The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9

People often cite this passage against the biblical doctrine of Sovereign Election, claiming it shows God wants everyone to be saved. However, to understand this verse correctly, we must consider its context: whom it addresses, why the author wrote it, and how its placement affects its meaning. Many overlook these factors, leading to misinterpretation. This misinterpretation can lead to real spiritual turmoil, as believers might struggle with doubts about the certainty of their salvation and God’s promises. By clarifying these aspects, readers can find deeper spiritual comfort and assurance in their everyday faith.

The main point of this passage is that it concerns not general salvation, but specifically the second coming of Christ. Peter reassures believers about the reality of Christ’s return despite its apparent delay. He roots this promise in God’s commitment to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, stating, ‘In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ God’s blessings to Abraham, both physical and spiritual, culminate in Jesus the Messiah, through whom salvation is available to people of all nations. This context is essential for properly understanding the text’s message about election and salvation. Moreover, this Abrahamic covenant establishes a foundation for both the first and second comings of Christ, reflecting a consistent fulfillment trajectory that spans from Genesis to Revelation. Thus, the eschatological events of Christ’s return fulfill the promised blessings to Abraham, which connects the historical covenant to the ultimate salvation of the elect.

Peter is telling that God remembers His promise to Abraham’s children, and God wants all of them to be saved. In order to enjoy the promise, you need to be a child of Abraham. So, who are the children of Abraham? John 8:39 says, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did.” What did Abraham do? He took God at His word – faith and obedience. Imagine the profound faith and trust Abraham demonstrated when he was called to leave Ur. God spoke, saying, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abraham complied without question, uprooting his entire life with the assurance that God’s promises would unfold. This act of obedience underpins what it means to take God at His word. We don’t become heirs of Abraham’s promises by working for God, but by being confident in what God did for us. Galatians 3:29, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”.

We know God is absolutely sovereign. He absolutely tells us that what He ‘wills’ He will do. “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46:10). God does all that He pleases (Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6). If God is sovereign and if God wants to save all people, why doesn’t He save everyone? God specifically says, I do not desire anyone to perish. The problem is that some men will be saved, and some will perish. There is seemingly a contradiction here. If God wants something, He gets it. Otherwise, He isn’t sovereign, and if He is not sovereign, He is not God. Either His ‘will’ doesn’t come to pass, or there must be a different side to His ‘will’ that comes to pass.

The three most frequent uses of the will of God in the Bible are outlined as follows. Understanding each of these is essential for grasping how the concept of God’s will applies to the doctrine of Sovereign Election.

  1. His sovereign, decretive, efficacious will that will by which He brings to pass whatever He decrees. God’s sovereign will is often hidden from us, and it is irresistible and must come to pass. E.g., when God wills the world to come into existence, His willing of it makes it so. He issued a divine imperative.
  2. His commands, His perceptive will – This relates to the revealed commandments of God’s published law. It does not always come to pass. E.g., “You shall not have any other gods before Me; You shall not steal.” Even though we have no authority to violate this will, we have the ability to thwart it. It is not as though the preceptive will has no effect or no consequences, but it is possible for us to refuse to obey His commands. But His law remains intact whether we obey or disobey it.
  3. His will of disposition – it expresses something of the attitude of God towards his creatures. Some things are “well pleasing in his sight,” while other things are said to grieve him. E.g., God takes no delight in the death of the wicked. Even though He is committed to justice, even though He is committed to judgment, He is not getting His joy by subjecting people to punishment. Yet, God judges the wicked and sends them to hell.

Let’s suppose this text uses the meaning of God’s ssovereign will. What would be the obvious conclusion if God sovereignly decrees that no one should perish? The implication would then be that nobody perishes. The second possible meaning of will in preceptive sense does not fit in this context. If the text uses the will in a dispositional sense, the implication would be that there is no assertion that everyone or anyone will be saved.

The key to understanding this text is in two specific words. There are two ambiguities in that text that need to be dealt with in understanding what this text is saying precisely. Those two words are ‘Willing’ and ‘Any’. We need to find out what sense of ‘will’ is in view here and what ‘class of people’ Peter is referring to in this text.

Any should perish

The text says that God is not willing that ‘any’ should perish. Any who? Any what? Here the tendency is to jump in to the conclusion that it refers to all human. In order to answer the ‘Any what’ we must look at the immediate context of that text. The verse 9(a) says – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us”. The context is about ‘us’; Peter is talking about ‘us’. So, the v9(b) reads like this, “…Not willing that any [of us] should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Well, now the next question you should ask is who is ‘us’? To understand who this ‘us’ is, let’s look at the previous verse (v8). There at the beginning of the passage, Peter addresses ‘beloved’. Who is this beloved that Peter is referring to? Now we go to the broader context, the beginning of the same Chapter. It says “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle” (2 Peter 3:1). To whom Peter is writing this 2nd epistle? The answer is, to the same group he addressed his 1st epistle. To whom the 1st epistle was addressed? The answer is clearly and precisely given in the greeting of the Peter’s first epistle. “To elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”. There you go! The 2 Peter 3:9 is saying unmistakably “God is not willing that any [elect] should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God is not willing : theléma (θέλημα) Vs bouléma (βούλημα)

Here you find a specific reference to the will of God. Now we need to understand what sense of ‘will’ is in view here. Is it referring to God’s sovereign will that comes to pass, or another aspect of will that may not come to pass?

In the New Testament, there are two different Greek words theléma (Strong’s #2307 – θέλημα) and bouléma (Strong’s #1013- βούλημα), both translated in to English by the word ‘Will’. Theléma refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some event. Theléma is the Will, not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. Bouléma refers to a plan based upon careful deliberate intention, which is predetermined and inflexible. Man is able to resist the will, the theléma of God, but God’s determinate will, bouléma is never prevented from fulfillment.

Now, the Greek word that is used in this text is bouléma (βούλημα). The ‘will’ in view in this text is God’s sovereign, efficacious will which will definitely comes to pass. So, this verse reads like this, “God is not “bouléma’ that any should perish.” In other words, God ‘sovereignly decree’ that ‘Elect’ shall not perish.

Therefore, rather than challenging the doctrine of Sovereign Election, this passage—read in context—strongly supports the Calvinist Doctrine of Predestination, affirming that God’s sovereign will ensures that none of the elect will perish.

Reference:

Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. John MacArthur, Mark Kielar