“From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours” (2 Peter 1:1 NET).
While some may seek to bestow an elevated position upon the Apostle Peter, this passage references the commonality of the faith Peter shared with every other follower of Christ. Several translations of this passage underscore the equal nature that faith. Those translations include the following examples…
- “To those who have obtained a faith of equal privilege with ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (HCSB).
- “To those who received a faith equal to ours through the justice of our God and savior Jesus Christ” (CEB).
- “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (ESV).
This is followed by an important statement regarding Jesus’ divine nature in speaking of “our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” As one Biblical scholar explains, “Since one definite article governs both nouns in the Greek (lit. ‘the God of us and Savior’), this phrase ascribes deity to Jesus.” (1) This reminds us that Jesus isn’t simply a god, He is the God.
2 Peter 1:1 represents one of several direct references to Jesus’ deity within the Biblical Scriptures. That list also includes John 1:1, John 20:26-28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, and Hebrews 1:8. In addition to those direct references, the Bible also features a variety of indirect references to Jesus’ divine nature. Perhaps the best known among those examples comes through the Biblical prophet Isaiah via the Gospel of Matthew: “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us'” (Matthew 1:23).
We also have Jesus’ response to the religious leaders of His day as recorded in John 8:58: “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'” Jesus’ use of the term “I AM” is a direct, unmistakable, and intentional claim to deity in light of God’s corresponding self-identification in Exodus 3:14.
Finally, the New Testament book of Acts touches upon this subject with the following guidance to church leaders: “…shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28, emphasis added). This reference to “His own blood” is a clear allusion to Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. Thus, the Scriptures provide us with several direct and indirect confirmations of Jesus’ deity.
(1) R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2256.