John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. According as his divine power , etc.] Meaning either the power of God the Father, to whom belong eternal power and Godhead; and he is sometimes called by the name of power itself; (see Matthew 26:64) being all powerful and mighty; or rather the power of Christ, since he is the next and immediate antecedent to this relative; and who, as he has the fulness of the Godhead in him, is almighty, and can do all things; and is El-shaddai, God all-sufficient, and can communicate all things whatsoever he pleases, and does, as follows: for he hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness ; referring not so much to a temporal life, though he gives that and preserves it, and furnishes with all the mercies and comforts of it; and which come to us, from him, in a covenant way, as his left hand blessings, and in great love; but rather a spiritual life, which he is the author and maintainer of, all the joys, pleasures, blessings, and supports of it, being given by him; as also eternal life, for that, and everything appertaining to it, are from him; he gives a meetness for it, which is his own grace, and a right unto it, which is his own righteousness; and he has power to give that itself to as many as the Father has given him, and he does give it to them; and likewise all things belonging to godliness, or internal religion; and which is the means of eternal life, and leads on to it, and is connected with it, and has the promise both of this life, and of that which is to come; and everything relating to it, or is in it, or it consists of, is from Christ: the internal graces of the Spirit, as faith, hope, and love, which, when in exercise, are the principal parts of powerful godliness, are the gifts of Christ, are received out of his fulness, and of which he is the author and finisher; and he is the donor of all the fresh supplies of grace to maintain the inward power of religion, and to assist in the external exercise of it; all which things are given through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue . The call here spoken of is not a bare outward call, by the ministry of the word, but an internal, special, and powerful one, which springs from the grace, and is according to the purpose of God, and is inseparably connected with justification and glorification; and is either of God the Father, who, as the God of all grace, calls to eternal glory by Christ; or rather of Christ himself, who calls by his Spirit and grace; and hence the saints are sometimes styled, the called of Jesus Christ, ( Romans 1:6) what they are called unto by him is, glory and virtue; by the former may be meant, the glorious state of the saints in the other world, and so answers to life, eternal life, in the preceding clause; and by the latter, grace, and the spiritual blessings of grace here, and which answers to godliness in the said clause; for the saints are called both to grace and glory, and to the one, in order to the other. Some render it, by glory and virtue; and some copies, as the Alexandrian and others, and so the Vulgate Latin version, read, by his own glory and virtue; that is, by his glorious power, which makes the call as effectual, and is as illustrious a specimen of the glory of his power, as was the call of Lazarus out of the grave; unless the Gospel should rather be intended by glory and virtue, which is glorious in itself, and the power of God unto salvation, and is the means by which persons are called to the communion of Christ, and the obtaining of his glory: so then this phrase, him that hath called us to glory and virtue, is a periphrasis of Christ, through a knowledge of whom, and which is not notional and speculative, but spiritual, experimental, fiducial, and practical, or along with such knowledge all the above things are given; for as God, in giving Christ, gives all things along with him, so the Spirit of Christ, which is a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, when he makes him known in the glory of his person, grace, and righteousness, also makes known the several things which are freely given of God and Christ: and this is what, among other things, makes the knowledge of Christ preferable to all other knowledge, or anything else.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-11 - Faith unites the weak believer to Christ, as really as it does the strong one, and purifies the heart of one as truly as of another; an every sincere believer is by his faith justified in the sight of God Faith worketh godliness, and produces effects which no other grace in the soul can do. In Christ all fulness dwells, and pardon, peace grace, and knowledge, and new principles, are thus given through the Holy Spirit. The promises to those who are partakers of a Divin nature, will cause us to inquire whether we are really renewed in the spirit of our minds; let us turn all these promises into prayers for the transforming and purifying grace of the Holy Spirit. The believe must add knowledge to his virtue, increasing acquaintance with the whole truth and will of God. We must add temperance to knowledge moderation about worldly things; and add to temperance, patience, or cheerful submission to the will of God. Tribulation worketh patience whereby we bear all calamities and crosses with silence and submission To patience we must add godliness: this includes the holy affection and dispositions found in the true worshipper of God; with tende affection to all fellow Christians, who are children of the sam Father, servants of the same Master, members of the same family travellers to the same country, heirs of the same inheritance Wherefore let Christians labour to attain assurance of their calling and of their election, by believing and well-doing; and thus carefull to endeavour, is a firm argument of the grace and mercy of God upholding them so that they shall not utterly fall. Those who ar diligent in the work of religion, shall have a triumphant entrance int that everlasting kingdom where Christ reigns, and they shall reign with him for ever and ever; and it is in the practice of every good wor that we are to expect entrance to heaven.
Greek Textus Receptus
ως 5613 ADV παντα 3956 A-APN ημιν 2254 P-1DP της 3588 T-GSF θειας 2304 A-GSF δυναμεως 1411 N-GSF αυτου 846 P-GSM τα 3588 T-APN προς 4314 PREP ζωην 2222 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ ευσεβειαν 2150 N-ASF δεδωρημενης 1433 5772 V-RPP-GSF δια 1223 PREP της 3588 T-GSF επιγνωσεως 1922 N-GSF του 3588 T-GSM καλεσαντος 2564 5660 V-AAP-GSM ημας 2248 P-1AP δια 1223 PREP δοξης 1391 N-GSF και 2532 CONJ αρετης 703 N-GSF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. Hath granted (dedwrhmenhv). This is the only word which Peter and Mark alone have in common in the New Testament; a somewhat singular fact in view of their intimate relations, and of the impress of Peter upon Mark's gospel: yet it tells very strongly against the theory of a forgery of this epistle. The word is stronger than the simple didwmi, to give, meaning to grant or bestow as a gift. Compare Mark xv. 45.Godliness (eusebeian). Used only by Peter (Acts iii. 12), and in the Pastoral Epistles. It is from euj, well, and sebomai, to worship, so that the radical idea is worship rightly directed. Worship, however, is to be understood in it etymological sense, worth-ship, or reverence paid to worth, whether in God or man. So Wycliffe's rendering of Matt. vi. 2, "that they be worshipped of men;" and "worship thy father and thy mother," Matt. xix. 19. In classical Greek the word is not confined to religion, but means also piety in the fulfilment of human relations, like the Latin pietas. Even in classical Greek, however, it is a standing word for piety in the religious sense, showing itself in right reverence; and is opposed to dussebeia, ungodliness, and ajnosiothv, profaneness. "The recognition of dependence upon the gods, the confession of human dependence, the tribute of homage which man renders in the certainty that he needs their favor - all this is eujsebeia, manifest in conduct and conversation, in sacrifice and prayer." (Nagelsbach, cited by Cremer). This definition may be almost literally transferred to the Christian word. It embraces the confession of the one living and true God, and life corresponding to this knowledge. See on ver. 2.
Called (kalesantov). Also used of the divine invitation, 1 Pet. ii. 9, 21; iii. 9; v. 10.
To glory and virtue (idia doxh kai areth). Lit., and properly, by his own glory and virtue, though some read dia doxhv kai ajrethv, through glory and virtue. Rev. adopts the former. The meaning is much the same in either case.
His own (idia). Of frequent occurrence in Peter, and not necessarily with an emphatic force, since the adjective is sometimes used merely as a possessive pronoun, and mostly so in Peter (1 Pet. iii. 1, 5; 2 Pet. ii. 16, 22, etc.).
Virtue. See on 1 Pet. ii. 9. Used by Peter only, with the exception of Philip. iv. 8. The original classical sense of the word had no special moral import, but denoted excellence of any kind - bravery, rank, nobility; also, excellence of land, animals, things, classes of persons. Paul seems to avoid the term, using it only once.
On glory and virtue Bengel says, "the former indicates his natural, the latter his moral, attributes."
