Does 2 Peter 1:1 Teach the Trinity or Deity of Christ?


2 Peter 1:1 (ESV)

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Argument

Jesus is called "our God and Savior".

Response

There is significant controversy over how to translate this verse. Some translations render this verse so as to make it clear that "God" and "our Savior Jesus Christ" are distinct subjects, for instance:

2 Peter 1:1 (KJV)

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Aiding this reading would be the fact that in the very next sentence the author says, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:2), clearly distinguishing between God and Jesus. And, in context, he gives no indication that he is intending to introduce a seeming paradox about God's identity by placing these verses next to each other. Under the proposed Trinitarian reading, these two verses would bear some explanation, and it seems strange to leave the explanation of such an apparent paradox as an exercise to the reader, and to have it be the opening of his epistle.

The controversy over the precise way in which this passage should be translated primarily has to do with what has been called the Granville Sharp Rule - a contentious theory of Greek grammar, arguing that "God and Savior" both apply to Jesus, both here, and in Titus 2:13. The Granville Sharp Rule is discussed at length from a Unitarian perspective here.

Finally, if Jesus were in fact called "God" here, there are ways of understanding that from a Unitarian perspective. Here, Jesus would be called "God" in the lesser sense of the word, as it is used in Exodus 7:1, 21:6, 22:8-9, Psalm 82:1, 82:6, 97:7: 2 Corinthians 4:4, as explained by Jesus in John 10:33-36. But, such a reading seems unlikely, in light of the other valid ways to translate the passage.