Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Peter 1:3

"seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue;" — 2 Peter 1:3 (ASV)

According as.—Better, seeing that. This must not be made to depend on 2 Peter 1:2. In the canonical Epistles, the address does not go beyond the blessing. Galatians is the only exception; there, a relative clause is added to the blessing, but this is solemnly brought to a close with a doxology, so that the exception is one that almost proves the rule.

In Hebrews, James, 1 John, and 3 John, there is no opening blessing; this observation holds true for all the other epistles. 2 Peter 1:3–4 serve as a brief introduction to the direct exhortations contained in 2 Peter 1:5–11. The eagerness with which the writer goes directly to his subject is characteristic of St. Peter’s temperament.

His divine power.—The pronoun refers to “Jesus our Lord.” The adjective occurs in the New Testament in these two verses (2 Peter 1:3 and 1:4) only; elsewhere, we find the genitive case, such as “of God,” “of the Lord,” “of the Father,” and similar expressions.

All things that pertain unto.—This refers to all that is necessary for their attainment. He does not give life and godliness in their mature form, but rather supplies us with the means to win them for ourselves.

The word “All” is emphatic: nothing that is required is withheld from us, and nothing is our own; it is all the gift of God.

Godliness.—The Greek word occurs in Acts 3:12, in a speech of St. Peter, and four times in this Epistle; elsewhere, it appears only in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus. It belongs to the phraseology of the later books of the New Testament.

“Godliness” is the realization of God’s abiding presence, the fruits of which are reverence and trust, as expressed in sayings like: Thou God seest me; and “I have set God always before me, therefore I cannot fall.” It is introduced here, perhaps, in opposition to the godlessness and irreverence of the false teachers (Compare 2 Timothy 3:5).

Through the knowledge.—This means through learning to know God as One who has called us to salvation (Compare 2 Peter 1:2).

To glory and virtue.—Rather, it should be by glory and virtue; or perhaps, by His own glory and virtue, according to another reading. The rendering “To” cannot be correct, regardless of which of the various readings is the right one. Tyndale, Cranmer, and Rheims have “by;” the error comes from the Geneva Bible, which has “unto.”

“Glory” points to the majesty of God, and “virtue” to His activity. The term “Virtue” as applied to God is unusual but occurs in 1 Peter 2:9 (see Note there), a coincidence worth noting. The word is rendered there as “praises,” but “virtues” is given in the margin. The entire verse in 1 Peter 2:9 is strikingly parallel to the one currently under discussion, though very differently expressed.

On verses 3-11:

This section contains an exhortation to progress in spiritual graces in order to win eternal life at Christ’s coming. God has given us all we need for salvation; let us profit by it and show ourselves worthy of it.