The main theme behind Chapter 3 is to encourage the audience to stay the course, regardless of the opposition they were facing. There was an increased number of people who believed that Jesus was not coming back as His Word teaches. Church, you and I can take this letter straight to the heart because it is every bit as applicable today as it was the day that Peter wrote it.
2 Peter 3:1–2 (NIV)
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
In the conclusion of Peter’s final letter, we get a look at the heart of a pastor who deeply loves his people. He writes them with the same theme that has been consistent throughout the whole book of 2 Peter. His first encouragement is towards wholesome thinking.
Wholesome here means sincere, uncontaminated, or unmixed. This is a continuation of the last chapter where he warns about false teachers who twist and misunderstand God’s Word.
How can one hope to have this wholesome thinking?
He says that we should recall the words of the holy prophets from the past and the commands given by Jesus through the apostles.
I.E. The Old and New Testament. When you and I align our hearts and our minds with the teachings of Jesus, we are getting back to what we were made for.
2 Peter 3:3–7 (NIV)
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But Peter cites OT examples to prove that God does break into history. He begins with the created world in Gen. 1 (v. 5), made by the Word of God. He then introduces the Flood (Gen. 6) and the world that was judged by God (v. 6). Verse 7 indicates that the world now “is stored with fire” and already prepared for judgment. -Warren W. Wiersbe
I am not sure what kind of people make the argument that God has not been involved or has intervened in human history since creation because creation was God stepping in and CREATING EVERYTHING.
God has always been intimately involved with every moment of human history because He is a Good and present Father. That is exactly what Peter is getting to in this particular passage.
2 Peter 3:8–10 (NIV)
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
If mankind is the most valuable part of creation, which we know to be true from the creation account as well as multiple points in the bible, then it wouldn’t be a far leap to get to the part of the story where God wants to bring all of His children home.
Peter helps us understand that time is a hurdle for humans not a constriction for Christ.
God’s apparent delay is not caused by inability to perform or indifference; it is prompted by his grace.
The simple fact today is that Jesus IS coming back. The question we need to ask ourselves is if he came back today, who would we mourn the most because they don’t know Jesus? You have probably heard the saying “You aren’t promised tomorrow”, but this brings a whole new meaning to the phrase when you realize that eternity is literally at stake.
Acts 1:8 (ESV)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The very last words that Jesus had to His disciples were that they would not know the time of His return, then He pointed them to their mission. The same mission that you and I have today.
2 Peter 3:11–16 (NIV)
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 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.
Don’t miss the fact that being with Jesus is as good as it gets. No more hurt, no more stress, no more bills, no more anxiety, no more depression, no more addiction, no more death. Just perfect peace and worship for all of eternity.
Make every effort to be found:
- Spotless/Blameless
- At peace
Peter now encouraged his readers to apply themselves diligently to the process of their salvation. We are not passive agents in God’s character-shaping endeavors. We are to make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.“Spotless and blameless” should be understood together. They describe the character of Jesus Christ as seen in the lives of believers. These terms do not suggest that the follower of Christ will live a perfect life, as did Christ; rather, they mean that what drives the Christian in our behavioral choices is a desire to be like Christ. - David Walls and Max Anders
2 Peter 3:17–18 (NIV)
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
