COMMENTS
I love the
way Peter ends his letter! The reason
for writing the letter (warning against false teachers and false doctrine)
required him to say some hard things, and he didn’t shy away from that. However, he ends with hope and encouragement
and arguments for obedience. A good
example for us all….
NOTES
Much of what
Peter says in these last few verses is a repeat of things he’s already said;
but as I mentioned above, they are couched in hope, encouragement, and solid reasoning. For example, in verse 12, he reiterates that
this world will be destroyed by fire; but he also reminds us that God will
create a new heaven and a new earth. Verse
15 is a reminder that “our Lord’s patience means salvation”, and in verse 17
Peter says that we should be “on [our] guard so that [we] may not be carried
away by the error of lawless men”—his whole reason for writing the letter in
the first place.
As I read through
this passage, I noticed another instance of repetition. Did you see it? Peter uses “look[ing] forward” three times in
these few verses. Sometimes, our ability
to endure the tough things is based on the reward at the end: the pain of childbirth is endured because of
the sweet baby the mother will hold afterward; the tough football practices in
the heat are endured so that the athletes will be better players and have a
good football team; the debilitating cancer treatments are endured in hopes
that they will defeat the cancer.
Looking forward is a powerful motivator!
Without something to look forward to, many hard things would not even be
attempted!
So, Peter
reminds us that we have something wonderful to look forward to: this world will pass away, but a better one
is coming! As we go through this life,
it’s easy to get focused on what’s right here in front of us; but we can stay
the course more effectively if we will focus instead on what’s to come. In the long run, none of this stuff down here
will last.
How, then,
should “looking forward” to a better world affect our choices here and now. Peter tells us—each reference to looking
forward is accompanied by character qualities that will be developed in the
process. Verses 11 and 12 say that we “ought
to live holy and godly lives as [we] look forward to the day of God and
speed its coming”. Verse 13 says that
the new heaven and new earth we are looking forward to will be “the home of righteousness”
(so if we want to be there, we need to be righteous). Verse 14 reminds us that since (not if!) we
are looking forward to the things mentioned above, we will “make every effort
to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him (God)”.
False
doctrine will not bring about these things.
Whatever is not from God is opposed to God. Godliness brings
righteousness and unity. Rebellion
brings sin and discord.
That makes
me think of something else that I’d like to bring out. In 2 Peter 3:15, Peter mentions his “dear
brother Paul”. If you’re not familiar
with their history, let me tell you about it.
Paul tells us in Galatians 2:11-14 that he publicly admonished Peter for
being a hypocrite in his dealings with the Jews and Gentiles; and his
misbehavior had led others astray, as well.
That kind of confrontation often injures one’s pride and creates a barrier
in a relationship that cannot be overcome.
In verse 14, Paul pointed out that Peter had been deceived by false
doctrine: “When I saw that they were not
acting in line with the truth of the gospel”.
Recognizing this, Paul was obligated to challenge them with the
truth. Peter repented, corrected his
behavior, and was humble enough to call Paul his “dear brother”. That’s a flesh-and-blood example of God’s Truth
versus the error of false teaching.
It’s
important for us to remember one final VERY IMPORTANT point. We can’t live “holy and godly lives” or be “righteous”,
“spotless”, “blameless”, or “at peace with [God]” by our own efforts. As humans, most of us try to do things on our
own. We might be able to pull that off
with some things, but not with this! Our
only hope of success is given in the final verse of Peter’s letter:
“But grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
