2Peter3
2 Peter 3:1 – Chapter 3 is about “Hope for the growing Christians” “The Certainty of the Second Coming”
- 1&2: This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,
I couldn’t express it better than the commentary by John MacDonald:
Jesus Christ is coming back.
Throughout the centuries, the reality of that wonderful promise has formed the crux of Christian expectation. It is the church’s blessed hope (Titus 2:11–14), her utmost longing (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the great climax of salvation history (Matt. 25:31–46)—a time of redemption for believers (Eph. 4:30) and a time of judgment for God’s enemies (2 Thess. 2:1–12). It also marks the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:6), during which the saints will reign with Him in holiness (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). The hope of bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18), spiritual reward (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23), and a righteous world system (Isa. 9:6–7) are all tied to Jesus’ return. It is no wonder, then, that the early church found tremendous comfort in the second coming. After all, the readers of this epistle had already endured much persecution from outside the church (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). Now they were experiencing internal turmoil from false teachers. Thus, they longed for the return of their Savior—the Judge who would make all things right (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7–8). As one author explains:
The hope of Christ’s coming was of paramount importance for the early church. In fact, its certainty was so real that first-century believers would greet one another with the term “maranatha,” meaning “Lord, come quickly.” Instead of being frightened by the possibility, they clung to it as the culmination of everything they believed. Not surprisingly, the New Testament reflects this intense anticipation by referencing Jesus’ return, whether directly or indirectly, in every New Testament book except Philemon and 3 John. (Nathan Busenitz, Living a Life of Hope [Ulrichsville, Ohio: Barbour Books, 2003], 122)
Of course, the devil also recognizes how important this doctrine is to the church. When Christians live in anticipation of Christ’s promised return, they demonstrate spiritual zeal and enthusiasm, recognizing that they will soon give an account to their Master (Rom. 13:11; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:5). As the apostle John wrote, it is a purifying hope (1 John 3:3). But, when believers forget about the second coming and begin focusing instead on the things of this world, they become absorbed in the temporal and grow apathetic and cold toward the eternal. Satan knows that if he can get the church to discount the importance of Christ’s return, or even completely deny its reality, he can remove a very significant source of Christian hope and motivation. To that end the devil continually places skeptics and false teachers within the church, men who reject, minimize, or alter Jesus’ promise. Such cynics who plague Christendom today were also around in Peter’s time. (For a more detailed treatment of the Lord’s coming and those who deny it, see John MacArthur, The Second Coming [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1999].)
In 3:1–10, Peter responds directly to the false teachers’ attacks. First, he considers the fallacious arguments they made against the second coming. Second, he answers those allegations, providing counterarguments which support Christ’s return. Finally, he concludes by assuring his readers that, no matter what the heretics say, God’s future judgment is certain.[1]
2 Peter 2:3&4+ – The Arguments Against the Second Coming:
V.3 – 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
- 4 – They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
The false teachers are brazen about their rejection of Christ’s return. By rejection they avoid the thought that they would be held accountable for their misleading the flock and punished.
Three factors involved are:
1) their ridicule, 2) immorality and 3) uniformitarian worldview.
The Ridicule:
- 3a – “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking.”
They were attacking the ‘hope of Jesus’ coming. The church longed to be reunited with their Lord and to see His kingdom established on earth. HOWEVER, fears arise as time goes on and Christ had not yet returned to free them of the conditions they lived in.
It would make sense that the ‘false teachers’ would capitalize on their fears in order to plant seeds of further doubt and nurture anxiety in their hearts. Peter speaks to warn his readers about their tactics. Note the phrase “know this first of all” in Verse 3.
The word “Know” “ginosko” – G1097 , LN32.16
LN32.16 states that “To Know (experientially). Note: to come to an understanding as the result of ability to experience and learn -…to perceive, to comprehend.”
It is not a chronological sequence, but rather about first priority. He was warning that the false teachers would purposefully deny the return of Christ in order to indulge their own sinful exploits with fear of consequences.
Review 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 –
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cshout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.[2]
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the bcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a bmessage or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the bapostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above aevery so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?[3]
To further emphasize his point, Peter used the repetitive expression mockers will come with their mocking. By their senseless ridicule, false teachers—even today—attack Christ’s promise and any who believe it. Their argument is neither sound nor logical; rather it is a vicious form of intimidation that derides hope-filled Christians as silly and uninformed.
#2 or 3 – Immorality
- 3b – ….flowing after their own lusts.
What is the main reason for the false teachers to deny the second coming? – It is their immoral condition.
The words “flowing after” (a verb) (kata poreuomal – G4198, LN89.8) (2Pet3v3)
“to Walk” – “travel or go” – denoting a course of conduct or long-term behavior.
Go had allowed people to ‘walk in their own ways’ – The same for the false teachers. Acts 14:16:
16 “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;
Therefore we find that the false teachers lifestyles are focused on their own lusts.
Words of Michael Green:
Anthropocentric hedonism [man-centered pleasure-seeking] always mocks at the idea of ultimate standards and a final division between saved and lost. For men who live in the world of the relative, the claim that the relative will be ended by the absolute is nothing short of ludicrous. For men who nourish a belief in human self-determination and perfectibility, the very idea that we are accountable and dependent is a bitter pill to swallow. No wonder they mocked! (The Second Epistle of Peter and the Epistle of James [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968], 127)
#3 of 3: “Uniformitarianism” 2 Peter 3:4
2 Peter 3:4 – V.4-and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
Their View as stated in John MacArthur commentary:
The heretics’ argument was simple. If everything continues just as it was from the beginning of creation (meaning that the universe is a divinely created but closed, naturalistic system of cause and effect), then divine intervention—including the return of Christ—must be ruled out a priori. In modern times, that view is known as uniformitarianism. Contending that the present is the key to the past, uniformitarianism asserts that the only natural processes that have ever operated in the past are the same processes at work today. It categorically denies divine intervention throughout world history, most notably opposing both six-day creation and the global Flood.
The rise of modern uniformitarianism occurred largely because of the efforts of the nineteenth-century British lawyer and geologist Charles Lyell. His book Principles of Geology had a profound impact on the scientific community of his day. In fact, Lyell’s uniformitarianism was a primary pillar on which Charles Darwin established his theory of evolution. (Darwin took a copy of Principles of Geology with him during his famous voyage on the Beagle to the Galapagos and other islands off the Pacific coast of South America in 1831–32.) As a result of Lyell’s hypothesis, catastrophism—which had previously been the dominant view among geologists—was largely abandoned for more than a century.
In recent decades, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in catastrophism among secular geologists. It became apparent that there is far too much evidence of catastrophism in the earth’s geologic features to support Lyell’s tranquil, uniformitarian view. But instead of embracing the biblical account of a catastrophic six-day creation and another worldwide catastrophe—namely, Noah’s Flood—the “new catastrophists” opt for countless smaller catastrophes.
To be sure, there is an element of general uniformity in the universe; it is a manifestation of God’s providential care for His creation. After all, if the natural laws and universal processes did not normally function in a consistent manner, chaos would ensue. A biblical view of the universe, then, sees creation as an open system—in which God has ordained a uniform operation of natural causes, but also a universe in which He has intervened and still does intervene. Those who go beyond this, advocating a uniformitarianism so rigid as to preclude God’s involvement in history, have foolishly deceived themselves. Like the false teachers of Peter’s day, they deny the promises of Scripture (including Christ’s return) on the basis of their conveniently devised worldview.[4]
2 Peter 3:5-7 – History
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice ( that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
The historical facts being ignored by the false teachers… V.5 “it escapes their notice”…(lanthan – G2990 LN29.13) It is to escape their notice – they are willingly ignorant of the facts. It would be “self-induced blindness”.
LN 29.13 …to not recall information and thus to lose sight of its significance—‘to forget, to not remember, to lose sight of, to ignore.’[5]
John MacArthur state:
The false teachers of Peter’s time refused to view world history properly. Due to their self-centered hedonism, they provide a classic example of willful ignorance. Like today’s revisionist historians, the false teachers deliberately denied both the creation story and the Flood—the two catastrophic events that easily disprove their uniformitarian views.
Peter’s warning, then, is clear: God has kept the universe for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Just as in Noah’s time, that final day of judgment will be for ungodly men and not for believers (cf. Matt. 25:41; Luke 3:17; John 5:29). The Lord will deliver His own out of the world before He unleashes His final wrath (cf. Mal. 3:16–18).[6]
2 Peter 3:8 – Eternity
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord God is not Slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Patient – makrothymeo – G3114 – LN25.168 (2Pet3v9)
Patient translates a form of the verb makrothumeō. It is a compound word combimbining “large” with “great anger.” Peter used it here to show that God has a vast capacity for storing up anger and wrath before it spills over in judgment (cf. Ex. 34:6; Joel 2:13; Matt. 18:23–27; Rom. 2:4; 9:22). While that judgment is inescapable and deadly, God’s merciful patience beforehand gives the chosen the opportunity for reconciliation and salvation (see 3:15). His wrath toward the individual sinner is immediately appeased whenever that person repents and believes the gospel (cf. Luke 15:7, 10; Acts 13:47–48).[7]
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (3:10)
John MacArthur explains it well, why rewrite what is already so well written:
Based on his preceding arguments, Peter confidently asserts that the day of the Lord will come. No matter what the false teachers may claim, the evidence against them is overwhelming.
In Scripture the day of the Lord signifies the extraordinary, miraculous interventions of God in human history for the purpose of judgment, culminating in His final judgment of the wicked on earth and the destruction of the present universe. The Old Testament prophets viewed the final day of the Lord as a day of unparalleled judgment, darkness, and damnation, a day in which the Lord would completely destroy His enemies, vindicate His name, reveal His glory, and establish His kingdom (Isa. 2:10–21; 13:6–22; Joel 1–2; Amos 5; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7–18; Zech. 14; Mal. 4). The New Testament writers also foresaw that day as an awesome and fearful event (2 Thess. 2:2; cf. Matt. 24:29–31). According to the book of Revelation, it will transpire in two stages: during the tribulation (Rev. 6:17) and after the millennium (Rev. 20:7–10). Afterward, God will establish the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21:1).
A deeper look into the phrase the day of the Lord reveals nineteen indisputable Old Testament references and four in the New Testament. The Old Testament prophets used the expression to describe both near historical judgments (Isa. 13:6–22; Ezek. 30:2–19; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18–20; Zeph. 1:14–18) and distant eschatological judgments (Joel 2:30–32; 3:14; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:1, 5). Six times they call it “the day of doom” and four times “the day of vengeance.” The New Testament writers name it a day of “wrath,” “visitation,” and “the great day of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 16:14). These are horrifying judgments from God (cf. Joel 2:30–31; 2 Thess. 1:7–10) rendered because of the world’s overwhelming sinfulness.
Peter described the day of the Lord as arriving like a thief, meaning that it will be unexpected, without warning, and disastrous for the unprepared. The apostle Paul used the same comparison when he wrote to the Thessalonians: “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2).
With the culmination of the final phase of the day of the Lord, the heavens will pass away with a roar—a universal upheaval that Jesus Himself predicted in the Olivet Discourse: “Heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Heavens refers to the visible, physical universe of interstellar and intergalactic space. Like Christ, Peter foresaw the disintegration of the entire universe in an instant “uncreation,” not by any naturalistic scenario, but solely by God’s omnipotent intervention.
The term roar (rhoizēdon) is an onomatopoeia—a word that sounds like what it means. It speaks of “a rushing sound,” or “a loud noise,” and also connotes the whizzing, crackling sounds that objects emit as fire consumes them. On that future day, the noise from the disintegrating atoms of the universe will be deafening, unlike anything mortals have ever heard before.
As Peter continues, he expands his earlier statement from verse 7: the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. The word elements (stoicheia) literally means “ones in a row,” as in letters of the alphabet or numbers. When used in reference to the physical world, it describes the basic atomic components that make up the universe.
The intense heat will be so powerful that the earth and its works will be burned up. God’s power will consume everything in the material realm—the entire physical earth—with its civilizations, ecosystems, and natural resources—and the surrounding celestial universe. Yet even in the midst of that mind-boggling destruction, the Lord will protect His sheep.
At the moment, mockers may ridicule and false teachers may scoff. But their disparaging comments and outright insults are only short-lived. One day, Christ will return and God’s judgment will be displayed—a fact that is guaranteed by His promise and undergirded by His power. After He returns, the entire present universe will cease to exist. It will be replaced by a completely new heaven and earth where the righteous will live with God forever (Rev. 22:5). The unrighteous, on the other hand, will face the eternal consequences of their sin (Rev. 20:10–15).
In light of all this, believers are to wait with eager expectation. After all, Jesus Christ is coming again, and His return is right on schedule.[8]
2 Peter 3:11-12
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
Reading this it would seem that people world want to examine their lives to ask: What kind of people ought we be? Answer: We ought to live holy and godly lives. We were NOT called to sit and wait, but to be busy in God’s assigned work. (That work is?) Our Mission Matthew 24:14 – Mark 13:10
- 12 – ‘the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved…’
V.13 – 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Believers look forward to the end of the earth only because it means the fulfillment of another of God’s promises—his creation of new heavens and a new earth. God’s purpose for people is not destruction but re-creation; not annihilation, but renewal. The prophet Isaiah recorded God’s promise to the people: “‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure’” (Isaiah 66:22 niv; see also 65:17). God will purify the heavens and earth with fire; then he will create them anew. All believers can joyously look forward to the restoration of God’s good world (Romans 8:21). In a beautiful description of the new heavens and earth, believers are assured that righteousness is at home there because God himself will live among his people. Revelation 21 offers a description of what this new home will be like:
Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27 NIV
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” … I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
2 Peter 3:14 – 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
We look forward to this because we believe and can trust in God’s promise.
2Peter 3:15 – 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him[9]
God’s patience means salvation for many more who will have the chance to respond to the gospel messge.
LABS discussion about the Peter and Paul relationship between them.
Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. When reading the various Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. When reading the various letters of the New Testament, it is interesting to study the interrelationships among the writers. Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. He later became the undisputed leader of the church in Jerusalem. Paul came along later, converted on the Damascus road by a vision of Jesus Christ (Acts 9). Paul was also considered an apostle, but he spent much time in his letters explaining his calling (see, for example, 2 Corinthians 10–12; Galatians 1:11–2:10). Paul explained,
- When they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas [Peter] and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:7–9 nrsv)
Galatians 2:11–14 describes a time when Paul publicly rebuked Peter for being inconsistent in his dealings with Jews and Gentiles. While that has left some to believe that friction remained between Peter and Paul, they had great respect for each other as they worked in the ministries to which God had called them. Peter and Paul had very different backgrounds and personalities, and they preached from different viewpoints. Paul emphasized salvation by grace, not law, while Peter wrote about Christian life and service. Peter could speak sincerely of Paul as our dear brother (denoting him not only as a fellow Christian, but more important, as a fellow apostle).
By the time of Peter’s writing, Paul’s letters already had a widespread reputation. Peter backed up his words with the believers’ apparent knowledge that Paul had also written to them about this very topic. It remains unclear to which of Paul’s letters Peter was referring. Scholars have attempted to discover this by looking at Paul’s letters in light of the subject matter. Exactly what was Peter referring to that Paul also wrote about? Most likely, this refers directly back to 3:14, where Peter encouraged the believers to live holy lives in view of the sudden and certain return of Christ. Paul wrote about this topic in most of his letters at various lengths (in 3:16, Peter says that Paul wrote about these matters in all his letters). It is possible that Paul’s letters were beginning to be assembled and read together, becoming well known across the world. Scholars also have interpreted what Peter meant when he referred to Paul’s letters by referring to the letter’s destination (because of Peter’s words that Paul also wrote you, referring to the same audience). Peter’s words may be more generic. Peter realized that any community that read this letter would most likely have read some of Paul’s correspondence in which this teaching was included.
Peter recognized the value of Paul’s letters in the growth of the church, for he described Paul as writing them with the wisdom that God gave him. In other words, these were inspired works. In 3:16, Peter referred to them along with “the other Scriptures,” indicating that the letters were on a par with the Holy Scriptures. (See Paul’s words about this in 1 Corinthians 2:6–16.)[10]
2 Peter 3:16 – 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. The teachings of the apostles were never distorted by the person or area of ministry. Whether the letter came from Paul or Peter, the message could be depended on to be the same, for it had come from God himself. Peter had certainly read Paul’s letters, so he appealed to Paul’s authoritative writings, explaining that Paul had written about the same matters in all his letters (referring back, once again, to 3:14). Notice that Peter wrote of Paul’s letters as if they were on a level with the other Scriptures. Already the early church was considering Paul’s letters to be inspired by God. Both Peter and Paul were aware that they were speaking God’s word along with the Old Testament prophets (see 1 Thessalonians 2:13). In the early days of the church, the letters from the apostles were read to the believers and often passed along to other churches. Sometimes the letters were copied and then passed on. The believers regarded these writings to be as authoritative as the Old Testament Scriptures.
Some readers may have been put off by some of the things that are hard to understand in Paul’s letters. Once again, it remains unknown which passages Peter meant. Some scholars suggest that this refers to Paul’s teaching about justification by faith. This teaching had caused the false teachers (like those Peter railed against in this letter) to claim that once they were saved they could do whatever they liked. In Romans 3:3–26, Paul had argued at length about such a conclusion from his teachings. The false teachers had intentionally misused Paul’s writings by distorting them to condone lawlessness. No doubt this had made the teachers popular because people always like to have their favorite sins justified, but the net effect was to totally destroy Paul’s message. Paul may have been thinking of teachers like these when he wrote in Romans 6:15: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (niv).
Peter warned his readers to avoid the mistakes of those wicked teachers by growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. The better we know Jesus, the less attractive false teaching will be. Sincere Christians ought to continue seeking to understand, not being like those who are ignorant and unstable (once again jabbing at the false teachers), who took the difficult passages and twisted (or “distorted”) them to mean whatever they wanted. Peter explained that this should not come as a surprise, for the false teachers twisted all of Scripture to mean whatever they wanted. However, this would result in their own destruction, described in chapter 2.
3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. Once again, Peter addressed his readers as beloved (or “dear friends”), implying his love and concern for them. Indeed, that was the very basis of this letter. He wanted them to be forewarned about the danger of false teachers, explaining the false teachers’ tactics and future destruction. Being forewarned, the believers would not be carried away with the error of the lawless, losing their own stability. To “be carried away” means to be led astray into error. The term pictures a person following along behind a crowd. The implication is that keeping company with false teachers or those who follow them will inevitably cause the believer to also be led astray. People not grounded in the truth can find themselves led away by arguments that seem logical or beliefs that seem easier to understand. But these amount to no more than “the error of the lawless” and will cause believers to become “unstable” like the false teachers (3:16). “Therefore, beloved Christians,” appealed Peter, “be forewarned so that you can stand firm and faithful until the end.”
3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. Peter concluded this brief letter as he had begun, by urging his readers to grow (the verb is a present imperative, meaning “continue growing”) in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—to get to know Christ better and better. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are, the sinful world always will challenge our faith. We still have much room for growth. If every day we find some way to draw closer to Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.
Believers “grow in grace” as they understand that they are living by God’s grace alone—so everything they do is a result of that grace. Believers “grow in knowledge” as they search and study the Scriptures, pray, listen to sound teachers, and apply that knowledge to their daily lives. If they do these, they will not need to fear being influenced by false teachers. This knowledge is not just any knowledge; it is knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ is Lord, divine and omnipotent; he is Savior, the one who accomplished humanity’s salvation. To him alone belongs glory in this age and in the new eternal age to come. Amen, so be it.
NOW WHAT?
Peter’s case rests. The false teachers have been exposed. Believers have been forewarned. Now what?
Our daily task is to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That’s best done by Bible study, prayer, and meeting with other Christians for discussion and worship. It’s also done by living God’s way on the job and at school, by choosing God’s way in policies that govern our nation, by discovering all we can about the world God created, by standing strong for justice and mercy, forgiveness and truth.
Peter closes his letter with a special phrase, “the day of eternity”—that great day when Christ returns and God establishes justice forever in a heaven of love. To that day we look, giving God all our effort and devotion in full trust and confidence.[11]
[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (pp. 110–111). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (1 Th 4:13–18). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (2 Th 2:1–5). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (pp. 114–115). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
[5] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 347). New York: United Bible Societies.
[6] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 120). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
[7] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 122). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
[8] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (pp. 123–125). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
[9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Pe 3:15). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[10] Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (pp. 219–221). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.
[11] Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 223). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.