1-2 Peter, Jude (Believers Church Bible Commentary | BCBC)
Overview
The Believers Church Bible Commentary Series is published for all who seek more fully to understand the original message of Scripture and its meaning for today—Sunday school teachers, members of Bible study groups, students, pastors, and other seekers. The series is based on the conviction that God is still speaking to all who will listen, and that the Holy Spirit makes the Word a living and authoritative guide for all who want to know and do God’s will.
Each volume illuminates the Scriptures; provides historical and cultural background; shares necessary theological, sociological, and ethical meanings; and, in general, makes "the rough places plain." Critical issues are not avoided, but neither are they moved into the foreground as debates among scholars. The series aids in the interpretive process, but it does not attempt to supersede the authority of the Word and Spirit as discerned in the gathered church.
The Believers Church Bible Commentary is a cooperative project of Brethren in Christ Church, Brethren Church, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Brethren Church, and Mennonite Church.
Overall Outline
The commentaries are organized into sections according to the major divisions of the text. Each section comprises five parts:
- An introductory preview
- A summary outline of the section
- Explanatory notes
- The text in its biblical context
- The text in the life of the church
1-2 Peter, Jude
Erland Waltner explains how 1 Peter applies Jesus' teaching on loving the enemy to the life situation of scattered Christians in Asia Minor. Peter empowers believers to be communities of hope, not retaliating for the abuse they suffer, but bearing witness of their Lord by word, lifestyle, and doing good.
J. Daryl Charles shows how 2 Peter and Jude are relevant since the church still faces ethical compromises and pastoral dilemmas. Their apocalyptic imagery stresses that the concerns of Christian faithfulness and faith are absolutely crucial. The church needs such moral exhortation.
Top Highlights
“A second characteristic of the suffering church living in the end-times is the practice of mutual love. Peter” (Page 135)
“The epistle of Jude is an impassioned exhortation to a church that is being compromised.” (Page 274)
“The contextual flow begins in Jude 8 with a portrait of Jude’s opponents, a portrait drawn from the preceding historical antecedents. The opponents carry three identifying marks: moral defilement, rejection of authority, and shocking irreverence.” (Page 298)
“However, Peter is realistic about human experience. People who practice doing good may also experience evil at the hands of others, and sometimes precisely because of the good they are doing.” (Pages 120–121)
“A closer reading of 2 Peter suggests that an ethical rather than doctrinal departure lies at the root of the opponents’ behavior (Desjardins: 89–92). Generally speaking, first comes apostasy, meaning sinful behavior that shows rejection of the truth. Then heresy or doctrinal error follows, as justification for the bad conduct. Peter’s opponents are foremost sexual libertarians, as confirmed by the portrait that follows (2:2, 6–7, 10, 14, 18–20, 22) and Peter’s prior accent on moral virtue and self-control. Danger is confronting the Christian community: it is being influenced by the outside world.” (Page 231)
Combines scholarly approaches to these neglected books with clear exposition and timely application. Use of Anabaptist sources will appeal to a wide audence: preachers, students, and church folk. We applaud the volume heartily.
—Ralph P. Martin, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Fuller Theological Seminary
Solid biblical exposition in a reader-friendly format. Offers careful and deatiled anaylsis of these books in clear, accessible language. Quotes Anabaptists working out understandings of faith under intense suffering. Valuable for pastors, Sunday school teachers, and serious students.
—Dorothy Jean Weaver, Professor of New Testament, Eastern Mennonite Seminary
- Title: 1-2 Peter, Jude
- Authors: Erland Waltner and J. Daryl Charles
- Publisher: Herald Press
- Publication Date: 1987
- Pages: 350
J. Daryl Charles has contributed to periodicals such as First Things, Social Justice Review, Regeneration Quarterly, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and Bulletin for Biblical Research, plus journals of New Testament study. He writes on issues of faith and culture, Christian ethics, ecumenism, and the contemporary relevance of the general epistles for the Christian community.
