What Does 2 Peter 3:9 Teach?
There are many in the Christian community who believe that
God wants to save all men, based in part on 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV): The 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. It seems clear to many that this verse teaches
exactly that – God wants all men to come to faith in Christ
Jesus. Since it is just as clear that not all men do come to faith in Christ
Jesus, something else is needed. Enter Charles Finney and his “new methods” and
other things within our control. Is this what honors our Creator and King?
This short article is not a comprehensive examination of any
“new methods” nor of the overall nature of the atonement – Is it intended for
all men or only for those chosen by God to be saved? I simply want to examine
the question, What does 2 Peter 3:9 teach? As with all such questions, we run
to the first rule of hermeneutics – context! What does the paragraph teach,
what does the chapter and book teach? What does the whole Bible teach about the
topic?
The first contextual element gives clear evidence of the
intended meaning of verse 9. Let’s read the paragraph in which this verse
appears. It is widely agreed that a new paragraph starts with verse 8, although
where the paragraph ends appears to be another matter. The ESV is shown below.
2 Peter 3:8 - 10 But do
not overlook this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his
promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the
heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up
and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Peter opens this paragraph addressing his audience: the
beloved, his brothers and sisters in Christ. Whatever comes directly after this
is intended for Christians, not for the world. The main idea presented in this
paragraph is that our Lord is not tied to calendars and time, that His promise
to the elect is a sure thing that will come to pass, culminating in a dramatic
event that cannot be missed.
Verse 9 begins with a clear indication of the subject of the
Lord's desire: YHWH is patient toward you (ESV), or longsuffering
to us-ward (KJV). God is patient towards the beloved, not wishing
that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Not wishing
that any of what group should perish? If we take verse 9b out of its
context, we are free to imagine that Creator God wants to save everybody. As I
observed in the opening, that brings in all sorts of questions and has serious
consequences on our theology of salvation.
But if we allow the Word of God to guide us, the immediate context tells
about whom verse 9 speaks. YHWH is addressing His beloved, and towards them
He is patient, not willing that any of His redeemed lose heart but trust Him to
bring to completion that which He started, as YHWH Himself builds His temple (1
Cor 3:9 & 16; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16) with the spiritual stones (Eph 2:19 – 22; 1
Peter 2:4 & 5) He has chosen. To claim verse 9 shows that YHWH desires all men to be saved actually works violence on the Scriptures, leading
one to conclude the Creator and Sustainer and Judge of all things is unable to
bring His desires to pass – contrary to what is declared about Him in Psalms
115:3 and 135:6.
When our interpretation of Scripture puts limits on God
(beyond what the Bible describes, in that He cannot lie nor can He stop being
YHWH), we know our interpretation is wrong. Every instance I know of wherein
men do such a thing has been founded on a view of man that is too high and a
view of God that is too low. Rather than attempt to bring God down to our
understanding, we should bow before Him as revealed in Scripture and worship
Him in humility.
Before we take a look at the greater context within this
letter, it will be helpful to review the overall structure of this letter.
Chapter 1 has a short greeting with an emphatic description of the believer’s
positon and security in Christ Jesus, and an exhortation regarding the truth of
the gospel. Chapter 2 is a warning about false teachers, their characteristics
and their doom. Chapter 3 turns again to the believers to provide comfort in
the promises of God, His power over all creation, and the beautiful culmination
of His grand plan of redemption of sinners, with words of instruction to
continue to learn about our Lord until He returns.
Now let’s see if there be any reason to overturn the clear
meaning of our subject paragraph. Chapter 3 begins in much the same way as
verse 8, as Peter addresses the audience of his letter as “beloved”,
contrasting these dear brothers and sisters with scoffers and false prophets
who question whether Christ will return. And in passage that ends this chapter,
and the letter, Creator God addresses His people as “beloved” in verse 14 and
17, connecting them with this characterization with the Apostle Paul in verse
15.
The letter begins with a greeting to the saints, who are the
beloved: Simeon Peter, a servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing
with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Every
sentence in this chapter is addressed to these saints, and we see the first use
of the word “beloved” in verse 17 as it is used to describe God the Father’s
view of His Son. There can be no argument that being called “beloved” in this
letter is anything less than a glorious reference to our status as children of
the most high God.
Since chapter 2 addresses believers indirectly, as Peter
describes the enemies of God, we have nothing to add to our review of the topic
in this chapter.
2 Peter begins and ends calling Christians “beloved”, as a reflection of our standing in Christ, and in verse 3:9 it is these people about whom Peter says God is patient towards and not willing that any of them would perish. This is not a half-baked promise to lost people that they can ask Jesus into their hearts and be saved. It is a glorious promise to Christians that those chosen before time (Eph 1:4; Rev 13:8) will be raised from spiritual death to new life in Christ Jesus before that terrible day of judgment. When He returns, one time, it will be bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him (Heb 9:28), those who have been called (John 6:36 – 44). Verse 9 is a promise from God that God will keep His promise to save every sinner He chose – none will perish, but all will come to faith and repentance. Let the saints praise His name!
