our eyes from present suffering to our eternal inheritance in Christ, we find the strength to stand firm, endure trials, and rejoice in Him.

Dr. Sproul’s expositional commentaries help you understand key theological themes and apply them to all areas of your life. Drawn from decades of careful study and delivered from a pastor’s heart, these sermons are readable, practical, and thoroughly Bible-centered. Here is your opportunity to learn from a trusted teacher and theologian as he leads you through God’s Word and shares his perspective on living faithfully for God’s glory. This is a series to serve pastors, small groups, and growing Christians who want to know the Bible better.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Biblical Studies, Reference, Religion

265 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2011

About the author

Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Ligonier Ministries began in 1971 as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pa. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and the ministry’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando in 1984, and the ministry was renamed.

Dr. Sproul’s radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul produced hundreds of lecture series and recorded numerous video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.

He contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, and academic institutions around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone’s a Theologian. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and wrote a commentary on that document. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, previously known as the New Geneva Study Bible.

Dr. Sproul had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Miss. He was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~ I Peter 1:13

The letters from the Apostle Peter to "those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" are short, but riddled with familiar verses and echo the more familiar writings of the Apostle Paul.

These two small books support and confirm the story God has given in the Old and the New Testaments. While reading this commentary, our church was studying Exodus. I am also spending an extended time in the book of Romans. Time after time, I see the connections of Scripture proving Scripture.

There are some hard to understand passages in these letters, so this commentary was of great help to me. While I did not live in the time of this Apostle, I am one of "those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1b)

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. ~ 2 Peter 1:2.

[Bradley Plausse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this came from sermons or sermon notes when Sproul preached through the book at his church. My low rating is because sermon notes don’t translate well to a commentary. There are lots of personal anecdotes and rabbit trails that probably keep a sermon lively but are tedious in a book. The portion on 2 Peter was the better part.

[Amanda Geaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 Book 61 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1-2 Peter - An Expositional Commentaryby R.C. Sproul @ligonier

1 Peter (2:1–8a) 
"We know that rebirth is necessary, because the Scriptures tell us that, by nature, we are dead in our sin. This description of our condition is not biological but spiritual. We are born in this world DOA, dead on arrival. We may be alive biologically, but we are dead spiritually."

"In order to embrace the things of God—spiritual things—a new birth is required, a birth wrought in our souls by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit."

"No one can be brought to spiritual life without also being fundamentally changed."

2 Peter(2:1–7) "False doctrine produces ungodly living."

(2:18–22) "When you declare your emancipation from the law of God, you are not free; you become a slave."

(2:18–22)"Truth divides because it is important, and it is important because the consequences are eternal."

(3:1–9)"In order to correctly grasp the context of “us” in 1 and 2 Peter, we need only look to whom these epistles are addressed—Peter is writing to the elect. Therefore, the “any” and the “us” are the elect."

(3:10–18)"When we become disciples of Christ, we enter His school for the duration. Our pilgrimage of growth in the knowledge and grace of God will not be over until we get to heaven. Every day we should be seeking to learn new things about God and His kingdom."

[Tyler Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read more R.C. Sproul than any other author, hands-down. I really enjoy these commentaries thus far. It’s generally helpful, but not super deep. Each chapter is about 5-7 pages. I found myself wanting a little more at times because I felt like there was much more in a passage than Sproul expounds upon. But it’s expositional and I really have no issues with anything he generally says except for some reservations I have with his eschatological views.

The biggest takeaway that I got from his expositions is that for someone to reach the heart level, it must be understood in the mind. It’s not super profound but something that stuck out to me.

Overall, I’d still recommend it but I know there’s better out there, and I’m sure that he would advocate for Christians to read those instead, haha.

[Caroline Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of good and true stuff, but it felt like Sproul went off on a tangent in every chapter. Maybe I just struggled to follow his logic but a lot of it felt unrelated (or at least loosely related) to the verses at hand so I didn't find this commentary to be particularly helpful at understanding the scriptural content or how to apply it in my own life.

[Emily Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed going through Sproul's commentaries in the morning before I start my day. They are a great replacement if you're tired of doing studies that only ask you questions about how the bible applies to you, which I have grown sick of. Sproul dissects entire books of the bible into short segments, making them a great devotional resource for your morning.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the plus side of good. More pastoral than technical, Sproul has taken his sermons on these two books and put them in written format. A good summary of 1-2 Peter, but don’t look for anything super technical here - that wasn’t his goal with this series.

[Luke Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Lauren Stredny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good companion to better understand 1-2 Peter

[Chris Sobbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

With archeological detail, theological depth, and timely application, R.C. Sproul creates a rich commentary to feed the spirit of the reader. I am glad there are seven more of his commentaries to read.

[Tamara Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful resource to supplement my study of 1-2 Peter. He’s clear on fact versus opinion. Ideas and explanations were not hard to understand.
Highly recommend.
Reformed POV

[Lisa Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having studied at three different seminaries over the past two decades, most of the works that I've studied have listed heavily toward the dry and intellectual end of the spectrum. In contrast, Dr. Sproul's commentaries are as refreshing and enervating as a spring of Living Water in a dry and thirsty land. This commentary on 1-2 Peter is no exception.

Because it's so packed with information, it has taken me several months to finish it -- in part, because I've read it in triplicate: (1) read a paragraph; (2) highlighted the important points; (3) underlined key words within the highlighted section. Also, this isn't the type of book that you can pick up and put down easily. You can't read it while waiting in line at carpool or while you're waiting for your highlights to process at the salon. It's a book that requires not only time, but attention.

A couple of things to note:

(1) Dr. Sproul addresses the text from a Reformed point-of-view, so expect that his commentary is steeped in doctrine -- and that's not a bad thing. Every commentary is underpinned by a bit of subjectivity, which makes for an informed POV.

(2) The commentary is heavily weighted by historical context -- and that's not a bad thing, either. It helps to know the world to which these letters were originally written, as well as the background from which they were theologically formed. Dr. Sproul connects the text to both Old and New Testament Scriptures to foment his position.

(3) Peppered within the commentary are bits of personal experience from Dr. Sproul's own life, which makes his work somewhat (endearingly) folksy and relatable.

(4) This book is designed for lay-people, so a lot of terms (i.e., monarchical modalism, homoousios, homoiousios ) are defined and illuminated, which is helpful.

Highly recommended for the lay-person who is looking to improve his/her grasp of Scripture. Loved it!

[Saige Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some beautiful points in this commentary. However, I often felt like Sproul was far more interested in arguing theology than pointing the reader to Christ. There were some far-fetched rabbit trails that had no place being in an expositional commentary. Sproul frequently used the Scriptures as diving boards to argue theological points that really had nothing to do with the text. Even when I agreed with him (which was more often than not) I found myself hungering for a deeper exposition.

Overall, I could not recommend this book, simply because I worry that the reader would get more mentally involved in theological debates than in seeking Christ.

[Matt Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expositional commentary for laymen, Dr Sproul tackles the two epistles of the Apostle Peter with rich and helpful exegesis, while addressing pastoral issue in the text, both contemporary and historical alike.

In following with the other volumes in the St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary, the book is an edited collection of Dr. Sproul's sermons, with each chapter being a small chunk of the whole text. The format is exceptionally clear: the text is presented in full at the beginning of each chapter, the commentary then follows and the verses to which Dr. Sproul is speaking are highlighted at the beginning of each subsection in bold. This, coupled with Dr. Sproul's gift for teaching through both written and spoken word, makes the book incredibly easy to read.

The commentary is so rich and clearly written, that it would be a benefit to all Christians to read Dr. Sproul's series.

[Rev Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again reading a Sproul commentary is a frustrating endeavor. At times Sproul gives beautiful and powerful insight into the texts. As other times Sproul runs down rabbit trails that have nothing to do with the passage in context and I am shocked an editor allows his side paths to make it into the commentary. It is especially frustrating when you can read a lengthy chapter of Sproul that never gives any useful information on the text itself. Reading this commentary can give you the finest insight one week and no insight on the next. Here are my I Peter commentary rankings of the 4 books I completed:

1. Peter David’s NICNT The First Epistle of Peter
2. David Wall’s Holman New Testament Commentary of I & II Peter
3. R. C. Sproul’s 1-2 Peter: An Expositional Commentary
4. Joel Green’s Two Horizons: I Peter

[Rodney Tripp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This commentary was outstanding. R.C. Sproul can go bit heavy in historical content. Close to the end of the book there was a heavy amount of historical content. For some of of us lay people we would have to muddle through it. Will I read other books by Sproul... you betcha. Also this commentary on Peter will be a key reference in my library. Good Day All

[Clay Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me you know I love Sproul. I can hardly complain. The only reason I give it 4 stars and not 5 is that I wish he would have talked about the literary connection between 2 Peter and Jude. It wasn’t mentioned at all. Otherwise, great as always. Like all of his commentaries, it is pastoral and devotional. Great resource for daily reading.

[Brynne B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ☆

Solid commentary. Some of the chapters seemed much longer/in-depth than others, particularly in the 2 Peter portion. A few of the chapters were broken up a bit weird with not as much detail/analysis. Overall still a very worthwhile read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the 2 books. Helpful, instructive, encouraging.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole set is excellent for lay people. 🔥

[SarahReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A more devotional commentary, which I liked for a personal bible study.

[Jesus Salgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

RC Sproul will always be a treasure read, a lot of goodies to chew on in this commentary, can’t wait to read the next one.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent expository By R. C. Sproul. I'm sad that this is the last in this series for now but I have been told that Ligonier Ministries will be releasing others at some point.

[Eva B.]

Solid pastoral treatment of I and II Peter adapted from a series of sermons that Sproul preached.

[Anne Ahrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read commentary. He gave me a lot to think about and helped enhance study of these books of the Bible.

[Douglas Domer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent exposition of 1 and 2 Peter.

[Brian Thorson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal resource for studying 1st and 2nd Peter. R.C. Sproul faithfully provides expository teaching of the text balancing foundational doctrinal and theological explanations with application.

[Jessé Santana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exposição clara.

[Matthew Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on Spotify. Worth listening to or reading.

[C.S. Wachter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, a clear and concise commentary from a reformed perspective by R. C. Sproul.