2Peter  ◦   Chapter 1

1Simon Peter, a serving friend and ambassador of Jesus Christ,

To all those who through the Remedy provided by our God and Savior Jesus Christ have experienced an abiding trust as pure and precious as ours:

2Grace and peace in ever-increasing abundance will be yours as you grow in your intimacy with God and Jesus our Lord.

3For God has poured out his divine energy to provide us the Remedy that brings life and heals our minds. He invites us into friendship and unity with himself through our knowledge of Jesus, who revealed the glory of God's true goodness.4Through these achievements, he has provided us with the Remedy to our terminal condition, free of charge. Incredibly, we are promised the greatest gift of all: we may partake of God’s divine nature, be fully healed, and escape the corrosive and destructive ways of the selfish world.

5Because it is your desire to become more like God in character, then — in addition to trusting God — choose to do good; and in addition to doing good, study to know God's methods.6And in addition to knowing God and his methods, exercise self-discipline; and use your self-discipline to persevere in God's plan for you to grow in godliness.7And in godliness, be kind and affectionate to one another, and — above all — love!8For if your hearts are being healed, then you will develop these traits of character and you will not fail to reveal the truth about our Lord Jesus Christ.9But without these traits, people cannot comprehend God and his methods. They fail to realize that God cleanses, heals and renews the mind from fear and selfishness.

10So, my brothers and sisters, say Yes to God’s invitation and partake of the Remedy he has chosen to provide. Don’t wait–do it right now! If you continue in his treatment plan, you will never turn back to selfishness:11rather, you will receive complete healing of mind, and restoration into the kingdom of love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

12Therefore, I will always remind you of the reality of God's kingdom of love, even though you have partaken of the Remedy and your characters are firmly established upon the truth you now possess.13It is right–as long as I live in this decaying old tent of a body–to use every opportunity to remind you of God's kingdom of love.14The Lord has let me know that I will pass away soon,15and I will use every tool at my disposal to ensure that after I am gone, you will always remember the truth of God's healing methods and principles of love.

16What we told you about the power of God and the coming of Christ–God's Son–to heal and restore humanity, was not some fairy tale made up by clever novelists; no way! We were eyewitnesses and saw for ourselves the beauty of his character and the glory of his majesty.17We saw Jesus honored and glorified by God the Father when he was clothed in heavenly light and God spoke from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son; he is the one who fulfills my pleasure and in whom my heart rejoices."18Yes, we heard audibly the voice from heaven when we stood with Christ on the holy mountain.

19Do you realize the significance of what I am saying? The writings of God's spokespersons have been confirmed, and we can be certain of their ultimate fulfillment. So if you want wellness, then take seriously the written word, allowing its light and truth to shine forth and dispel the darkness of misunderstanding and the distortions about God. Do this until the day Christ returns and the Brilliant One is fully reproduced in your hearts.20And the first thing to remember when studying the Scripture is that no true prophecy is from the prophet's own opinion or interpretation.21Prophecy doesn't originate in the imagination of individual people, but people speak for God as the Holy Spirit illuminates their minds with truth.