Jude and 2 Peter

      A New Covenant Commentary

      New Covenant Commentary Series

      Copyright © 2015 Andrew M. Mbuvi. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Cascade Books

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      isbn 13: 978–1-62564–284–4

      eisbn 13: 978-1-4982-7364-0

      Cataloging-in-Publication data:

      Mbuvi, Andrew M.

      Jude and 2 Peter : a new covenant commentary / Andrew M. Mbuvi.

      xx + 178 p. ; 23 cm. —Includes bibliographical references and index(es).

      New Covenant Commentary Series

      isbn 13: 978–1-62564–284–4

      1. Bible. Jude—Commentaries. 2. Bible. Peter, 2nd—Commentaries. I. Series. II. Title.

      BS2795 M4 2015

      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

      NCCS | New Covenant Commentary Series

      The New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS) is designed for ministers and students who require a commentary that interacts with the text and context of each New Testament book and pays specific attention to the impact of the text upon the faith and praxis of contemporary faith communities.

      The NCCS has a number of distinguishing features. First, the contributors come from a diverse array of backgrounds in regards to their Christian denominations and countries of origin. Unlike many commentary series that tout themselves as international the NCCS can truly boast of a genuinely international cast of contributors with authors drawn from every continent of the world (except Antarctica) including countries such as the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, Kenya, India, Singapore, and Korea. We intend the NCCS to engage in the task of biblical interpretation and theological reflection from the perspective of the global church. Second, the volumes in this series are not verse-by-verse commentaries, but they focus on larger units of text in order to explicate and interpret the story in the text as opposed to some often atomistic approaches. Third, a further aim of these volumes is to provide an occasion for authors to reflect on how the New Testament impacts the life, faith, ministry, and witness of the New Covenant Community today. This occurs periodically under the heading of “Fusing the Horizons and Forming the Community.” Here authors provide windows into community formation (how the text shapes the mission and character of the believing community) and ministerial formation (how the text shapes the ministry of Christian leaders).

      It is our hope that these volumes will represent serious engagements with the New Testament writings, done in the context of faith, in service of the church, and for the glorification of God.

      To my family,

      and to the memory of my beloved mother,

      Jane Mutave Musyoka (b. July 24, 1941— d. June 8, 2013)

      Outline

      Jude

      Letter Opening and Greetings (vv. 1–3)

      Contending for the Inherited Faith, Against Infiltrators (vv. 3–4)

      Arrival of Infiltrators (v. 4)

      Three Examples of Divine Judgment of Ancient Israel, as Warnings (vv. 5–7)

      Infiltrators and Their Destiny (vv. 8–16)

      Infiltrators as Blasphemous (vv. 10–11)

      Nature of Infiltrators as Bringers of False Hope (vv. 12–13)

      Fate of the Infiltrators as Predicted by Enoch (vv. 14–16)

      Warning about Scoffers (vv. 17–19)

      Encouragement to Believers (vv. 20–21)

      Rescuing the Wavering (vv. 22–23)

      Conclusion and Benediction (v. 24)

      2 Peter

      2 Peter 1

      Salutations and Bestowing of Honor on Readers (1:1–2)

      God’s Calling that Bestows Godly Nature (1:3–4)

      Virtues that Govern the Godly Life (1:5–11)

      Personal Reflections of Impending Death by Author (1:12–15)

      Refuting Accusations: Defending Divine Origin of Teachings (1:16–21)

      2 Peter 2

      False-Teachers and Their Inevitable Judgment (2:1–3)

      Examples of Past Divine Judgments and Rescues (2: 4–6)

      Guarantee of Divine Judgment in the Present (2: 9–11)

      Stereotypical Characterization of False-Teachers (2:12–16)

      Unreliability of the False-Teachers (2:17–19)

      The Danger of Apostasy (2:20–22)

      2 Peter 3

      Reminder to Readers to Be Vigilant (3:1–2)

      Delay of Parousia: Evidence against God’s Promises and Judgment? (3:3–4)

      God’s Judgment is Certain to Come (3: 5–7)

      Meaning Of Delayed Parousia? God’s Patience and Mercy for Sinners! (3:8–10)

      Mindful of the Approaching Eschaton, Maintain Holy Conduct (3:11–16)

      Final Exhortation and Conclusion (3:17–18)

      Preface

      Writing a commentary has proved to be quite the daunting task, and evidently a most distinct one from all other forms of research I have engaged in. Starting with doing my own translation of the text from Greek, to writing my own independent interpretations before I read any of the other commentaries and finally writing as judiciously as possible in order to stay within the word limit, while trying to be as comprehensive in each section as I possibly could, was a most challenging balancing act. It gave me renewed respect for those who have gone ahead of me in this venture, especially before the age of computers. Yet, it was a most rewarding experience, which I hope brings some measure of contribution to these lesser-indulged in letters of the New Testament.