2 Peter 3:1-13
Main Idea: Though it feels delayed, God is patiently bringing his Kingdom as we wait in holiness and godliness.
I. A World of Transcendence (3:1-7)
Peter is not sharing anything new but is reminding his readers (and us) that all he is teaching can be found in the Word of God. The “holy prophetes” (Old Testament) and the “apostles” (New Testament) are fully trustworthy for life and faith, and everything must be evaluated and tested using Scripture.
He warns that “scoffers” are coming, derogatively asking “Where is the promise of his [Jesus’] coming?” They will make the basic secular argument that is prevalent today, claiming “all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” with no divine intervention or “transcendence.”
Peter says that these “scoffers deliberately overlook” three things:
God created all things (3:5), and creation itself is “supercharged” with the glory and grandeur of God (cf. Ps. 19:1).
God sent the flood (3:6) in the past and has intervened with judgment before.
God will judge the world in the future (3:7), and he is currently “storing” (preserving and saving) creation for the day he will return (cf. Heb. 1:3).
Additionally, Christmas is another reminder that God has intervened into our world. It is a season where it is nearly impossible to ignore the feeling of “transcendence” in the air. There is something deep within our souls that this season activates with significance & worship that secularism can’t fully explain.
“Imagine [secularism] like a dome. Everything inside the dome is the realm of immanence; outside is the realm of transcendence. People whose imaginations are formed by life in a secular age bump their heads on the ceiling of the dome when they veer near ideas that involve transcendence, be they religious, moral, or aesthetic… Herein lies the curse of secularism. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has put eternity in the hearts of men. The immanent frame is ultimately a dissatisfying place to live because it shackles the human heart inside a world that is simply too small for it. Our longing for transcendence can’t be squelched, nor can it be satisfied.” ~ Mike Cosper
II. A God of Patience (3:8-10)
Peter indicates that the Lord’s delay is not because he has disregarded his word or his promises, but instead is a matter of perspective. He quotes Psalm 90 to contrast God’s eternality with mankind’s short life span.
What we might deem as “slow” or even a “thousand years” could be merely a drop in the ocean of time. The categories of “fast” and “slow” are all about perspective, and we are unable to have the same perspective as God does in our finite, limited existence.
The reason why the Lord has delayed his return is in order to create time for repentance. The Lord takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ez. 33:11) but desires “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). There is a divine mystery behind God’s sovereign act of salvation and his desire for all of mankind to turn to him, but his delay should bring about repentance, not an argument against him.
Though it may feel like a long delay since he has promised to return, Peter reminds us that the Lord will indeed come. This passage teaches us 3 things about this return:
1. The return of Jesus will be unexpected. He will come unannounced and unexpected “like a thief” (cf. Mt. 24:43-44; 1 Thess. 5:2). Therefore, we must be vigilant, awake, and expectant.
2. The old things will pass away. Peter uses symbolic language to describe what the prophets have promised. One day, the “skies will roll up like a scroll” (Isa. 34:4) and reveal all that has been hidden. The scoffers will be put to shame and all will see what is really going on.
“And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.” ~ It Is Well (Horatio Spafford)
3. Everything and everyone on earth will be exposed. The Lord will personally come and all will be “laid bare” as he makes all things new.
III. A People of Holiness (3:11-13)
When the Bible speaks of the end times, it is meant to be used practically in our lives. Peter calls Christians to see that we ought to live in “holiness” and “godliness,” since we know how the story will end. Holiness and godliness have eternal value and will pay dividends from this life into the next.
In addition to holiness and godliness, Peter urges us to embrace the paradox of “waiting” and “hastening” for the coming day of God. “Waiting” reminds us that we are not the ones who bring about the Kingdom of God, while “hastening” invites us to participate in bearing witness to the coming Kingdom, including sharing the good news of the gospel with those in our lives who need to hear it.
“The Lord is still out in front of us. His future still approaches, his future in which all will be made new. His promise is sure: he will come. We make ready for him, this Advent season and every season, by lighting whatever little lights the Lord has put in front of us, no light too small to be used by him, action in waiting, pointing ahead, looking to Christ and for Christ. Even our smallest lights will be signs in this world, lights to show the way, beachheads to hold against the Enemy until the day when the great Conqueror lands with Michael the archangel at the head of his troops, the day that ‘shall dawn upon us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Lk. 1:78-79)’” ~ Fleming Rutledge
