“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” (2 Peter 1:1)
At the very opening of his second letter, the Apostle Peter introduces himself in a striking way: “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” In just a few words, he reveals the deepest understanding a person can have of himself.
Simon, or Peter?
He says “Simon” first, then “Peter.” Simon was the name he was born with — a fisherman from Galilee, ordinary, unremarkable, nothing particularly special about him. But Jesus called him, changed him, and gave him a new name: Peter, the rock.
This was not merely a change of name. It was a change of identity. Peter’s understanding of himself was not built on his background, his abilities, or his achievements. It was built on one thing: “The Lord called me. The Lord changed me.” Before he knew the Lord, he was Simon. After he knew the Lord, he was Peter. That grace was what made him willing to become the Lord’s slave.
Servant and Apostle — Two Identities That Seem to Contradict
He calls himself a “servant” — the word in the original is slave — no time of his own, no life of his own, belonging completely to his master. Yet at the same time he is an “apostle” — sent by the Lord, carrying the Lord’s authority, doing the Lord’s work in the Lord’s place.
Both identities exist in him at the same time, and they do not contradict each other. Precisely because he belongs entirely to the Lord, he can truly represent the Lord. Precisely because he no longer lives for himself, he can live out the Lord’s authority. This is a deep kind of freedom — not freedom wrested away from a master, but freedom found in complete surrender.
To Whom Is He Writing? — Fellow Workers on Equal Ground
He writes to “those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.”
Notice this carefully. He does not say “to those who follow me,” nor “to those who are beneath me.” What he says is: you and I are the same — through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we share the same precious faith. The one who writes and the ones who receive stand on the same foundation.
This is something deeply precious in Peter’s spirit. He was the chief apostle, a man of great spiritual authority. But the way the Lord had built him up in faith was not something he used as a privilege to elevate himself above others. He hid himself completely in Jesus Christ, followed Christ’s example, and looked at his readers with the same eyes: we all stand because of his righteousness, nothing more, nothing less.
Knowing the Lord — The Source of Grace and Peace
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2)
Where do grace and peace come from? From knowing God and the Lord Jesus. But the “knowledge” here is not intellectual understanding, not how much information about God we have stored in our heads. The same word appears six times in chapter one alone, and what it points to is a knowledge that is lived out — a true and deep experience of the Lord within a relationship of trust and love. That is what it means to really know him.
So Peter’s exhortation is simply this: go and know the Lord. Pursue that knowledge with everything you have. Not more theology, not more information — but a deeper, living relationship. And when we live this way, grace and peace will be multiplied to us abundantly.
Who Am I?
Peter’s self-understanding holds up a mirror to us. Who am I? Not defined by my past. Not defined by my abilities. Not defined by what others think of me. I am defined by this: the Lord called me, the Lord changed me, the Lord has hidden me in his righteousness. That is my true identity.
Are you Simon, or are you Peter? The same Lord who called Peter is calling you today.“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”— 2 Peter 1:2