2 Peter 3:10-18, Living Steadfastly

As we come to the conclusion of this letter let us review it briefly.

·        1:1-4: We have all that we need for life and godliness.

·        1:5-11: The life we are talking about is described.  It is a life that is growing so that we will not be unfruitful, will make our calling election sure, and that will supply us an entrance into the eternal kingdom of God.

·        1:12-21: The sure word of God has been given through the OT prophets and the NT apostles of Christ.

·        2:1-22:  We must be careful because there will be false teachers in our midst.  They will be known by their worldliness: deception, lust and covetousness being their primary attributes.

·        3:1-7: Not only false teachers but scoffers will also be in our midst, denying the return of Christ, the record of Scripture and the reliability of God.

The issue is this: we have obtained like-precious-faith; but we must add to our faith, growing in our faith, lest you become subject to doubt, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness (3:17).  You may remember how often good kings of Israel stumbled in the later years of their lives (e.g. David, Solomon, Asa, Hezekiah).  What we desire was described by Paul: to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:7).  So what reminders does Peter give us to encourage this?

v Be diligent, v14.  Peter is saying, be diligent to be what you are in Christ.  We were chosen by God to be holy and blameless and in His plan He made us His sons by adoption (Eph. 1:3-5).  This is what we are “in Christ”.  As we often say today, living holy and blameless today must be intentional; it requires moment by moment focus by those who are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

v Be mindful, v15a.  We are to count as true what Peter said about the Lord back in 3:8-9.  God’s patience is not a problem to us; it is our salvation as well as the salvation of others.  The seemingly “extra” time we have should be devoted to the reason our Lord left us here: to make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:18-20).  In this way our Master will find us doing His will when He comes (Luke 12:42-48).

v Be alert, v15b-17.  The issue is to beware lest you also fall … being led away with the error of the wicked (v17).  Peter has called attention to false teachers and to scoffers.  We must be alert to these who twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.  Remember how Peter said the scoffers walk according to their own lusts.  We must instead be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 3:15).

v Be growing, v18.  We must resist the thought that “I’ve made it” or “I am too old to learn”.  We must be adding the virtues of 2 Pt. 1:5-7 to our lives until we die.  We can never stop growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  Perhaps Peter is thinking of Paul here and his words in Phil. 3:7-16.  That I may know Him (Christ) … Not that I have already attained … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Paul said these words later in his life when he was a mature servant of Christ.  Likewise Peter says these words, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, at a point when he thinks he is about to go to be with Christ (2 Pt. 1:14).  Let us be diligent to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ!

TO HIM BE THE GLORY BOTH NOW AND FOREVER.  AMEN!