Making One’s Calling and Election Sure—2 Peter 1:1–11
Topics: Assurance, Call, Character, Desires, Discipline, Eternal Life, Evil, Faith, God, Goodness, Heaven, Jesus Christ, Kindness, Knowledge, Love, Perseverance, Quality, Rewards, Sin, Sovereignty, Spiritual Growth, World
Open It
1. *What character qualities do you find most attractive in other people?
2. What do people often do to “grow” intellectually, culturally, or in some similar way?
3. If you could be better at one thing, what would you want to improve?
Explore It
1. Who wrote 2 Peter? (1:1)
2. To whom was 2 Peter written? (1:1)
3. What did Peter say had been given to his audience? (1:3)
4. How do God’s people benefit from the promises God has given them? (1:4)
5. *What did Peter urge his readers to add to their faith? (1:5–7)
6. How did Peter encourage his audience? (1:5–7)
7. What would be the result of possessing godly character in increasing measure? (1:8)
8. What happens to the person who does not possess godly qualities? (1:9)
9. *What did Peter want his audience to be eager to do? Why? (1:10–11)
10. *What happens when we pursue the qualities Peter described? (1:11)
Get It
1. How equipped do you feel for life and godliness?
2. What is the relationship between knowledge of God and Christ and spiritual growth?
3. Which of the character qualities that Peter listed do you find the most difficult to practice?
4. *Which of the qualities listed by Peter do you consider to be the most important to add to your faith? Why?
5. What does it mean to be ineffective and unproductive?
6. *How can the qualities Peter mentioned keep us from being ineffective and unproductive?
7. Why is it easy to forget what God has done for us?
8. How can someone make his or her calling and election sure?
9. Which of the qualities listed do you want most to add to your faith?
Apply It
1. *How will you add a godly quality to your faith today?
2. What steps will you take in order to make your calling and election sure?
3. What steps will you take this week to make your faith more effective and productive?
Prophecy of Scripture—2 Peter 1:12–21
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Bible, Death, Doctrine, Glory, God, Honor, Inspiration, Interpretation, Jesus Christ, Prophecy, Remembering, Truth
Open It
1. *If you knew you were about to die and had time to make only one phone call or write one letter, whom would you contact? Why?
2. To what interesting event have you been an eyewitness?
Explore It
1. In what did Peter say his readers were established? (1:12)
2. What did Peter think it was right for him to do? (1:13)
3. What did Peter know that he would soon do? (1:14)
4. What did Peter want his audience to be able to do after he had died? (1:15)
5. What did Peter say he and others had not followed? (1:16)
6. *What gave Peter credibility? (1:16)
7. What did God say about Jesus? (1:17)
8. Who heard the voice of God? Where? (1:18)
9. *What did Peter tell his readers that they should do? (1:19)
10. What did Peter want his readers to understand? (1:20)
11. *What makes prophecy special? (1:21)
Get It
1. About what do you need to be constantly reminded?
2. *Why do we need to have our memory refreshed about biblical truths?
3. Why is it easy for us to forget truths that are important to us?
4. In what way are our bodies like tents?
5. How important to your faith is it that Peter (and other New Testament writers) were eyewitnesses of the life of Christ?
6. Why is it important to know that our faith is grounded in history?
7. *How do you need to change your Bible study habits in light of Scripture’s importance?
8. How do you think the Bible was written?
9. How should Peter’s statements about the origin of Scripture impact our faith as well as our study of the Bible?
10. Why is it important to know about the origin of the Bible?
11. What is unique about Scripture?
12. How can we be confident that the Bible is the Word of God?
Apply It
1. *What portion of Scripture that you have neglected lately will you take the time to study this week?
2. How can you read the Bible differently this week in light of its importance?
False Teachers and Their Destruction—2 Peter 2:1–22
Topics: Abandon, Angels, Backslide, Blasphemy, Choices, Complacency, Desires, Enemies, Faithfulness, Forsake, Freedom, God, Hardheartedness, Hell, Heresy, Jesus Christ, Judgment, Law, Lust, Morality, Punishment, Rebellion, Rejection, Repentance, Righteousness, Sin, Slavery, World
Open It
1. What is your favorite proverb or wise saying (for example, “Haste makes waste”)?
2. *What activities or pursuits are popular today?
3. In what ways do people today abuse their freedom?
Explore It
1. What did Peter warn his readers that false prophets would attempt to do? (2:1)
2. What did Peter say would happen when people followed false prophets? (2:2)
3. What did God do to the angels who had sinned? (2:4)
4. Whom did Peter say God protected? (2:5)
5. What did God use as an example of what will happen to the ungodly? (2:6)
6. *What effect did living among immoral people have upon Lot? (2:7–8)
7. How did Peter say the Lord would deal with the godly and the unrighteous? (2:9)
8. What kind of people are unafraid to slander celestial beings? (2:10–15)
9. How did God rebuke Balaam? (2:16)
10. What did Peter say was reserved for people who rebel against God? (2:17)
11. *How did the evil people of whom Peter wrote affect others? (2:18)
12. What did such sinful men promise? (2:19)
13. To what were sinful people slaves? (2:19)
14. *How did Peter say a person could escape the corruption of the world? (2:20)
15. In what way would it have been better for ungodly people to have never heard of God? Why? (2:21)
16. What proverbs did Peter apply to the blatantly ungodly? (2:22)
Get It
1. *What effect does living and working among sinful people have upon you?
2. *How do you deal with the influence of immoral or rebellious people around you?
3. What false prophets attempt to influence the church today?
4. Why is it important to know how God has dealt with unrighteous people in the past, including angels?
5. When and why have you felt like Lot—distressed by the filthy lives of lawless people?
6. Why and how could someone who has known Christ return to the unrighteousness from which he or she had been rescued?
7. When are you tempted to return to some sinful activity or attitude? Why?
8. What lustful desires entice people today?
9. When and how does slavery sometimes appear to be a promise of freedom?
10. To what sorts of desires can we become unknowingly enslaved?
11. Why might it be important for us to know what Peter wrote about angels?
12. What false teachings do you need to expose as untrue?
Apply It
1. Beginning today, from what sinful desire will you ask God to help you escape?
2. What steps will you take today to ensure that you don’t allow your exercise of freedom to result in your enslavement to sin?
3. *How will you deal with the effect of living in a sinful world today?
The Day of the Lord—2 Peter 3:1–18
Topics: Basics of the Faith, Bible, Creation, Doctrine, Earth, Encouragement, God, Growth, Heaven, Holiness, Hope, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Judgment, Last Days, Life-style, Obedience, Patience, Promises, Repentance, Salvation, Spiritual Growth, Thinking, Unbelievers, World
Open It
1. When was the last time someone wrote you an encouraging letter?
2. *With what sort of people do you find it hard to be patient?
Explore It
1. Why did Peter write this letter as well as his first letter? (3:1)
2. What did Peter want these believers (his audience) to recall? (3:2)
3. What did Peter say would occur in the last days? (3:3)
4. What will the “scoffers” say in the last days? (3:4)
5. What will the “scoffers” deliberately forget? (3:5)
6. How was the world once destroyed and how will it be destroyed in the future? (3:6–7)
7. *What did Peter tell his readers not to forget? (3:8)
8. *Why is the Lord patient? (3:9)
9. How will the day of the Lord appear? (3:10)
10. What reason did Peter give his readers for living holy and godly lives? (3:11–12)
11. What will the day of God bring? (3:12)
12. What reason did Peter give his readers to hope for the future? (3:13)
13. What did Peter urge his readers to make every effort to do? Why? (3:14)
14. *What does the Lord’s patience mean? (3:15)
15. What did Peter say about the apostle Paul’s writings? (3:16)
16. Why did Peter instruct his readers to be on their guard? (3:17)
17. What final instruction did Peter leave with his readers? (3:18)
Get It
1. What stimulates you to wholesome thinking?
2. What discourages you from engaging in wholesome thinking?
3. About what biblical truths have you heard people scoff, and why were they scoffing?
4. How does the fact that the earth will one day be destroyed affect your daily life?
5. How should the reality that the earth will one day be destroyed affect the way we live our lives from day to day?
6. *How have you personally benefited from God’s patience?
7. When have you thought that God was either not patient enough or too patient with you or someone else?
8. Why is it easy to spend little time looking forward to the new heaven and new earth?
9. How can we guard against falling into error in what we believe?
10. How can we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ?
11. *How do you need to alter your life-style in light of the certain future destruction of the earth?
Apply It
1. What specific step will you take this week to grow in Christ?
2. *How can you change your routine to reflect your hope for Christ’s return?
3. What will you do this week to stimulate wholesome thinking?
4. To whom can you write a letter of encouragement this week?
Adult Questions for LESSONmaker (2024). Bellingham, WA: Logos, p. 2 Pe 1:1–3:18.