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This may be the single most well-known word in the world!
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Remember that Peter’s first letter was to instruct Christians how to interact with non-Christians, but his second letter is about Christians interacting within the community of faith. It’s a precious faith that we share with precious friends. Our dear friends encourage us to think wholesomely, have informed perseverance, remain pure, and stay on guard until the very end.
You can sense Peter’s longing for his dear friends of the faith to grasp this. He even says in this letter that it is his second letter to keep reminding the saints about the richness in Jesus, and he says as long as he has breath in his lungs he will keep on reminding us (2 Peter 1:12-15).
Peter uses an almost identical greeting in both letters: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2). This sentiment of linking grace and peace was almost universal, with all but five New Testament books greeting their audiences with the dual blessing of grace and peace.
Let’s talk about these dual blessings.
James Thayer defines this Greek word for peace: “According to a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.”
This means that Christians who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior have peace with God (Romans 5:1), and that peace guards our hearts against all fear (Philippians 4:7).
The other blessing in Peter’s greeting is grace (see also Romans 5:2). This is—quite simply and quite profoundly—God’s favor toward us. God’s grace is unearned by our efforts, undeserved despite our sins, and unending for all eternity. And it comes coming in wave after wave (see John 1:16; I especially like it in the AMPC).
Peter’s greeting in his second letter adds a phrase from his first letter: “…through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” It’s fitting that this is in his second letter, showing he is still growing in his knowledge of Jesus.
We don’t get more grace and peace through knowledge, but we realize and can apply more grace and peace through this growing knowledge. The tap of God’s blessing is already open full—no more can come out. As we grow in the knowledge of this, we find it increasingly precious and valuable.
The Greek word for knowledge here is epignosis. This is knowledge through personal experience.
I once worked with a man who was a retired Air Force officer. Before flying one mission, he walked into the flight control building—a huge hanger-like structure—where dozens and dozens of personnel sat staring at screens to forecast the weather.
Lou asked a private for the forecast: “Sir, you have clear skies and excellent visibility for your mission,” he dutifully reported.
“Private,” Lou shouted, “on your feet!” The young man snapped to attention. “Follow me,” Lou ordered and began marching toward the door of the hanger. When they got there, Lou ordered the private to open the door, step outside, close the door behind him, and not to re-enter the hanger for 60 seconds.
One minute later that private stepped back inside and stood before Lou dripping wet. “Now, private,” Lou demanded, “what is my weather forecast.”
“It looks like rain, sir,” the young private reported.
Epignosis is not book knowledge about Jesus, but personal, intimate, experiential knowledge of Jesus. That Air Force meteorologist only knew about weather from his radar screen, but once he got drenched outside, he knew of the weather conditions from personal experience.
Peter says this epignosis is ours (2 Peter 1:3-5).
There’s only one thing that keeps us from growing in our knowledge of God’s abundant grace and peace: Complacency. In v. 5, Peter says we are to “make every effort.”
It’s not our effort that brings God’s grace, but it is our effort that allows us to know His grace—to know Jesus personally. Notice the progression:
(v. 3) Christ’s divine power has give us everything we need by His own glory and goodness
(v. 4a) Through these gracious gifts He has given us His great and precious promises
(v. 4b) Through His promises we can participate in His divine nature
(v. 5) For this very reason, we are to bring our best effort, our diligent interest, and our total attention
Peter concludes his letter exactly as he starts it: Keep growing in your epignosis (3:18).
The more you grow in epignosis, the more intimate knowledge you will have to encourage your dear friends of the faith—
And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life. (1 John 5:20 NLT)
Then like Paul, we can pray for ourselves and for our dear friends for a continual growing in this intimate knowledge of Jesus (see Ephesians 1:15-19).
Check out the other messages in this series from 2 Peter called Friends of the Faith.
God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:10 NLT)
In Greek, the root word for “gift” is grace. We all have received a grace gift from God and we are to employ that gift graciously.
My gift is not for showing off but for building up—“to serve one another.”
My gift is not for my benefit but to benefit others—“so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (v. 11 NIV).
My gift is given to me so that I may help others see Jesus and praise God. If people only see my gift—and nothing more—I am misusing my gift and I am robbing God of His glory.
To HIM be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11 NIV)
Father, thank You for the grace gift You have given me. Holy Spirit, help me graciously steward this gift to serve others so that they can better glorify God.
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…When He was reviled, did not revile (1 Peter 2:23 NKJV).
In the Greek language, this phrase is loidoreo antiloidoreo ou antiloidoreo.
Loidoreo means to insult, reproach, and revile.
Antiloidoreo means not to do those things.
Reviling others—especially those who have already reviled us—is a natural response. But not reviling or responding to revilers with reviling of our own is a supernatural response.
Anyone can speak or act unkindly, and it’s sort of expected when someone else has reviled you first. But to bless someone that has revealed first or to remain silent as Jesus did, requires Spirit-empowered self-control (see 1 Corinthians 4:12 and 1 Peter 3:9).
Our silence in these situations speaks volumes!
Was Jesus really silent? Peter says Jesus “entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” I think Jesus had an internal dialogue with His Father, something like, “Father, You hear the hurtful reviling they are heaping on Me. I trust You to handle this so that I don’t have to.”
The only words Jesus spoke aloud to those who were reviling Him were still words spoken to His Father: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).
Jesus responded with supernaturalantiloidoreo, which spoke louder than their naturalloidoreo!
So this has me thinking: When loidoreo is hurled at me, will I respond naturally with more loidoreo? Or will I allow the Holy Spirit to help me respond supernaturally with antiloidoreo?
My book When Sheep Bite is all about seeking to respond supernaturally when we have been treated unfairly and unkindly. This book is especially for pastors, but I also shared several posts and videos for all Christians in a series called When Sheep Bite Sheep.
You may also want to check out these related blog posts:
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What’s more impactful: living a good life or doing good deeds? Let’s talk about that on this episode of The Podcast.
I mentioned that the apostle Peter’s first letter was written to Christians who are citizens of heaven while living on earth. I taught a whole series about this called Aliens and Strangers.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
There’s a scene in The Princess Bride that rings true for us. As the grandfather is reading the story to his sick grandson, he has just revealed that the hero in the story has died. The grandson stops his grandfather, “Wait, grandpa, you’re reading that wrong.” This young man wants what all of us want: For the good guys to be vindicated and for the bad guys to get what’s coming to them.
The next Royal Psalm assures us that our Judge will perfectly balance His scales of justice. King David (sort of) gives us a picture of this.
King David’s son Absalom had usurped the throne, and David is fleeing the city with his trusted inner circle. Along the way he is confronted by a man named Shimei, who was from the same family as King Saul (2 Samuel 16:5-12). David gives us a good foretaste of King Jesus in the way he initially responds to this attack (19:18b-23). Sadly, David apparently hung on to these slights and asked his son Solomon to keep an eye on Shimei (1 Kings 2:8-9). So I’m going to guess that our Royal Psalm was written between these two incidents.
Psalm 98 is a call to sing our praise to our King and Judge. First, we are to sing to Him and about Him because of what Hehas already done:
He has done marvelous things (v. 1)
He has provided salvation (v. 1)
He has made His salvation known (v. 2)
He has revealed His righteousness (v. 2)
He has remembered His love for us (v. 3)
He has remembered His faithfulness toward us (v. 3)
the earth has seen His salvation (v. 3)
Then we are called to keep on singing in anticipation of what He is going to do: we shout for joy and burst into jubilant song (v. 4), make music (vv. 5-6a), shout for joy (v. 6b), and see creation praising all around us (vv. 7-9a).
All of this singing because He comes to judge? Does that sound right?
It sounds right when judgment is in the hand of the Perfect Judge. The Bible describes judges who are looking for bribes, or who are swayed by personal feelings (like King David), or Jesus even identified a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people.
But God on His throne isn’t any of these things! Isaiah prophesies Christ’s first Advent as one of peace (Isaiah 42:1-4). Even when Jesus was maligned and mistreated even more hatefully—and without having done anything wrong—than David, He still didn’t retaliate (1 Peter 2:21-23).
Jesus entrusted Himself to Him Who judges justly, which is what Psalm 98 calls us to do.
He comes to judge [vindicate] the earth [creation], which has been groaning for this (Romans 8:21-22).
He will judge [acquit or declare guilty] the world and its peoples (Matthew 25:31-32; Revelation 20:12).
His judgement will be with righteousness and equity—
righteousness = the perfect standard
equity = the perfect consequence (see also Isaiah 42:10-13)
In light of the perfect judgment from the perfect King that is coming, how should we live today?
He will handle retribution then—so don’t retaliate today (Isaiah 11:1-5).
He will handle vindication then—so forgive today (1 Peter 2:23; Luke 23:34).
He will call you to give an account then—so change your words and actions today (Matthew 12:36).
He will forgive blood-washed saints then—so forgive today (Matthew 6:14-15).
He will judge perfectly then—so don’t be judgmental today (James 5:9; Romans 2:1-3).
He will reward perfectly then—so don’t look for applause from the world today (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Matthew 25:34).
Our King has won our salvation, and He is going to balance the scales perfectly when He returns, so we should be singing His praise every day until His return!
T.M. Moore wrote, “I’m persuaded that one reason the work of personal evangelism has fallen on hard times in our day is that the people of God are simply fearful of the task. We find no joy in bearing witness to Jesus. Instead, we’re afraid that others won’t receive us kindly, that they’ll lash out or, worse, talk about us to others. We fear we might mess up the Gospel presentation and permanently offend someone. We fear the questions and challenges others might pose, that we might not be able to answer them. We’re afraid of being laughed at, yelled at, or dismissed as foolish or deceived or mad.”
“Do not be satisfied, dear brethren and sisters in Christ, with the grace that you already have. Be thankful for it, but ask for the divine multiplication of it; regard the grace which you have already received as being like the boy’s loaves and fishes, and expect that Christ will continue to multiply it for you and for thousands of others round about you: ‘Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:2
“Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.… Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My presence.” —Sarah Young, in Jesus Calling [she formed this quote from Romans 12:2; Jeremiah 29:11]
“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” —M. Scott Peck
Clinton Manley gives us two bad excuses that people give for either not reading their Bible or not applying what they did read. He says, “God woos us to His word with unblushing promises of reward; take hold of them.”
“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Geneticists have found a single-cell pond ciliate that uses its RNA to send unexpected signals to the cell. “Surface-level study may make cells seem like simple chemistry, but deeper study reveals coded instructions, used by molecular tools and monitored by timing controls. Those tools operate as part of a larger biological network. This detailed process reflects sound engineering principles.” Even this tiny creature shows the flawless design of our Creator.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
There is a confidence and joy in knowing how things will turn out, in having “the inside scoop” that others don’t have.
In my book Shepherd Leadership, I tell the story of the time when I was working as the executive director of a camp and conference center. I was breaking down boxes at the recycle dumpster when a guest approached me, not knowing I was the director. I was able to help her because I knew who to talk to, where the supplies were, and how things worked around the facilities. I knew what I knew, but our guest was a little surprised that I knew what I knew.
We see this in the life of David as he became king of Israel and as his leadership expanded.
David was first anointed king over merely the tribe of Judah, but his influence began to expand (2 Samuel 3:1). It wasn’t just fear of his military power, but people genuinely liked him and saw that he had the best in mind for them (3:36), until eventually all of the tribes of Israel saw David as their king (5:1-3). His reign as king saw him continuing to grow in his strength, wisdom, and influence (14:18-20).
David was unquestionably established as the king—the leader God had chosen. Seeing David reigning as king brings us to the next Royal Psalm (Psalm 97).
The statement that “the LORD reigns” (v. 1) is widely accepted. For instance, the foundational document of the United States of America opens with the words, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America … We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”
The fact that we exist presupposes a starting point. It would appear that the starting point is something or someone with unimaginable power. Even atheists call the beginning of our universe “a singularity” with unimaginable power to bring all of this into being. The fact that our universe is so well ordered makes the case for an Intelligence behind the unimaginable power. This intelligent, awesome power is described in Psalm 97:2-6.
Jesus is the One the biblical writers identify as this intelligent, awesome power (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-17). Jesus even identifies Himself as being this One (Revelation 1:8, 18). Because Jesus holds the keys, He has the final word on our eternal existence. His desire is that all would come to know Him as their King and Savior (John 3:16-17).
When our sins are forgiven, we have no fear of God’s punishment (Psalm 97:7-12).
Those who oppose this worldview can be quite intimidating at times. Peter tells us, “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened” (1 Peter 3:14).
For now, in America, we don’t face bodily threats of violence (although that day may come). The threats Christians face today are being mocked for outdated or out-of-touch beliefs, being canceled because our stance is bigoted and hateful, or simply being pressured to compromise just a little bit on what we believe.
To emphasize his point, Peter quotes words from King David in Psalm 34. David’s words in this psalm sound a lot like the tone of Psalm 97. Notice especially Psalm 34:1-2, 15-22 where David assures us that King Jesus gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word!
Someday every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is God (Revelation 20:11-15). Knowing this should give Christians an incredible sense of security, especially in the presence of those who doubt, deny, or mock.
So when atheists, agnostics, and skeptics want to attack your belief in an all-loving, all-powerful God Who says the only way to avoid His final judgment is to place our faith in the work Jesus did on the Cross, let’s be careful in our response. We don’t have to fight them—we should instead respond with love. Peter went on to say that our response to their attacks would be our testimony (1 Peter 3:14-17).
Like David, let us extol the LORD at all times (even when under attack). Like the Royal Psalm, let us rejoice in the LORD and praise His holy name. Let us never forget Who gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word!
If you’ve missed any of the other messages about the Royal Psalms, check out our series All Hail King Jesusby clicking here.
The biblical historian Luke mentions the Roman Caesar Tiberius. “Tiberius is only named directly once in the Bible (Luke 3:1), where the fifteenth year of his reign is a chronological marker, signalling the beginning of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus.” Although only named once, Tiberius’ influence is seen throughout the historical events recorded in the New Testament. Check out the archeological biography of this interesting Roman leader.
“Oh! what prophets and kings longed for, do not let us despise, and we shall despise these mercies if we do not make the most of them by entering into the fullness of the joy which they are meant to bring to us.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:11
Conventional scientists, looking for a way to explain the origin of life, have proposed nanozymes which served as catalysts to speed up chemical processes. But as ICR notes, “What can be done in a laboratory is not always what happens outside of it. Laboratory tests depend on selected chemicals, planned procedures, and controlled conditions. Such experiments show what skilled researchers can make chemicals do, but they don’t indicate that an unguided environment built the first living cell. … Life displays ordered parts, stored instructions, and linked systems. These observable traits are consistent with the workmanship of a wise creator. As Scripture says, ‘O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all’ (Psalm 104:24).”
“Spiritual warfare against lust is enlistment for a lifetime career. … But do not be afraid because your enemies are mighty and many; your victory will be so much greater. And do not worry, either, when you see Caesars stripped of their insignias and forced to die in chains of lust. Remember, it is only the unbelieving world—without spiritual arms and abandoned by God—that is left to become the prey of satan.” —William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armor
“It is manly to be tender toward your wife. … A Christian husband should be intimately aware of his wife’s needs, her strengths and weaknesses, and her goals and desires. He should know as much about her as possible, in order to respond in the best way to her.” —Dr. Henry Halley
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.
Although no one can truly verify the accuracy of this story, it seems to fit the character of what we do know about Alexander the Great. This powerful leader was walk-in among the camp during the night and came upon a soldier who was supposed to be on guard duty. Except Alexander found him dozing off.
“Soldier, what is your name?” he demanded, bringing the sleeping soldier quickly awake.
“Alexander,” he stammered weakly.
Alexander stepped closer to the young man and repeated, “What is your name?”
“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier said a little more clearly this time.
Now, almost nose to nose, Alexander asked again, “What is your name?”
This time the soldier quietly said, “My name, sir, is Alexander.”
Alexander the Great then looked intently at the young soldier, “Either change your name or change your conduct.”
That story may or may not be true, but Brennan Manning’s words are most assuredly true: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” We must take an honest assessment of our lifestyle and then either change our name or change our conduct.
Our next Royal Psalm is Psalm 96. This psalm begins by echoing the words of praise the King David sang on the day the ark of the covenant of the Lord was brought to Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 16:23-29). This day may have been the pinnacle of this great king’s reign. Immediately after celebrating the return of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, God makes the promise to King David that his family will continue to reign until the coming of King Jesus (1 Chronicles 17).
Although this is a celebratory day for Israel—God’s chosen people—David’s psalm of thanks reverberates into all the world. It is David’s desire that not just the Jewish people, but all people know King Jesus as their Lord.
In our last Royal Psalm, we saw an invitation give to us three times to come into the presence of the King of kings (Psalm 95:1, 2, 6). But we are not to stay in the tabernacle with Him—Luke 9:28-33; 10:1. David uses words like: all the earth, the nations, all peoples, families of nations, the world (vv. 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 13).
In the middle of Psalm 96 is our proclamation to the world. We have the word ascribe (vv. 7-8) three times and an invitation in the word come. Ascribe means, “Come! Come on! Come see His glory and strength!” Then just as we have seen His glory and strength for ourselves, we invite the world to bring an offering and come into His courts.
T.M. Moore wrote, “People in the unbelieving world have witnessed a good bit of hypocrisy, shallowness, disingenuousness, dishonesty, and corruption among the members of the Church. Many of them have installed a spam filter on their brains which automatically blocks anyone calling himself a Christian as having anything meaningful or significant to say.”
So these action words in Psalm 96 are our words backed up or supported by our lifestyle.
Sing (3x) in vv. 1-2. Songs naturally come from our lips because of what is in our minds and hearts. Make sure you are singing to the LORD a new song of His moment by moment goodness to you.
Praise His name (v. 2) is better translated as bless (see NKJV, AMPC, Strong’s). Bless means to not only celebrate our King, but then to bless other people in the name of the Lord. In the New Testament Greek, bless means to say good words—say good words to people about your good King.
Proclaim His salvation (v. 2). …You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)
Declare His glory…His marvelous deeds (vv. 3-6). Recount God’s miracles to you again and again.
Worship the LORD (v. 9). The Old English spelling was worth-ship—find ways to tell people how invaluable our King’s blessings are.
Say… “The LORD reigns” (v. 10). Do your words and attitude express that God is on His throne?
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Fine feelings, new insights, greater interest in ‘religion’ mean nothing unless they make our actual behavior better; just as in an illness ‘feeling better’ is not much good if the thermometer shows that your temperature is still going up. In that sense the outer world is quite right to judge Christianity by its results. Christ told us to judge by results. A tree is known by its fruit; or, as we say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world. … Our careless lives set the outer world talking; and we give them grounds for talking in a way that throws doubt on the truth of Christianity itself.”
Jesus called us to this (Matthew 5:16). Let’s be sure our words and lifestyle are an invitation to our King that no one can ignore.
Amen means: God’s Word is true, so we can stand on God’s Word; we can live in God’s Word; we can expect God’s promises! 
Craig T. Owens 
Links & Quotes
August 1, 2026 — Craig T. OwensI have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.
The biblical historian Luke mentions the Roman Caesar Tiberius. “Tiberius is only named directly once in the Bible (Luke 3:1), where the fifteenth year of his reign is a chronological marker, signalling the beginning of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus.” Although only named once, Tiberius’ influence is seen throughout the historical events recorded in the New Testament. Check out the archeological biography of this interesting Roman leader.
“Oh! what prophets and kings longed for, do not let us despise, and we shall despise these mercies if we do not make the most of them by entering into the fullness of the joy which they are meant to bring to us.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:11
Conventional scientists, looking for a way to explain the origin of life, have proposed nanozymes which served as catalysts to speed up chemical processes. But as ICR notes, “What can be done in a laboratory is not always what happens outside of it. Laboratory tests depend on selected chemicals, planned procedures, and controlled conditions. Such experiments show what skilled researchers can make chemicals do, but they don’t indicate that an unguided environment built the first living cell. … Life displays ordered parts, stored instructions, and linked systems. These observable traits are consistent with the workmanship of a wise creator. As Scripture says, ‘O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all’ (Psalm 104:24).”
“Spiritual warfare against lust is enlistment for a lifetime career. … But do not be afraid because your enemies are mighty and many; your victory will be so much greater. And do not worry, either, when you see Caesars stripped of their insignias and forced to die in chains of lust. Remember, it is only the unbelieving world—without spiritual arms and abandoned by God—that is left to become the prey of satan.” —William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armor
“It is manly to be tender toward your wife. … A Christian husband should be intimately aware of his wife’s needs, her strengths and weaknesses, and her goals and desires. He should know as much about her as possible, in order to respond in the best way to her.” —Dr. Henry Halley
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