1:1
In this letter Peter uses the name “Simon Peter” to introduce himself, rather than just Peter. In fact the best manuscripts have “Simeon Peter” (see ESV). Later Peter will have some very direct things to say, so maybe he is stressing his humanity, and reminding them of where he came from. He is not “lording it over them”. He is a bondservant and apostle of Christ. He is a servant with authority. Christian leaders need both of these. A servant without authority will be limited in what they achieve. A leader with authority who forgets they are also a servant will get puffed up, go off the rails, cause untold harm and lose their authority.
Jesus is clearly identified as God. There are those who claim the Bible never states that Jesus is God, such people have read the Bible with their eyes closed. If Jesus is not God then the New Testament makes no sense. Incipient Gnosticism’s leaders claimed to have superior knowledge. No such claim is made by Peter. The faith his readers had received was as precious as his own faith. They believed in the same God, and had equal “benefits”.
1:2
Grace and peace occurs in the initial blessing of virtually all the New Testament letters. This comes through the knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The use of the word knowledge would be as a counter to the Gnostics. It is the knowledge of Jesus Christ that brings life, not any so-called superior knowledge. And this grace and peace is available in abundance. False teachers will often be seeking to limit the availability of something, seeking to set themselves apart (in the wrong way). The gospel is freely available to all who believe.
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