Tom Lowe
5/6/2021
COMMENTARY—2 Peter, Chapter 3
Note: All Scripture has been copied from the
King James Bible unless noted otherwise.
Commentary
TEXT, 2 PETER, CHAPTER 3 (KJV)
Christ’s Coming Judgment
1This way of remembrance: second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by 2That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Day of the Lord
(Zephaniah 1:7-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Final Exhortations
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is Salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING.
The previous chapter dealt with denouncing false teachers. This chapter returns to the faithful believers, offering them love and encouragement to remember God’s words to them (3:1-2), to remember God’s timing is different from their expectation so that they could counter the scoffers (3:8), to be faithful (3:14), and to stay away from false teaching (3:17).
COMMENTARY
1. This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
Peter’s purpose was to remind the believers that their lives should be characterized by wholesome thinking (meaning sincerity and purity of understanding). Plato had used these verses to refer to pure reason uncontaminated by the senses. The thinking and intentions of God’s people must be able to stand up under scrutiny and not be led astray by immoral desires. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9).
2That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Peter tells the “FALSE TEACHERS” “that ye may be MINDFUL of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets,” especially those false teachers, who were causing him trouble, with their lies and false doctrine. Paul assures us that in this, we are guaranteed the valuable help of the Holy Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:10-16). He indicates that we should get to work on what we store in our minds. He was constantly ENCOURAGING the younger folks to fill their minds with Holy Scripture—to read it, memorize it, and reflect on it; these were the habits they commanded.
The author presents two good ideas:
1) Words presented by the holy prophets
2) the commandments of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ
One is a reference to the OT, and 2 to the NT. The words of the Holy Prophets are from NT prophets, and the commandments of authority are from NT apostles. NT prophets are not necessarily dealing with subjects relating to the future. Still, most of their work consisted of bringing the Word of God orally to the saints of their generation. These words would be in contrast and opposition to the error of false teachers.
The commandments of “your apostles” would be stamped with AUTHORITY as doctrine. The apostles’ teaching became the FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH for their generation but is of particular relevance for future generations. The fact that Peter says, “YOUR APOSTLES” suggests that he is thinking of the Lord as the source and the apostles as the suppliers of their doctrines. I mean that He includes Paul with the other true apostles, known to the saints.
The reference to the WORD OF GOD in these two verses is supplemented throughout the chapter with different descriptions of it to show its variety with its value.
3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers.” Peter has the words, “knowing this first,” in 2 Peter 1:20, where he speaks of the interpretation of prophecy; he repeats them now when referring to the scoffers who mocked at the long delay of the Lord’s coming foretold by the prophets. The Revised Version has, “Mockers shall come with mockery.” This represents the words “that there shall come in the last days scoffers,” found in nearly all the best manuscripts, emphasizing the expression after the Hebrew manner. In Jude 1:18, there occurs a very similar phrase, “walking after their own lusts.” Self-indulgence often leads to skepticism. This verse is quoted in a homily (sermon)ascribed to Hippolytus.
4. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
The first Christians did not expect to die. When a few Thessalonian converts had “fallen asleep.” Paul assured the church that there would be at no disadvantage by comparison with the majority who would live until the coming of the Lord (1 Thes. 4:13-18). However, Paul was sure that neither he nor his contemporaries would “sleep.” Instead, they would be “changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
In the previous verse, Peter warned that false teachers among the Christians would be “scoffers” or “mockers.” Here in verse 4, we see what they are mocking: the return of Christ. According to the Bible, Jesus will return in glory to be revealed to all as Lord and judge the world’s people (John 14:1–3). False teachers dispute this claim. The essence of this deceptive mocking is the claim that we know better than God. At least, we know when things should occur better than God does. The false teachers seem to be saying, “Jesus promised He would come back, but that was too long ago. The world just keeps going on and on in the same way it always has. So Jesus must not be coming back.” As a result, these deceivers convince others that God’s other promises are not true. If there is no return of Christ, their argument goes, there must not be a judgment coming for sin. So God must not care about our sin. So it is acceptable to be “free” and do whatever you feel like doing. This, of course, is both false and dangerous thinking.
The false teachers point back to the deaths—the “falling asleep”—of the Jewish fathers or ancestors. In other words, the men who made the prophecies about the return of Christ were long dead. When Peter wrote these words, even some of the apostles who had predicted the return of Jesus were already passed away. Of course, these predictions are even older in our modern-day, and the men who made them even longer dead. However, the world keeps ticking along in the way it always has. False teachers argue that the physical world has been operating in a normal, predictable, uniform manner for all of recorded history. In some disciplines, this perspective is sometimes called “uniformitarianism.” Spiritual events may have taken place, but the “real world” never varies. This can lead to a wrong conclusion about spiritual matters: God will not intervene in the physical world. That God always lets it go along its natural course.
Peter will dismantle this view in the following few verses.
Context Summary
2 Peter 3:1–13 includes Peter’s dismantling of the arguments of the false teachers. They will scoff because Christ’s promised return has not yet happened, and the world continues as if nothing will ever change. Peter reminds Christians that God made the world, and Noah’s flood is evidence that He is willing to alter it to bring judgment on the sins of humanity. In the coming judgment, everything will be destroyed and laid bare with fire. Christians look forward to the new heavens and
earth, which will come after.
5.For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
“For this they willingly are ignorant of,” ‘wilfully forgot, that by the word of God, etc. That there were heavens from of old and an out of water and through water and an earth compacted out of the water and through water by the Word of God (Gen. 1:2). A thing is made out of water and through its material. The mockers forget that God who made could also break up what He has made by His word.
Note: In the previous verse, Peter described the mockery of the false teachers. These men are trying to deceive Christians in the early church by asking, “WHERE IS JESUS?” He promised to return, but it has been too long. If He were coming back to judge the world, He would have been here by now.”
This claim is both short-sighted and incomplete. It also leads to a very wrong conclusion: that God does not intervene in the physical world. It assumes that He always lets the world run along without interference. So, the thought goes, Jesus is not coming in glory to disrupt the status quo. There will not be a judgment. We are free to do whatever we want without ever having to worry about God judging us for sin.
The view of the mockers and false teachers is also contradicted by history. In the next verse, Peter will refer to Noah’s flood. This is a crystal clear example of God intervening in the physical world to judge the sins of humanity. The earth was formed out of water, and by water, Peter writes, and then God used water to destroy nearly all the life He had created on the earth.
6. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
The world (physical but orderly creation) that then was (v. 6) is contrasted with the world as it is now (v. 7). That world was overflowed with water, submerged but never out of His control. It was subject to His word. Some scholars suggest that this event took place between Gen 1:1 and 1:2; others relate it with the deluge reported in Gen. 6. Both were cataclysmic, but since Peter has already mentioned the deluge of Gen. 6 in 2:5, I would suggest that he is referring to it again.
That a world should perish could never be wiped out of the history of man, but these scoffers deliberately neglect the evidence.
Peter then indicates that this present creation is also a moral sphere, and just as ungodliness was judged in the ancient world, so will it be judged again. The element used in this judgment will not be water but FIRE. God destroyed the old world by flooding it with water, which was already in it, and out of it had emerged. So God has other elements, and He will employ them to purge this present world. The worldwide calamity of the flood proves the instability of the world and makes the mockers’ theory untenable. What was formed out of and sustained by water was destroyed by it. The voice of history loudly proclaims the truth and exposes the lies of the false teachers. When men refused the message of Enoch and of Noah, they perished. Peter now argues that the same Word of God foretells a judgment by fire. His word, the power of which created and removed the old, established the present order of creation and will judge it too, but with (in) fire.
The present world is kept in store, treasured up in custody. Here the keeping in-store is attributed to God, whereas Paul in Rom. 2:5 attributes the storing up to unrepentant men with hard hearts who despise the grace of God. They will receive back their store of impiety in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
Nevertheless, Peter says that God has stored up; see Col. 1:17: “In Him, all things hold together.” TODAY, HE IS RESTRAINING THE ELEMENTS with their incredible arsenal of energy. The explosive potential of the elements was there before the discovery of splitting the atom. It is available for use on the day of judgment for the destruction of ungodly men. Today, God is ACTING IN GRACE, and then He will ACT IN JUDGMENT.
8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(3;8) Peter had made his point that Christ would return and bring judgment, but the question remained, “WHY WAS THE LORD DELAYING SO LONG?” Peter offered two reasons in 3:8-9. First of all, the Lord does not count time the way we do. He is above and outside the sphere of time. God sees all of eternity past and eternity future. Indeed, to Him, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day (Ps, 90:4)[1]. God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. Nevertheless, God is not slow; He just does not operate according to our timetable.
(3:9) The second reason for the Lord being slow about His promise to return was His patience. He does not want anyone to perish, so He is giving more time for everyone to repent. He wants as many people as will to come to faith in Him. God is not ‘slow’ at all. Love is the reason that He delays the destruction of the world.
Some have attempted to make this verse mean that everyone will be saved. However, nowhere does Scripture teach UNIVERSAL SALVATION. This verse means that God, in His great compassion, does not desire that anyone should “perish” (referring to eternal destruction). He wants every person to turn to Him and trust Him. God is loving, but He also executes perfect justice. His perfect love causes Him to be merciful to those who recognize their sin snd turn back to Him, but He cannot ignore those who willfully sin. Wicked people die both physically and spiritually. God takes no joy in their deaths; He would prefer that they turn to Him and have eternal life. However, THE PROMISE OF JUDGMENT AND DESTRUCTION shows that God knows that many will not choose to follow Him.
10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Nevertheless, the day of the patience of the Lord and the day of preaching repentance is now finished; the day of the Lord arrives in this verse. Is this then man’s day? No! Not at all! The day of the Lord has arrived-the day when the Lord acts in judgment.
The expression “day of the Lord” is often found in the OT, usually referring to a DAY OF RETRIBUTION AND JUDGMENT. The prophets pointed ahead in their ministry to the day when the Lord would reign in righteousness. The references to the “DAY OF THE LORD” indicate clearly that the heavens and the earth will know its influence. Earth dwellers will be caught unawares. They will not expect it when it arrives. The Lord cometh “as a thief in the night.” It comes, and the poor unsuspecting victims of the false teaching by the false prophets and false teachers now discover they have been duped and deceived and ultimately damned.
Those who follow the clear teaching of the OT and NT will not be overtaken; they are not blind; they have the light of Scripture. They know exactly what Peter is saying with certainty that the day will come.
In Hebrews 1-10, Paul wrote: “…9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You Above Your companions with the oil of joy.” 10And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment.….” He also wrote in Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Heaven and earth will pass away, but not until all Scripture has been fulfilled perfectly.
We take comfort that all this judgment is under the control of the Lord. Heaven and earth with their elements will remain until He has fulfilled every promise. He shall not have an UNFULFILLED PROMISE nor an UNCONTROLLED HOLOCAUST.
13. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
We, according to his promise, look for new heavens-The promise to which the apostle alludes, is found Isaiah 65:17; “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind;” and Isaiah 66:22; “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed, etc. Although these may be interpreted as THE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION yet, if Peter refers to them, they must have a more symbolic meaning.
It does appear, from these promises, that what the apostle says here, and what is said in Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:14, Revelation 22:15, that the present earth, though destined to be burned up, will not be destroyed, but be renewed and refined, purged from all moral and natural imperfection, and made the permanent abode of blessed spirits. But this state is undoubtedly to be expected after the day of judgment; for on this the apostle is very express, who says the blaze and renovation are to take place at the judgment of the great day; see 2 Peter 3:7, 2 Peter 3:8, 2 Peter 3:10, 2 Peter 3:12. That such an event may occur is possible, and, from the terms used by St. Peter, is very probable. And, indeed, it is more reasonable and philosophical to conclude that the earth shall be refined and restored than finally destroyed. However, this has nothing to do with what some call the millennium state, as this shall take place when time, with the present state and order of things, shall be no more.
When the day of God’s intervention arrives, it will be as unexpected as a thief. Christ’s return will bring all things to their destiny - destruction for all that is wicked, new life for the righteous. Christians should live in a state of constant readiness for that day by being holy in their conduct and dedicated to God in their manner of living (10-13).
11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved -Since this is a certainty.
What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness-We are to act in holy conduct and piety. That is, this fact ought to be allowed to exert a deep and abiding influence on us, to induce us to lead holy lives. We should feel that there is nothing permanent on the earth that this is not our abiding home; and that our significant interests are in another world. We should be serious, humble, and prayerful; and should make it our great object to be prepared for the solemn scenes through which we are soon to pass. A habitual contemplation of the truth that all we see is soon to pass away would produce a most beneficial effect on the mind. It would make us serious. It would repress ambition. It would lead us not to desire to accumulate what must so soon be destroyed. It would prompt us to lay up our treasures in heaven. It would cause us to ask with deep earnestness whether we are prepared for these amazing scenes, should they suddenly burst upon us.
12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
“Looking for” — Earnestly desiring, “and hasting unto” — Or hasting on, namely, by your earnest desires and fervent prayers; “the coming of the day of God” — Fitly so called, because God will then make such a display of his glorious perfections as was never made before; of his power, in raising all the dead, and transforming all the living in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and in destroying the present world, and preparing for his people a new heaven and a new earth; of his wisdom, in showing that he knew, and will now bring into judgment, all the thoughts, desires, and designs, the dispositions, words, and actions of all the thousands of millions of human beings that had lived on earth in the different ages of the world; of his justice, in rendering unto every man, with infinite exactness, according to his works, and rewarding with tribulation those that troubled his saints and servants; of his mercy and love in justifying, at his judgment-seat, his believing and obedient people, and in conferring upon them an incorruptible and eternal inheritance; and of his truth, in punctually fulfilling all his promises and threatenings, and making good all his declarations. “Wherein the heavens being on fire,” &c. — The apostle repeats his former testimony because of its great importance. In speaking of them, he uses an expression which he did not use in 2 Peter 3:10. There his words were, “The elements, burning, shall be dissolved;” here he says, “The elements, burning, shall melt;” a “word which is applied to the melting of metals by fire. Wherefore, as the elements signify the integral parts of anything, the expression, “shall melt,” applied to the basic parts of the earthly globe, intimates that the whole, by the intense heat of the blaze, is to be reduced into one homogeneous fluid mass of burning matter. Consequently, that it is not the surface of the earth, with all the things thereon, which is to be burned, as some have imagined, but the whole globe of the earth.” Moreover, he is here speaking of these elements and, consequently, the destruction of this earth, appears still further by the promise made in the next verse.
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
“Wherefore,” review the weightier matters discussed, and as we expect them (look for) so let the truth of them shape our lives. We are the beloved- the objects of divine love and divine promise. No one has a future so bright and glorious, so in this present age, “be diligent.” Let us not be indifferent; the world hurries on to a fiery judgment; the whole of this present age will be burned up, but we are subjects of His promise, so let us be positive in our testimony now. If false teachers delude men to think that there is nothing but blank negative at the end, then we can understand why men abandon themselves to a gay life in sin. However, we look for a future that is bright and glorious. Does it affect us now? John says, he “that has this hope . . . purifieth himself” (John 3:3). Paul says, “Stand fast in the Lord” (Phil. 4:1). Peter here calls for diligence. In 1:5, 10, 15, he invited the saints to be careful, studiously pragmatic. In this final section, he emphasizes the need to be diligently busy in the things of God as we eagerly await the coming day when the final promises of God will be fulfilled. We must keep ourselves without spot and unblamable by him that we may be found in peace having no spot to disfigure Christian character. No blot is attached to our Christian testimony, whereas in 2:13, false teachers and their followers have both the spot and the blemish. In 1 Peter 1:19, we learn that Jesus had no spot or blemish, internally pure and externally beautiful. These two characteristics in us are for His pleasure. The outcome of such a life is peace. The agitation that sin and error bring belongs to mockers. The deep-seated peace is that enjoyed blessing of the saints now.
15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is Salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
(3:15) The waiting for the parousia[2] bespeaks (signifies) the patient waiting of our Lord. In verse 9, he has instructed that what might seem to be a delay is, in reality, a revelation of “the longsuffering of the Lord” Jesus Christ. This alleged delay is to continue the offer of “salvation.” He is not willing that any should perish. Having made ample provision for sinners, the Lord waits in the office of Savior for them to repent.
“Our beloved brother Paul” shows the kind, affectionate heart of Peter. Despite the embarrassment of earlier days, he appreciates the true worth of this valued servant of the Lord. To Peter, Paul was not just a brother, but a beloved brother, despite Acts 3:15 and Gal. 2:11-14. Paul recognized publically that Peter had the word of wisdom and had written to them. This, of course, begs the question, “To which letter or letters that Paul had written are Peter referring.” He may be referring to all of them, for in each set, he writes about future events. In our NT, we have four sets of preserved letters written by Peter and Paul:
1. 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the earliest writings of Paul, both deal
extensively with prophesy relating to the Church, the coming of the Lord Jesus, the workings of Satan, his appearing, and defeat.
2. Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians; the unfulfilled promises of God; doctrine with the errors of the false teachers; future regathering of Israel.
3. Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon-commonly known as the prison letters; prophecy; Jesus is the Head over all things and headed up with Him are all things in the dispensation of the age of ages (Eph. 1:10). He is the image (Col. 1:15) of the invisible God, and he will effect the final reconciliation of all things and for Himself. The futuristic teaching mainly refers to Christ and His Church.
4. 2 Peter, Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy; commonly known as the Pastoral letters; description of the Lord Jesus Christ as God our Saviour and His future glory.
It is apparent from the preserved epistles of Paul and Peter that these two men agreed in their prophetic teaching, agreed in their teaching that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), that Jesus created all things, that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, that Salvation comes through faith in Jesus, that He fulfilled His promises on time, and without any delay, etc.
17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
“Seeing ye know these things before,”
Being aware of this danger and knowing that such results may follow. People should read the Bible to feel that they may fall into error and be deceived at last. This apprehension will do much to make them diligent, and candid, and prayerful in studying the Word of God.
“With the error of the wicked,”
Wicked men, much as he had referred to in 2 Peter 2, who became public teachers of religion.
“Fall from your own steadfastness.”
The particular danger here referred to is not that of falling from grace or from true religion, but from the firm and settled principles of religious truth into error.
18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
“But grow in grace” - Compare Colossians 1:10. Religion, in general, is often represented as “GRACE” since every part of it is the result of grace or unmerited favor, and to “grow in grace” is to increase in that which constitutes TRUE RELIGION. Religion is as susceptible of cultivation and of growth as any other virtue of the soul. It is feeble in its beginnings, like the grain of mustard seed, or like the germ or blade of the plant, and it increases as it is cultivated. No piety in the world is NOT the result of cultivation, which cannot be measured by the degree of care and attention bestowed upon it. No one becomes eminently pious, any more than one becomes eminently learned or rich, who does not intend to, and ordinarily, men in religion are what they design to be. They have about as much religion as they wish and possess about the character which they intend to possess. When men reach extraordinary elevations in religion, like Baxter, Payson, and Edwards, they have gained only what they meant to gain; and the gay and worldly professors of religion who have little comfort and peace have the characters which they designed to have. If these things are so, then we may see the propriety of the injunction “to grow in grace,” and then to we may see the reason why so feeble attainments are made in piety by the great mass of those who profess religion.
“And in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”-See the notes at John 17:3. Compare the notes at Colossians 1:10. To know the Lord Jesus Christ-to possess just views of his person, character, and work-is the sum and essence of the Christian religion. With this injunction, therefore, the apostle appropriately closes this epistle. He who has a saving knowledge of Christ has intact all that is essential to his welfare in the life that is, and in that which is to come; he who has not this knowledge, though he may be distinguished in the learning of the schools, and maybe profoundly skilled in the sciences, has, in reality, no knowledge that will avail him in the significant matters about his eternal welfare.
“To him be glory”- Compare the Romans 16:27 note; 2 Timothy 4:18 note. With the desire that honor and glory should be rendered to the Redeemer, all the aspirations of true Christians appropriately close. There is no wish more deeply cherished in their hearts than this; there is nothing that will enter more into their worship in heaven. Compare Revelation 1:5-6; Revelation 5:12-13
General Notes
[1]. “A thousand years”—how long a time it seems to us. The United States does not have a quarter of that much history. A thousand years ago in England, William the Conqueror had not yet landed his Norman adventurers on Britain’s shores. To God, a thousand years is but a single evening, a watch, the third part of a single day. A “watch” in the Old Testament was approximately 4 hours. The night was divided into three watches: (1) sunset until 10:00 PM; (2) 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM; and (3) 2:00 AM until sunrise. In the New Testament, references to watches in the night may not conform to this schedule because the Romans scheduled four watches of three hours each.
God watches us hurrying through our little span of life, our three score years and 10. His sympathy goes out to us because of the tyranny time has over us. He has engineered us for eternity, yet we are prisoners of time. We keep in mind, then, the perspective of the sovereignty of God and the perspective of the sympathy of God.
[2] Parousia is another term for Second Coming.
Paul said he was the chief of sinners. I would not say that about myself, but friend, I was undoubtedly a sinner, for I was a liar, thief, bully, morally deficient (that one is between God and me), and cheater. I was not a good man at all. I prayed for God to change me. Praise Him. I love Him more than you know. He did it; He chose a wife for me. Her name is Sierra, and She is my soulmate. We have been married for 55 years. I do not know how she put up with me all the time.
