The idea of taking care (or being on guard) is also found elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., Luke 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 4:15; 1 John 5:21). In the context of Peter, to take care is to stay firm in the teaching founded on prophetic and apostolic revelation, not being swayed by the deceptive and corruptive error of the false teachers. This requires moral growth as outlined earlier in the letter (2 Peter 1:5–7).1
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.