False teachers rejected the reality of the second coming of Christ and preached a judgmentless doctrine, misleading the people away from God’s truth. The Word of God not only insists on the certainty of Christ’s return in glory and judgment, but it also insists that the certainty of the Day of God must have a very practical impact on our lives. When God’s day arrives, the final destruction has taken place, and man’s day is over. His corruption of the universe and that of the fallen angels is finally judged.
Peter has already unmasked the false teachers and armed the believers for protection. He has effectively countered their arguments against judgment and the return of Christ, and powerfully affirmed the truth of these events. As redeemed people, we are not looking forward to the day of judgment; we are looking beyond the judgment, where He will set up His eternal kingdom in glory. When He arrives, He will bring a cataclysmic end to the entire physical cosmos and create new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
We as Christians are not a part of this world system. We don’t love the world, nor the things that are in the world. We are aliens, strangers, and pilgrims in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven. We look for a city whose builder and maker is God, a city not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 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 (Rev. 21:23). 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 (Rev. 21:27). And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, Peter asks the question, “In view of Christ’s return, what kind of people ought you to be?” He then went on to provide the answer to that question: Because of the certainty of Christ’s return, we must conduct ourselves in holiness and godliness. The implication of Peter’s final words is this: the only things that are going to survive the fiery judgment of God at the end of this age are holiness and godliness. And Peter provides us with seven characteristics as to how we may conduct our lives in a godly manner as we await Christ’s return.
- We must live in Expectation (v12,13)
As Christians, we should be actively anticipating the coming of the Day of God. You ought to have a longing in your heart for the coming of the day of God. You’re not just waiting for it; you want it very badly, and you want it soon. Your active anticipation shapes the way you live. “Remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28). - We must live spotless and blameless lives (v14a)
This is in contrast to the lives of False Teachers (2 Peter 2:13), which speak to their character and reputation. It draws on Old Testament sacrificial language, where offerings had to be perfect, and is achieved through the grace of God in Christ. God has already made His people holy through faith in Christ. He counts our sins as fully paid for by the death of Jesus. He has given us credit for Jesus’ righteous life. God views all believers as spotless and blameless. Eternal salvation is not something we work for or earn. As Peter says in the beginning, we must make every effort to live according to our status. - We must live in peace (v14b)
As Christians, we have peace with God through our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and that relationship must be kept in good condition. For when He comes, He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart (1 Cor 4:5). We should live with a peaceful mind, having the assurance of our salvation, enjoying the peace of God. You have no fear, no anxiety to face the sudden appearance of the Lord Jesus. - We must engage in gospel proclamation (v15)
God is patient and merciful, giving people time to repent before the final judgment. Christ won’t come until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in and the last person is saved. We can’t sit and wait doing nothing till Christ comes -we are to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation. We must actively engage in evangelism to bring those souls to Christ, hastening the coming of the day of God. - We must live with watchfulness (v16,17)
Peter reminds believers that the apostle Paul also wrote about what God will do in the future, and some of it was hard to understand. According to Peter, there are those who see difficult passages as an opportunity to distort the overall truth of God’s Word. And he warns believers about the danger of misinterpreting scriptures by false teaching and urges believers to be on guard against false teachers. Every believer has a responsibility to study and be diligent to pay attention to the Scriptures so they won’t be carried away by error and fall from their steadfastness. - We must grow in the grace and knowledge in Christ (v18a)
It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Jesus, is synonymous with growing in grace. Peter encourages Christians to mature spiritually through a deeper understanding of Jesus and a life lived in accordance with his grace. This growth involves both intellectual knowledge, gained through studying scripture, and relational growth, which is expressed through actions like prayer, worship, and service to others. - We must live a life of worship (v18b)
Peter ends his letter with a call to worship. We are to live to His glory. “God predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace” (Ephesians 1:5-6). And the aim of the election of the believers is that we live to the praise of the glory of this grace forever. It’s man’s holy duty to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His Name. If we fail to give glory to God, He will sanctify His name by means of judgment.
The ultimate purpose of God’s consuming justice is not to scrap the universe but rather to judge evil and injustice and remove it so that a new kind of Heaven and Earth can emerge. It will be a renewed universe that is permeated with righteousness.
Leave A Comment