II Peter 3:18 Four Imperatives of a Forward Looking Faith Part IV

Scripture tells us that we, who have trusted Christ to save us, are new creatures (II Corinthians 5:17). In fact, Ephesians 2:1 tells us prior to our conversion we were dead. So, not only are we new creatures, we’re new creatures who went from being stone cold dead to being alive. Now, living things have certain characteristics in common. One of those characteristics is growth. Living things grow. My children, a flower, a colony of bacteria, and a puppy dog will all grow during their lifetimes. Therefore, it’s no surprise that one of the four final imperatives that Peter leaves with his audience is the command that they should grow.

Notice, that the command he gives is a present imperative. In other words, he is calling them to a lifestyle—this should be a pattern of life for a believer. Living things grow and if they’re not growing, they’re dead. Because we have gone from being dead in our sins spiritually to being made alive with Christ spiritually, we should grow spiritually. However, observe with me that this is a command. We’re told to do this. Now, the question becomes then “How?”

The key, I think, is in the next phrase we read. Peter says we are to grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” As we read that, we might still question “Ok, how?” If we remember, though, Peter’s opening address in the first chapter of this book, where he told us in verse 4 that “by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature”. His precious and magnificent promises are recorded in the word of God. Therefore, we can conclude from what Peter has told us that the answer to the question “How” that we have asked is the word of God. Brothers and sisters, it has the power to change lives. A Christian simply cannot study the Bible and remain unchanged. When we encounter the truth of scripture, we are hearing God speak to us through that truth. Consequently, for us to grow in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord” we must meditate and study the deep, rich truths of scripture and apply that truth to our lives as we seek to live out the faith that we profess.

And by doing so, we glorify God. And make no mistake about it, friend, Jesus is God. Jesus was God incarnate—fully God and fully man. As we ponder all the wonderful things Peter has taught us in this epistle, we need to remember these are that Peter was an orthodox Jew who was raised to worship only God. Therefore, for him to leave his boat and follow Jesus was surprising. For him to stand up and preach on the day of Pentecost, though, was earth shattering. He was able to write this epistle, extolling the word of God and raking false teachers over the proverbial coals, for one simple reason. He recognized that Jesus was not just a great teacher or some moral guru. Rather, he came to realize that Jesus was God. Therefore, he could say, and we should join with him, that to Jesus belongs “the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Amen.

II Peter 3:17 Four Imperatives of a Forward Looking Faith Part III

The Bible is a simple yet complicated book. It’s simple enough that there is truth that a child can understand yet complicated to the point that men and women have devoted their whole to the study of it and still feel they have barely scratched the surface of what’s there. Because of its simplicity and its profundity, the Bible touches all believers that study it. In fact, I would dare say that no one can truly study scripture, come face to face with the truth it reveals, and walk away unchanged. The truth of God’s word should change how we think and how we live. As Peter has noted in these concluding verses of his second epistle, because of the truth of God’s word our faith is a forward looking faith—we look to the future where sin will be done away with and Christ will reign to the glory of God the Father. To that end, Peter gives us here two last imperatives of a forward looking faith.

The first of these imperatives comes as a warning in verse 17—“be on your guard”. Notice further in the verse that Peter’s audience, and by implication us as well, have motivation to be on guard (present tense in the Greek—better translated “be on your guard continually”). They have been forewarned about the false teachers and heresy that is coming and therefore they “[know] this beforehand.” Now, I grew up in South Alabama and we had hurricanes occasionally. One in particular was pretty devastating but one thing that I learned was you are given fair warning. Like 2 days out they are able to predict with a fair degree of accuracy where that sucker is going to hit so if you’re in a mobile home or a low lying area you should have time to get someplace safe. Generally speaking, you have ample time to prepare. Now, Peter has written this book warning them that “there will also be false teachers among you” (2:1) and he has even told them the sorts of lies they would teach (3:3). Therefore, as a result of knowing what was coming, Peter gives them a command to “be on [their] guard”—they are to act as spiritual night watchmen, looking out for danger because, rest assured, danger is coming.

They need to be on guard because these false teachers could seduce them with false teaching. His readers, if they are not watchful, could be “carried away by the error of unprincipled men”. These unprincipled (lawless) men would come and teach doctrine that was contrary to the truth that had been taught by Peter and the other apostles. Their “error” would be presented by these false teachers as if it were true and if accepted by the church would put the souls of men and women in danger—the gospel saves, false doctrine does not. Because of that, it was paramount that these believers, and those of us reading Peter’s letter today as well, stay on their toes and be on the lookout for false doctrine so that it didn’t pollute the life saving message of the gospel.

Now, if these people to whom Peter wrote were to be deceived and follow these false teachers (which I’m sure happened then and certainly happens now) it would mean them “fall[ing] from [their] own steadfastness”. That steadfastness, of course, was the bedrock truth of God’s word. False doctrine provides no support, no foundation for anything. In contrast, the truth of scripture is a solid rock on which to build (Matthew 7:24-26) and no one who builds on it will be ashamed. The way to prevent falling for a slick snake oil salesman peddling false doctrine, then, is to study the scriptures and by studying them come to know more fully the God of the Bible.

Friends, false doctrine was not just a problem in the early church. As we have seen in recent days, it’s a problem here and now. Just like Peter, I exhort you to cling to the truth of God’s word. There is no better way to defend yourself against the lies of Satan than studying the truth of God’s word.

II Peter 3:16b Attributes of Scripture Part II

I took a class last fall called “The Doctrine of Scripture” and learned that theologians describe the word of God as having four attributes which I remember by using the acrostic CANS—Clarity, Authority, Necessity, and Sufficiency. In our previous examination we noted that Peter taught in the 15th verse of this chapter as well as the first part of verse 16 that scripture has authority. In other words, when we read scripture we’re not only reading something Paul, Peter, or Moses wrote (or dictated as the case may be) but we are reading the very words of God and, as such, those words have authority. To disobey the word of God is to disobey God and incur the consequences of that disobedience. As we continue to examine verse 16, we will see that Peter refers to another attribute of scripture—its clarity.

For instance, Peter says that Paul writes things in his epistles and that “some things are hard to understand”. Now, as one reads through scripture, the find cause frequently to give a hearty “Amen” to Peter’s statement. I mean, bless Paul’s heart, the man could start a sentence at the beginning of a chapter, interrupt himself 3 times, and not finish the sentence till nearly the end of the chapter. Not only is his writing “thick” and hard to wade through sometimes, but he tackled the most complex theological topics ever and for thousands of year’s people have being trying to sort them out. The doctrine of election is one such doctrine. The state of Israel and the church (Romans 9-11) is another. Furthermore, it’s not just Paul’s writings that have difficult subjects but the entire Bible has difficulties that have challenged men and women with more intellect that I’ve got. The fact is there are things in the Bible that are “hard to understand”.

But not all of it is hard. Notice, Peter says “some” of these topics in Paul’s writings are hard to understand. There is material that even a child can grasp in the pages of scripture—truths that can lead that little one to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In short, we can see here that scripture has the attribute of clarity. However, it is not all equally clear. We can understand some parts pretty easily while others are a challenge that we can spend our entire lives wrestling with. The fact is, the difficulties in the text does not mean that the Lord does not speak clearly in scripture. It means that our minds are finite and there are some things we will never be able to grasp here in this life.

However, the difficulties in scripture, while they give us the opportunity to spend a lifetime learning new things about God, also present a danger. Some people take the word of God and “distort” (literally—twist as on a torture rack) it for their own purposes (2:3). Peter uses two words to describe these deceivers: “untaught” and “unstable”. He’s already used the term “unstable” in 2:14. Rather than having a solid foundation of sure, biblical truth, these false teachers standing on their false doctrine are unstable like the man in Matthew 7 who rejected the words of Jesus and found his house (life) built on shifting sands. Further, Peter refers to them as untaught. Now, this might seem kind of funny coming from a professional fisherman. Peter was not a trained theologian. He didn’t go to seminary. Certainly, like all Jewish boys, he had some religions education but he was not a Pharisee or a scribe. In fact, in Acts, the religious leaders observed that he, James, and John were men without learning (Acts 4:13). I know there are a good number of people with lots of degrees from seminaries who don’t know the Lord Jesus as Savior but actually deny the gospel. Therefore, I don’t think Peter is here teaching us that we have to have advanced degrees to read and understand scripture. I think when he says “untaught” he means undisciplined in thinking a certain way. Before we are saved and before the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, we can only think and perceive things like a totally depraved sinner. However, after we are reborn and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are able to begin to truly understand biblical truth (I Cor 2:14-15).

As we reflect on these truths, we should remember most of all the point Peter leaves us with in this verse. These false teachers employ their scripture twisting techniques to their own harm. Ultimately, their rejection of the truth will end in their “own destruction”. God will judge those who reject the truth. Those who ignore the clarity and authority of scripture do so to the own ultimate doom.

II Peter 3:15b-16 Attributes of Scripture Part I

People who want to reject the authority of God work feverishly to discredit the authority of scripture. In every “Christian” organization that has taken a very leftward turn away from orthodox Christian teaching (PCUSA, United Methodist, Episcopal, CBF, etc), you will invariably find people who deny the complete truthfulness of God’s word. They will say “Genesis can’t be a true record of how God created the heavens and the earth” or “The miracles that scripture records and attributes to Jesus are just fairy tales.” In short, God’s word is not the source of truth—we can’t trust it today and He never intended us to rely on it as the sole source of revelation. The Bible, however, bears a markedly different witness about itself and its reliability. In fact, as we have seen, Peter has testified in this letter to the authority of scripture (1:12-21). The point of Peter’s epistle is that the false teachers described in chapter two are false and should be rejected because they contradict sound doctrine as taught by the apostles. This sound doctrine is recorded for us in scripture and this recording began to take place pretty early on in the life of the church. As we see here, Peter was aware of letters Paul wrote and was aware they were scripture. In fact, as we will observe, Peter makes some important remarks about Paul’s writings and about scripture that should lead us to trust God’s word.
First of all, we should notice that Peter speaks about scripture in a way that tells us scripture is authoritative. Ultimately, the source of all scripture is God as Peter noted in chapter one verse twenty-one. But scripture has a “human face” as well—certainly it is divinely inspired but God moved human beings to write his word. Therefore, it is perfectly consistent with the doctrine of inspiration to say, as Peter does in 3:15 “Paul...wrote to you.” The human author of Paul’s epistles was Paul or someone who took his dictation. Paul used his language and wrote in the context of the culture that he lived in with the background and experiences that he had. Hence the reason that Paul sounds like Paul. He had a unique voice and way of writing that was different than Matthew or Isaiah.
However, scripture is not just a product of that “human face”. While we do not affirm any sort of mechanical dictation (i.e. Paul went into a trance and wrote God’s word like a human typewriter) we believe that these words of scripture have a divine character as well—they are not Paul’s words about what he thought God wanted to say but they are God’s words. Notice that Peter says Paul wrote “according to the wisdom given him”. In other words, the doctrine that Paul wrote, the patience of our Lord that Peter has just discussed in the first part of verse 15 for example, was not something Paul created but it was rather revealed by God to him. The doctrine Paul taught and wrote had its source, then, in the mind of God.

Therefore, if scripture is inspired, as Peter affirms that it is, then scripture is authoritative. To disobey scripture is to disobey God and carries with it consequences of judgment. As we read this, we need to remember the reverence Peter and other Jews had for the scriptures and then we need to notice that Peter equates what Paul has written “with the rest of the Scriptures” (v.16). As we read and study the Bible, let’s always be mindful that what we have are the words of God and that when we read scripture we hear God speak.

II Peter 3:15a The Four Imperatives of a Forward Looking Faith Part II

“It’s for your own good.” Did your mother ever tell you that? Mine did on a few occasions—usually when I had some medicine I didn’t want to take or perhaps when I had started an activity (tee ball) that I didn’t want to finish. Now that I look back, I’m thankful that she, well for lack of a better word, forced me to do what it was she was telling me to do. While it may have been unpleasant at the time, it was for my good as I can clearly recognize now. As Christians, we live in a world that is oriented in direct opposition to God and the gospel of Christ. We hear and see things that make us ask on a daily basis “How much longer, Lord?” We look forward to our heavenly hope when our salvation is completed and sin is permanently done away with However, in order to live in this world now, we need a radically different mindset—one that has a proper, godly perspective on our suffering here on earth as we eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of our salvation.


This mindset, brothers and sisters, is not based on our feelings. Notice, that Peter calls his readers to “regard” the Lord’s patience in a particular way. The word translated “regard” is a Greek word that means to evaluate evidence and come to a thoughtful conclusion. It was used in mathematics sometimes. In essence, then, Peter is calling his readers and us as well, not to rely on our feelings and allow them to color our perceptions. Yes, this world is sinful to the extreme. Certainly, the Bible and God Himself are mocked by throngs of people who have decided to become their own gods and will reap eternal damnation as a result. It’s hard to hear and see filth strewn over the airwaves and called entertainment—and that’s just on the Disney Channel. However, in spite of this, we know that no matter what our eyes tell us or our hearts feel that Christ will reign supreme over everything and He will righteously judge all sinners who reject Him. Those who mock may laugh now, but they will not laugh last. Because we know what the end is going to be, we should have a different perspective on our situation and “regard the patience of our Lord as salvation”.

In fact, as Peter has reminded us both in chapter 2 and chapter 3 of this epistle, the span of time that passed from Christ’s return to heaven in Acts and now is not an example of God being lazy and inattentive to what’s going on, but rather it is an example of His “patience”—literally, His longsuffering. God endures the scorn and derision of mankind because, in the end, it suits His purposes. Every minute that passes is not something we should view as “It has now taken that much longer” but rather “We are now that much closer”. Rather than letting our feelings be our guide, we should allow ourselves to meditate on the sure truths of God’s word and remind ourselves, and each other, of the promise of His coming. God endures the mocking of the objects of His wrath. If He can do that, surely we can endure suffering for the sake of the gospel.

In fact, I believe that Peter’s point is to align our perspective with just that truth—that God’s longsuffering with sinners should be considered “salvation”. First of all, as I had suggested, we should not think “How much longer” but rather we should consider how much closer we are to our own salvation with each minute that passes. Secondly, though, as long as God demonstrates His patience, we have the opportunity to share the gospel. There’s still time to warn a soul of the danger of hell and the love of God who will save them if they repent and trust Christ. Therefore, as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, as long as there is still a day called “Today” there still remains an opportunity for those who will repent and believe to enter His rest.

Brothers and sisters, if you and I truly have a forward looking faith, that faith should regard the time that we have here on earth as a short term mission trip. We should make use of every opportunity to lovingly call men and women everywhere to repentance. As long as God has not brought an end to time and a final punishment to sin, let’s take this opportunity to tell a lost and dying world of a Holy God, His righteous wrath, and a loving Savior who will save.

II Peter 3:14 Four Imperatives of a Forward Looking Faith Part 1

As Peter comes to close out his marvelous epistle, he gives his readers four imperatives, directions to follow, to help them as they endure the false teachers that he has told them will be coming their way (2:1). In short, because Peter knows he won’t be around forever, he wants to make sure these people, his spiritual children, know how to defend themselves against the destructive heresies of false teachers. You and I, even 2,000 years later, need to be doing the same thing. False doctrine is being sold in the church today and being bought at an alarming rate. We must be prepared just as Peter’s audience was told to be prepared to resist this theological poison.

First of all, Peter bases these commands on the proclamations of the preceding verses. Since we are looking to a future deliverance from a corrupted world of sin to a perfect, sinless, eternal home in heaven, we should live differently. Peter says, “since you look for these things”. In other words, the truth that this world is temporary and will be judged but our future home in heaven is eternal and will be undefiled should affect us. If we’re truly born again, we can’t read that truth, understand it, and remain as we are where we are. Because the Holy Spirit indwells born again believers, our whole perspective and nature is radically different from the rest of the world. The truth we know will affect the way we live.

What effect should it have on our lives? Quite frankly, we should be eagerly seeking to become more like Christ and looking for opportunities to spread the gospel. Peter here uses the same phrase he used in chapter 1 verse 10 commanding his readers to “be diligent”. Certainly we are saved by grace through faith alone and not by works (Romans 3:28). However, true faith will demonstrate itself in works (James 2:17). We are also called to study scripture with diligence (II Timothy 2:15). In short, the life of a Christian is one of exerting maximum effort like a running back straining for those last few yards. We are called to expend this effort here by Peter as we progress in our sanctification.

To what end do we expend this effort—why does Peter command his readers, and by extension us, to diligence in our walk? First of all, this diligence leads to our assurance of true salvation, as he also noted in 1:10. We are called to be found “by Him”, that is, in Christ. Just as the author of Hebrews warned his readers about falling away and abandoning their profession of faith, we would be wise to remind ourselves that salvation is not only a point but a process. In other words, it is those who remain true to their faith in Jesus Christ who are saved. If someone makes a profession of faith and turns away from the faith they are not proving that someone can lose their salvation but rather they show they were never saved to begin with. We shouldn’t confidently rest on a prayer that we prayed as a child as proof that we’re saved. Rather, we should be diligent to be found in Christ so as to realize our full salvation.

The only way to pursue that is to live a life by faith that is pleasing to God. Peter says his readers need to strive to be found by Christ in “peace, spotless and blameless”. I would say that “spotless and blameless” are descriptions of how one is found at peace by the Lord. The only way to have peace with God is to have your sins forgiven, thereby being declared spotless and blameless. The only way to have your sins forgiven is by faith in the finished work of Christ. Obviously, if someone is living with this kind of faith and seeking diligently to lead a life pleasing to God, they will repent of sins in their life. They will devote themselves to seeking the Holy Spirit’s power in defeating sin and seek to walk in a God honoring manner.

As we read this exhortation by Peter, we should remind ourselves that our faith is a forward looking faith. We should seek, as Peter says, to be found by Christ having a saving faith that is attested to by our life. In the end, that is the only true was to have assurance of salvation.

II Peter 3:11-13 Judgment is coming. Now what?

I read at some point before the elections about President Obama making visits to people’s backyards to talk to them about the economy and the general state of the country. Of course, these visits were all scheduled in advance, probably weeks in advance. I can only imagine the preparation a family would put into getting their yard ready for such a visit. I can see them busily getting the yard cut, trimming hedges, maybe even repainting the lawn furniture. As we read this verse in II Peter, our hearts should be stirred with similar anticipation. We’re waiting not for the arrival of an earthly ruler of a temporary government; we anxiously await the arrival of our Savior and the King of Kings.

Peter grounds his argument here, his call for a proper response on the part of his audience, in the truths of the preceding section. The judgment of God is coming despite the mocking of those who laugh at the thought of God’s judgment (v 3-7). This judgment will be cataclysmic with violent, devastating effects to the earth and the universe (v 10—take that tree huggers). Therefore, when Peter asks the rhetorical question “What sort of people ought you to be” he bases it on the revealed truth that “all these things (the earth and the universe) are to be destroyed in this way (a fiery, universe-wide destruction)”. His call, then, is for his readers, and us, to take into serious consideration the fact that the God who created this universe which became tainted by sin is going to destroy that universe as judgment on that sin. If God is going to do that, how should that affect us and how we live?

I believe Peter tells us it should affect us outwardly. He says we should be people of “holy conduct”. Now, as we look at how we spend out time, how we treat people, how we talk, what we read, and what we watch, can you and I honestly look in the mirror and say our conduct is “holy” (i.e. set apart for God)? I am ashamed to say that I would have to answer “No” because there are times I’m rude to people in the store or that I’m unkind to my children and wife—not to mention a veritable host of other things. When consider, as Peter instructs to here, the judgment of God which is the result of sin, we should confess our sins and repent. In fact, that seems to be the point Peter is making here as well.

Observe that Peter says not only should the judgment of God affect our conduct, but we should also be people of “godliness”. In other words, meditating on God’s judgment of sin should not just affect us outwardly, but also inwardly. We should grow in Christlikeness. As Paul says in Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”. Therefore, we know that any “goodness” that is in us would be there because we are becoming more like Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This spiritual transformation would then lead us to more holy conduct. It’s not a matter, then, of right “doing” but rather of right “being” that Peter calls us to here.

Further, notice that Peter says that meditating upon the day of the Lord should be central to our affections. He says in verse 12 that we should be “looking for and hastening the day of the Lord”. Now, I’m not entirely sure what he has in mind here. I mean, the Greek word translated “looking for” means “to await, expect” which makes sense and I understand that. However, “hastening” is a bit trickier to figure out. It is used in the NT to describe someone doing something in a hurry or calling for someone to do something quickly (i.e. Luke 19:5-6). That doesn’t really help me much because as I read Peter’s admonition here, my question is “How do I hasten the day of the Lord?”

Perhaps Peter had in mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world “and then the end will come”. I think another and perhaps better way to understand what Peter says here is to imagine a kid at Christmastime. As a child, you remember feeling like the old Chipmunk’s song “Hurry Christmas, hurry fast”. You had this sense that you would just burst if Christmas didn’t hurry up and get here. Perhaps, rather than actually doing something since the day of the Lord will come when God wills it not when we act, the idea Peter is expressing here is that we should be eagerly anticipating this day of the Lord. We should be excited about the prospect of God putting an end to sin on the day when “the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” We know on that day, as Peter describes in verse 13, we will have ended for good our struggle with sin because we will come to dwell in a “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” Amen, brothers and sisters.

II Peter 3:10 Out of the frying pan, into the fire

Peer has shown us in the verses prior to this that the people who scoff at the return of the Lord and a future judgment are completely clueless. The fact is, simply because it hasn’t happened does not prove that it’s not going to happen. Rather, the fact that it hasn’t happened yet is simply a demonstration of God’s patience, not His slothfulness. Without giving as much detail as we might like, Peter tells us what the judgment is going to look like, what it’s going to sound like, and what it’s going to feel like. In short, we are given a picture of a terrible cataclysmic judgment that is worse than any nightmare we’ve ever had.

First of all, we are told of the certainty of judgment. Peter says “The day of the Lord [the future day of judgment] will come”. Sometimes, as we look at the sin in the world and the people that mock God and His precious word, we are tempted to say with the psalmist “How long?” (Psalm 6:3). It is difficult to see people sneer at God, mock us for our faith, and appear to prosper all the while. However, no matter how long it takes, judgment will come and it will do so according to God’s perfect timetable. We can take comfort in the certainty that God will put an end to sin and we should be motivated by the certainty of that judgment to be even more diligent to share the gospel.

Further, observe with me the clandestine manner with which the Day of Judgment will come. Peter says it will come “like a thief”. Now, considering the author, we have to assume I think that this refers back to Jesus’ words about His return as recorded in Matthew 24:43. The basic idea that Peter is trying to convey here is this—we can’t wait till the last minute to prepare for judgment day. This is not like when we were kids and we could start being good 2 or three weeks before Christmas because we knew it was coming and we had to get ready. This isn’t like a test that is announced 2 or 3 weeks in advance for which we can start to study little by little to prepare, friends. No, quite the contrary, this is the ultimate pop quiz and there will only be one question—“How did you respond to the gospel?” And you can be sure of one thing; the wrong answer will get you much more than a failing grade on some report card. Rather, you will find yourself in a terrifying position as justly condemned before a holy God.

Finally, Peter tells us exactly how terrifying the judgment will be. He describes a nightmarish cataclysm from which there will be no hiding and no recovery. Now, in the interest of full disclosure here, I should probably mention that I am a premillennial dispensationalist. In short, I believe the event of Revelation and the 70th week prophesied by Daniel have yet to be fulfilled. I believe there is going to be a rapture of the church followed by a 7 year period during which the Anti-Christ will be revealed who will deceive many people, persecuting those who come to faith n Christ. I believe this “Day of the Lord” that Peter discusses here will come after all these events and will be the final judgment of God on sinful men.  I do not believe that the Left Behind series is an accurate portrayal of what will happen nor do I believe in newspaper exegesis.

Now, having said that, I know there are good Christian men and women who believe differently than I do about these events. Therefore, I’m not saying that my view is the end all be all, final word on the subject of eschatology (the study of the end times). I believe, ultimately, that God will bring about an end to sin and will bring all those who have saving faith in Christ into an eternal heavenly kingdom to live with Him forever. That is the most important truth to remember when thinking about the last days.

In any case, the universe as we know it will cease to exist. Everything will be destroyed: “the heavens…the elements…the earth and its works”. Now, I’m not sure exactly what Peter had in mind when he said “heavens”. Likely, he just meant the sky as he could see it which we know would include the universe. Likewise, I’m not exactly sure where he was going when he said “the elements”. The Greek word means something like “building blocks”. Of course, Peter didn’t know anything about atoms and molecules so we can only speculate as to exactly what he had in mind. The phrase ‘earth and its works”, however, is pretty obviously referring to, well, the earth and its works. In short, Peter is saying that all these things are going to be destroyed (“pass away…destroyed with intense heat…burned up*”). I always like to point folks that are looking to save the earth to this verse on Earth Day. This universe, this plane of existence, is temporary and God will do away with it when the Day of Judgment comes.

Now, should knowing this affect us? I think it should. How should it affect us? Let’s see what Peter has to say about that next time.

*Some Greek texts have "will be laid bare" rather than "burned up".  This is what is known as a textual variant and it causes some people to (cue disco music) "Freak out".  However, regardless of which reading is the one Peter originally wrote, the trust of the passage is the same--there is a judgment coming and it will be sure doom for those who do not have saving faith in Christ.

II Peter 3:9 God's Eternal Purposes Part III

When we left this verse last time, we had ourselves quite a quandry. Who was Peter talking about in the later half of verse 9. In order to examine the text a little better, or maybe it was just to make it easier for me to understand, I'm going to do things a little differently and rather than write a narrative exposition of the text, we're just going to ask some questions and see where they lead us.

The verse in question is

The Lord 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.

1) Who is “you”?

In the immediate context of the epistle, verse 8 says “But do not let this one fact escape your notice…” and verse 1 says “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.,,” In contrast, verse 3 talks about another group—“mockers”. Also, verse 5 uses a lot of 3rd person pronouns “…they maintain…their notice…” Also, in chapter two, Peter takes an entire chapter to describe this other group, consistently referring to them in the 3rd person and introducing the chapter by indicating that his audience is distinct from that group. v 1-“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.” Further, the fact that Peter is writing to Christians and not just humanity in general is seen in chapter 1 and verse 1 of the epistle where he writes:” To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours,”

Therefore, the word “you” appears to be the Christians to whom Peter was writing.

2) Who is “any” and “all”?

If, as seems to be the case based on examination of II Peter, the “you” in this sentence is indentified as the Christians to whom Peter wrote, it doesn’t make sense for “any” and “all” to refer to any human being and all human beings. Given the context and train of thought here, it doesn’t make sense for him to shift from the specific audience that he has addressed to a more general “all of mankind” audience. Mockers will come, and they will be destroyed (vs 3-7). In contrast, you are objects not of God’s wrath but His love and the delay in judgment is for your benefit (vs 8-9).

3) If “you”, “any”, and “all” are believers, what does it mean when Peter uses the word “wishing”? Doesn’t that mean that God’s desire is for everyone to be saved?

Short answer—no, that’s not what this means. While God certainly takes no pleasure in the death or punishment of sinners (Ezekiel 18:23), it would be very foolish for us to think that God does not demand justice for the sins commented that have offended Him so badly. Therefore, God’s will is to punish sinners who do not repent of their sins and trust Christ to save them. Further, God’s will is to save sinners who place their faith in Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. Therefore, it appears the most logical conclusion is that God’s patience is extended towards those whom He will save based on their repentance from sin and faith in Christ because He does not desire for them to perish but rather He desires to redeem them, all to the praise of His glory.

II Peter 3:9 God’s Eternal Purposes Part II

Our limited perspective colors everything in our lives. We are limited in how we perceive time, other people, circumstances, and even ourselves. While being a Christian give us a biblical perspective on spiritual things (I Corinthians 2:14-16) that perspective is not complete because we still live in sinful flesh in a fallen world. God’s perspective, in contrast, is eternal and perfect—untainted by sin. We know that He is sovereign and has a plan that will come to pass. In fact, as Peter has taught us, His plan is a plan from eternity past and He will bring it to fruition at His pleasure and for His glory.

Therefore, Peter reassures his audience to remember their limited perspective. Christ’s return has been imminent since He ascended into heaven and to these believers, who may have endured persecution for their faith, it might have seemed like God was taking forever to do what He promised to do. Knowing this, Peter reminds his audience that “God is not slow”. In fact, it’s the exact opposite as Peter points out that rather than demonstrating that God is slow, the time between Christ’s ascension and God’s judgment reveal that God “is patient”. The fact is, God is not taking His time but is allowing the time to pass for a purpose. In waiting, God demonstrates His patience or long suffering. While He waits patiently, He endures the mockery, the defiance, the hostility, and the unbelief of mankind. Instead of instantly dealing with sinners as they deserve, God demonstrates a remarkably long fuse. The question that we must ask as we interpret this passage is “Why?”

I’m not sure where the teaching got started, but I’ve heard it in more than one Southern Baptist church that God is waiting on that one last soul to repent and trust Christ to save him/her and then God is going to send Christ to get His bride—the church. The idea, then, is that God is waiting on someone to make a decision and that He is bound to wait until they make up their mind so that He can accomplish His eternal purposes. I can’t find any evidence in scripture that the God Who knows the end from the beginning and works all things out according to the counsel of His own will is sitting on His throne with His finger hovering over “the button” just waiting to see if someone is going to choose to trust Jesus to save them

Therefore, in order to properly interpret the last half of this verse (or maybe it’s the last 2/3 of it) we have to ask a very important question. When Peter says God “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” we need to know who “you”, “any”, and “all” are? Is this “you” in a general sense?” Does “all” mean everyone is going to be saved? These are questions that would be best answered in a blog post unto themselves.

So, while I normally hate to leave you in a cliff hanger, I must say “Tune in next time…same Bat-time…same Bat-channel”.

II Peter 3:8 God’s Eternal Purposes Part I

My family just returned from vacation. We visited my family and my wife’s family over the 4th of July holiday. Now, the drive to my folks house from where I live is about 7.5 hours even if you drive “under grace, not under the law”. My kids take that trip much better than I took the drive to my maternal grandmother’s house, which was only about an hour and a half. I can, to this day, remember nagging my parents with barrages of Are We There, Yet’s. My perception of time was different then than it is now. Of course, when we consider God and His existence, we should remember as Peter tells us in this verse, that God’s perspective of time is not our perspective. As we examine the judgment Peter teaches about in this chapter, we would do well to consider that.

First of all, Peter has already taught us that, while they assert that God has never judged the world, it “escapes their notice” (v 5) that God has in fact judged the world. Furthermore, God has reveled that there is a judgment coming and if He did it before He’ll certainly do it again. The point that Peter makes here, then, is linked to his statement refuting their senseless claim. I think Peter is providing them ammunition as they are confronted with these mockers of the gospel and their mockery of God’s word so that they will be able to stand on the truth rather than being misled by false teaching. The truth of God’s word “escape[s] [the] notice” of these false teachers, but Peter says here that the true believers should not “let this one fact escape your notice”. In other words, this truth is essential. Don’t ignore it or neglect it. After reminding them in verse 2 to continue studying Scripture (and, just as an aside, he equates the New Testament [“the commandments of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles”] with the Old Testament [“the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets”]—in other words it is equally authoritative and inspired), Peter points out a particular truth to these Christians that is applicable to the claims of the false teachers.

Peter, alluding to Psalm 90:4, tells his readers that for God “one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day”. Now, there is speculation as to what exactly Peter meant here by some people. People who do not believe in a literal 1,000 year period in Revelation 20:1-6, a view called “amillennialism”, see Peter as giving some kind of clue that the one thousand years mentioned in Revelation is not to be taken literally. However, I don’t think that is what Peter or the psalmist had in mind at all. Time doesn’t exist for God. We are finite beings—we have a beginning and an end. God, however, does not. I would submit to you that God exists outside of time (and I know this is going to sound all Star Trek) because He created time. In Genesis 1:1, we read “In the beginning, God…” What beginning? It can’t be the beginning of the universe, because it was after the beginning that God “created the heavens and the earth”. The “beginning”, then, is the beginning of time—the succession of one moment after another. Now, God existed before that “beginning”. Therefore, God exists outside of time. We can’t conceive of existence outside of time.

We don’t have any way to imagine moments not coming one after another. Therefore, when we see 2,000 years have passed since Christ was resurrected, we wonder “How much longer?” However, time has not passed for God. So from His perspective, there will have been no waiting from the time Christ ascended into heaven and when He comes back to take us to heaven with Him. The mockers, therefore, take this period of time as proof that God isn’t going to judge the world when, in fact, God doesn’t operate with the constraints of our space-time continuum (See, I told you it was gonna get all Star Trek-y). God is in control of time, space, and everything in it. As a result, when He executes His judgment on His timetable, it will be perfect.

II Peter 3:7 A Promise of Judgment

To deny the coming judgment of God because it hasn’t happened yet is foolish. To profess that it never happened is to be completely ignorant or willfully blind. As we saw when we examined this chapter last time, we observed that the ones Peter says would come mocking the word of God do so by denying the return of Christ and a future judgment and base their claim on their assertion that judgment has never happened. Peter reminded us that, in fact, judgment had occurred and here he teaches us that there is a future judgment waiting to occur and that it will occur—in God’s perfect timing.

Peter tells us in verse 7 that the reason judgment hasn’t happened is that God has not yet given the order for it to happen. Peter tells us that judgment will come “By His word”. In other words, God is waiting, and we will see why as we examine the next few verses in the coming weeks. There is a plan, a predetermined order as to the execution of God’s judgment of sin. God hasn’t given the command. That is why we have not seen the final judgment of God—not because it’s not coming..

In fact, this judgment has been planned long ago, as Peter reminds us. We are told that “the present heavens and earth are being reserved”. In Greek, “being reserved” is a perfect tense verb. What that means is the act of the heavens and earth being stored up or reserved for judgment is a past completed action with ongoing effect. In other words, sometime in the past God set aside the earth and heavens that currently exist for a judgment and the effect of that decision is still in force. There is still a judgment coming, a judgment, Peter tells us, of “fire”.

Furthermore, one might say that the heavens, the earth, and all those who have not professed Christ are in a jail—a holding cell of sorts. They’re “kept for the day of judgment”. What Peter says here is that God has them under guard until the time He chooses to judge them. The setting aside (“being reserved”) and being held (“kept for”) is something, then, that He does to them. He is in control. It’s His court and He will tend to His business when it suits His purpose. Far from proving that a judgment is not coming, the fact that He is waiting to execute His wrath on unrepentant sinners is like the calm before the storm. Everything is still. Everything is quiet. Then suddenly, judgment comes unexpectedly.

However, for those of us who have professed faith in Christ and trusted Him to save us, we don’t have to fear that judgment. Our sins were charged to Christ and He was punished. However, what this verse should do is motivate us to share the gospel every chance we get. There is a judgment coming. We don’t want to see anyone suffer in the judgment. Let us be bold to preach the gospel and announce to everyone that God will forgive their sins if they trust Christ and repent.

II Peter 3:5-6 Denial Ain’t A River in Egypt Part III

My mother only allowed us to listen to country music until I was probably 11 or so. Therefore, I was in college before I ever heard a song by Meatloaf. It was called “I would do anything for love” and they chorus is quite amusing. He sings:

I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love….but I won’t do that

You can imagine that his lady was somewhat less than reassured by his promise. The false teachers and mockers in the verses we have examined in II Peter thus far are much like our man Meat, or is that Mr. Loaf? They assert that life goes on just as it has always gone on and that nothing will ever change (i.e. God will not judge the world) because nothing has ever changed. Peter points out the fact that in order to make this claim, they have to ignore or make an exception for the activity of God much as Mr. Loaf has to make an exception for his promise to do anything for love in his song.

First of all, notice with me the attitude these mockers have toward the truth. Peter says there are some important truths that escape their notice (v 5). Now this translation (NASB) didn’t choose the best word when they used “escapes” in this verse. The KJV renders the verb better when it says “they are willingly ignorant of”. This isn’t like they just missed the exit on the interstate because they weren’t paying attention. They are constantly, willfully ignorant of the truth—they deny it to their own doom. They have the word of God and disregard what it reveals. Any attack on orthodox bible teaching has to ignore, dismiss, or discount the word of God as the source of divine revelation. In this case, Peter tells the believers that these false teachers will ignore the truth in order to make their claims.

Peter specifically says that they ignore two facts: God created the world and God destroyed the ancient world with a flood during the time of Noah. Now, do you want to be branded a “fundamentalist” and sneered at by fellow Christians? Tell them you believe the first 11 chapters of Genesis are historically and scientifically accurate. Some people will look at you like you’re at least a few bricks shy of a load for making such an assertion. And I don't mean unsaved folks, I mean some people in the church. To top it all off, Peter predicted this would happen 2,000 years ago. Of course, the heresy of denying the truth of scripture happened during the lifetime of those to whom Peter wrote but listening to pastors and theologians in the church you could apply the exact same text today and find it just as true.

Genesis tells us that God created the world (“the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed”). Further, beginning in Genesis 6 we read about the worldwide, cataclysmic flood that killed everyone except Noah and those in the ark (“the world at the time was destroyed, being flooded with water”). Therefore, for these false teachers to maintain that “Nothing ever changes. God’s not going to judge us because He’s never judged us” demonstrates they are completely self deluded. They have to disregard the record of biblical revelation to make their claim. If Meat Loaf were to sing a song about their philosophy, the lyrics might be

Nothing ever changes and there’s never been a judgment
Well, except for that time when God destroyed the earth with a flood and killed everybody except Noah and his family, but let’s not talk about that.

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t have a good beat, and I don’t think I can dance to it.

II Peter 3:4 Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt Part II

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is in the film A Few Good Men where Tom Cruise is interrogating Jack Nicholson. I love Nicholson’s retort to Tom’s very loud demands for the truth—“You can’t handle the truth”. Apparently, there are a lot of people in this world who can’t handle the truth. People spend money on cosmetic surgery to deny the truth that a 50 year old is never going to look like a 20 year old. They spend money on therapy because they can’t handle the truth that most of the time what their problem is has nothing to do with stress or not getting their way enough when they were kids but their problem is rooted in their sinfulness. In fact it is for this reason that during these last these last days we see the prophesy fulfilled that Peter made in verse 3 that “mockers will come with their mocking”. In verse 4, Peter goes on to explain what their mocking consists of and in doing so reveals the attitudes of their hearts.

First of all, as we’ve seen today, God’s word is mocked. Those who mock the loudest are the false teachers (chapter 2) who teach false doctrine and lead others astray. Peter identifies their first argument against the truth of scripture as a denial of the “promise of His coming”. Now, scripture is crystal clear about this fact—there is coming a day of judgment when God will execute justice and punish sin. It is prophesied in the Old and New Testament. There will be no appeals and there will be no hiding. God will judge sinners for their sin and their rejection of Christ. Therefore, what these people are really saying in their first mockery is “Judgment has not happened so it’s not going to happen”. It follows then that the Bible, in their opinion, is just a mythical collection of fairy tales meant to scare children and weak minded individuals into behaving themselves. Modern, educated people know better.

Their first statement, then, is a mockery of the truth of God’s word. Their second statement presents their evidence. They assert that “all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation”. If, they reason, there was going to be a judgment, it would have already come. In their minds, nothing ever changes. I would say our national economy would be one example of the total lunacy of their position. We are never, and I do repeat never, going to go back to the kind of economy we had before the Great Recession. The job market is forever changed. In the area of technology we see their position of “Nothing ever changes” falls completely apart. From the internet to digital video recorders to cell phones this is a completely different world that it was even 10 years ago. In fact, you would have to have your head buried in the sand to not recognize how much things change and, especially today, how quickly they change. Therefore, their idea that things are stable and therefore there is not judgment coming simply doesn’t make sense.

However, as we thinking about their mockery of the truth it’s pretty easy to see what motivates them. If they acknowledge that God is who He says He is and His word as being authoritative then they have to submit to it. That is why they mock the truth. They shake their fist at heaven and yell at the God of the universe “You ain’t the boss of me”. They reject the truth to their own doom. Therefore, it is paramount that we proclaim and teach the truth. As Psalm 119 says, God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is our responsibility to ensure that we share the light with all those around us.

II Peter 3:3 Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt Part I

Some people want to ignore reality. I had an acquaintance in college that ran up a significant amount of credit card debt and would transfer the balance between cards in an attempt to mask how bad her debt load was. Her idea seemed to be that if she stuck her head in the sand and pretended like everything was ok, that it would be. That, friends, is not how things work of course. We can’t simply ignore the truth. Peter writes to these believers in the first two verses of chapter 3 telling them to remain grounded in the truth. He now goes on to explain way—because their will be people who will deny the truth and lead others astray.

Peter’s message in verses 3 and 4 to these believers is of upmost importance. In fact, he tells them “Knowing this first of all”. In other words, there is a reason they need to continue to study scripture. There is a purpose to their exegesis and it is not to puff themselves up with how smart they are but rather they are to be prepared. As we’ve seen in chapter two, false teachers are coming. They’re going to spread their theological filth among the church and are going to lead people astray. The life-giving truth of the gospel saves people. The message these false teachers will proclaim will damn people to hell. In order to stand against that, these people must be prepared. There’s a fight coming and they have to be ready to stand against the false doctrine.

That is why Peter tells them that in the “last days” false teachers will come. Peter doesn’t exactly identify what he means by “last days” but it’s safe to say that until we’re all home in glory at the end of the age we are living in the last days. Now, during this time, there are those that will come to teach false doctrine in the church. In order to do that, they must first deny true doctrine. Peter describes them as “mockers…with their mocking”. In the future (“will come”), these people will come making light of the word of God. Even if that had not happened in the early church (which it did--Gnosticism) we know it has happened today. While Peter gets specific about what these people mock regarding God’s word, we can certainly attest that mocking the word of God has become something of a national pastime. Turn on the T.V. and you won’t have to watch more than 30 minutes of programming before you see something that mocks the Bible—and that’s just on Cartoon Network. . The ideas that Jesus is the only way to heaven, that the Bible is inerrant, the creation happened in six 24 hour days are assumed to be nothing more than old wives tales that only weak minded simpletons believe. The saddest part is that it’s not just those outside the church, but as Peter predicted, these mockers come from inside the church.

What motivates these people to mock God’s word? Peter goes on to tell us—they are “following after their own lusts”. In contrast to Christians, who are lead by the Holy Spirit and exhibit the fruit thereof, these false teachers with their mockery of true doctrine follow their own base appetites. Their vile passions are their guides. Is it any wonder that they fall into sin—Genesis 6:5 tells us that our heart is totally wicked doesn’t it? If a person does what comes naturally I will guarantee you on the authority of God’s word that it will be sinful 99% of the time. Therefore, as these false teachers come mocking the word of God, they reject its guidance and eschew its truths to follow the god of their own bellies.

Peter wrote this about 2,000 years ago and as Charles Spurgeon noted this is “a prophecy which has been abundantly fulfilled. You need not go far to find them; they come in the form of living men, and they swarm in the form of their books. They are to be met with almost everywhere; like the locusts, they fill the air, and hide the light of the sun:” Because of their pervasiveness, it is paramount (“first of all”) that we continue to study and teach scripture as saying what it says and meaning what it means.

II Peter 3: 1-2 The Heart of a Pastor—Part Deaux

I love Peter. Without question, he is my favorite person in the Bible. If there was a “Golden foot” award for sticking your foot up to the middle of your thigh into your mouth, my boy Peter would have won that. Honestly, you read some of his stuff and it’s like his philosophy was “Ready, fire, AIM!!” I picture him as this kind of flinty eyed guy that every time he opened his mouth, his friends would cringe because they had no idea what would come out. I mean, when he got it right, he got it really right (“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”). And when he got it wrong, it was very, very wrong (“I’m going to wash your feet” “Nuh-uh” “Peter, I am going to wash your feet” “Well, if you’re going to do that, why don’t you go ahead and give me a bath”). However, at the heart of it all, we see Peter, the big fisherman, had a heart that was even bigger than his mouth. We see, here, in these verses how much he cared for these people to whom he wrote and how he wanted to encourage their faithfulness to Christ.

As he wrote in chapter one, he reminds those people he considers “beloved” in the first verse of this chapter that this is the second letter he has written them. However, this was not just a social call. Peter had a very specific purpose in mind when he wrote these believers. As we have studied chapter 2, we have seen Peter exhort these believers to shun false teachers due to the deadly false doctrine they purvey. He told them what they taught and what they looked like so these Christians could avoid them. Therefore, as he says here, this second letter is a vehicle by which he is able to go about “stirring up [their] sincere mind[s]”. The word translated “stirring up” has the literal idea of rousing someone from sleep which, considering Peter’s nap in the garden of Gethsemane, is pretty ironic. The point here is that believers need to be diligent. Peter’s epistle, then, is a call to diligence. This is not a time to be catnapping or frittering away time. People are lost, dying, and going to hell. False teachers are misleading them with false gospels. We’re the ones responsible for proclaiming the gospel and calling all men and women to repent and trust Christ and in the face of such overwhelming opposition we had better get busy. This is not the time to be a spiritual couch potato.

In addition, notice the mindset Peter calls for in this verse. He says he is trying to stir up their “sincere minds”. The words “sincere” translates a Greek word that means pure or unadulterated. These people needed to be single minded about the gospel and the proclamation of biblical truth. Brothers and sisters, we need that same sincere mind today. Do you view your work/school/whatever as your mission field? Yes, you go to work and do the best job you can but is your focus on how you can use your job to win the lost and proclaim the gospel? Friend, it needs to be. Our minds need to be so focused on the gospel that everything else is secondary. I pray that Peter’s epistle has caused you to realize that as we’ve studied together.

Further, notice the substance of his reminder. He doesn’t say that they should take a survey and see what the demographics are in their neighborhood or canvas the area to find out what people’s felt needs are so that the church can meet them. He doesn’t suggest that they adjust how they dress, how long the sermon is, or what kind of music they use. He says in verse 2 that they should “remember the words spoken to [them] beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and savior spoken by your apostles”. There it is—the sum total of what the church should be focused on remembering. We have the writings of the apostles and the commandments of the Lord collected for us today while they were still being written and compiled when Peter lived. The focus, the message, of the church as we see it here and we hear it from Peter who we know to be a loving pastor is the entirety of the Bible—the Old (prophets) an New (apostles) testaments. How many times do we hear of preachers preaching and churches teaching everything except the word of God? It happens far too often. However, Peter is a faithful undershepherd who loves and cares for the flock of God. Here he gives this church the best advice one could give any church—keep the study and proclamation of the Bible first place. It’s that important.

I pray that you will heed these words of Peter and, along with me, commit to constantly hold the study and preaching of the word of God as the highest priority of the church. It is by the truth of that word that we were saved and that we mature as believers. Furthermore, it is by the truth of that word preached that God will call those whom He will to salvation.