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2 Peter Chapter
Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Knowledge Believers
Have to Obtain of the True and False Knowledge
A. The day of the Lord will bring different
ends to the true and false knowledge (v.1-13);
1. Let us remember the words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior (v.1-2).
2. Scoffers will come in the last days to scorn the promise of the Lord’s coming
(v.3-4).
3. They willfully forget that the world that
then existed perished by flood and will be burned by fire (v.5-7).
4. The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, but is longsuffering (v.8-9).
5. The Lord will come as a thief and all things
will be burnt up by fire (v.10
6. Only righteousness will dwell in the new
heavens and a new earth (v.13b)
B. Let us grow in the grace and knowledge of
the Lord (v.14-18);
1. Be diligent to be found by the Lord in peace
and blameless (v.14).
2. Do not twist the epistles of Paul and the
rest of the Scriptures (v.15-16).
3. Beware of being led away with the error of
the wicked (v.17).
4. Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord
(v.18).
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
2Pet. 3:1
“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up
your pure minds by way of reminder),”
YLT: “This, now, beloved, a second
letter to you I write, in both which I stir up your pure mind in reminding ,”
Meaning of Words:
“second”: again, second;
“reminder”: reminding, recollection; “stir up”: arouse, wake fully; “pure”:
sincere; “mind”: imagination, understanding;
Literal Meaning:
“beloved”,
it appears four times in the whole chapter (see
v.1, 8, 14, 17), according to which this chapter can be divided into four
parts: a) v.1-7 “beloved…let us be reminded…”; b) v.8-13 “beloved…do not
forge…”; c) v.14-16 “beloved…be diligent…”; d) v.17-18 “beloved…beware…”;
“I
now write to you this second epistle”, it shows that there is another first
epistle, namely, the First Epistle of Peter.
“(In
both of which I … by way of
reminder)”, “reminder”, it means that the recipient had ever
heard something and then forgot it. Therefore, they have to be reminded again.
“Stir
up your pure minds”, “stir up”: arouse one’s realization of
possessing something by manifesting its functions; “pure”: sincere, genuine;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Preachers sometimes have to be tireless to
repeat some knowledge or topics to “remind” believers to pay attention to them.
2) Wise shepherds shepherd the flocks of God.
It is better to “remind” than “escape”, and to “stir up” than “infuse into”.
2Pet. 3:2 “that you 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 Savior,”
YLT:
“to be mindful of the sayings said before by the holy prophets, and of the
command of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,”
Meaning
of Words: “mindful”: remember, have in remembrance; “spoken
before”: foretell, tell
before; “commandment”: precept;
Literal
Meaning: “that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets”, “be mindful of”: not remember between times, but
bear in mind always; “holy prophets”: those who speak for God, especially the
prophets in the Old Testament (see Luke 1:70); “the words which were spoken before”: words clearly recorded in the Old
Testament;
“And of the commandment of us, the
apostles of the Lord and Savior”,
“the Lord” emphasizes His authority; “Savior” emphasizes His ministry;
“commandment”: His words spoken to men; “apostles”, it the early church time,
the Lord Jesus personally set and sent twelve apostles (see Matt. 10:1-4; Acts
1:26) as well as the apostle Paul (see v.15-16);
This verse speaks of the origins and
categories of the Scriptures: 1) words spoken by the prophets ---- the main
constitutions of the Old Scriptures; 2) the commandment of the Lord and Savior
---- words and works concerning the Lord Jesus in the New Testament (especial
the gospel books); 3) the commandment of the apostles ---- the apostles’
epistles in the New Testament;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus is the builder of the church
(see Matt. 16:18) upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (see Eph.
2:20). Therefore, the whole Bible of both the Old and New Scriptures delivered
to the church is divinely inspired (see 2Tim. 3:16), and is the only book
providing the standard of faith for believers today.
2) “Apostles” according to the source scripture
can be translated as “your apostles”. The apostles are for us, and of us (see
1Cor. 3:12). They live fully for serving all believers, not ruling them (see
1Pet. 5:3).
3) Any word outside of the Scriptures (see Rev.
22:18-19).
4) Let us often meditate the words in the
Scriptures and bear them in mind (see Deut. 6:6-9).
2Pet.3:3 “knowing this first: that
scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,”
YLT:
“this first knowing, that there shall come in the latter end of the days
scoffers, according to their own desires going on,”
Meaning
of Words: “first”: primary;
“know”: understand; “scoffer”: mocker, derider; “according to”: follow,
according as;
Literal
Meaning: “this first”,
the following words are so important that we have to primarily pay attention
to.
“Knowing … that scoffers will come in
the last days”, “the last days” refer to the times of grace in the
New Testament or the end of the times of grace in the New Testament, namely,
the period before the last days. “Will come”, it shows that such men must
appear. “Scoffers”: those who do not believe the Bible is the word of God (see
v.4-5), namely, the false teachers who do not confess the Lord and forsake the
Lord’s words (see 2:1, 21) and like to scorn the Scriptures.
“Walking according to their own lusts”, “according to their own lusts”: speak to satisfy one’s lusts according to
fleshly instinct;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The important truth of the second coming of
Christ is the theme of the spiritual war and the center of conflicts between
the spiritual and those who are in the flesh as well as the focus of conflicts
between the spirit and flesh in a Christian ---- seek the spiritual growth? Or
seek fleshly satisfaction?
2) If preachers or believers explain the Bible
in the mind of the flesh, they may distort or ignore verses unfavorable to
them, thus making a trade of the word of God (2Cor. 2:17) and failing to cut a
straight line of the word of truth (see 2Tim. 2:15).
2Pet.3:4 “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 creation."”
YLT:
“and saying, `Where is the promise of his presence? for since the fathers did
fall asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation;'”
Meaning
of Words: “coming”: presence; “promise”: declaration, announcement; “fathers”:
forefathers, parents; “fall
asleep”: put to sleep, be dead; “all things”: all; “beginning”: all creature; “continue as they
were”: stay constantly, remain constantly;
Literal
Meaning: “and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming”? It does not mean
that they have not found the promise of the Lord’s coming, but they have not
seen any sign of the accomplishment of this promise so as to regard it a vain
promise ---- they ask: “what is the nature of the promise?”
“For since the fathers fell asleep”,
“fathers”, because the promise of the Lord’s
coming again is given to the fathers in the Old Testament (see Dan. 7:13-14;
Mal. 4:1-3 etc.); “since the fathers fell asleep”: since the promise of the
Lord’s coming was given;
“All things continue as they were from the beginning of
creation”, it points that
since the universe remains the same and will be so in future, the Lord will not
come.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The stableness and order of the universe is
the sign of God’s upholding all things. Though all things are kept in order, it
does not mean God has forgotten the promise of the Lord’s coming to judge the
world.
2) The infidels comment on the Scriptures
always with a scientific insight. The last days in the Scriptures are merely a
fright in their sight and only the foolish will believe.
2Pet.3:5 “For this they willfully
forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of water and in the water,”
YLT:
“for this is unobserved by them willingly, that the heavens were of old, and
the earth out of water and through water standing together by the word of God,”
Meaning
of Words: “willfully”: deliberately, purposefully; “forget”: hide,
ignore; “of
old”: a long time ago; “stand
out”: consist, exhibit;
Literal
Meaning: “for this they willfully forget”,
it shows that they ignore the fact recorded
in the Scriptures deliberately. These disputants always willfully ignore the
views opposite to theirs.
“That by the word of God the heavens were of old”, “of old”: when all
things were firstly created (see Gen. 1:1); “the word of God”: the worlds were
framed by the word of God (see Heb. 11:3); “the heavens”: God created the
heavens before the earth (see Ps. 33:6).
“And the earth standing out of water and in the water”, in the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). The creation of the heavens was
succeeded by that of the earth. “Standing out of water”, the earth was totally
covered by water. And God said, Let the water under heavens be gathered
together to one place and let the dry land appear (see Gen. 1:9). “Standing …
in the water”: the land was standing through water. And the water and earth
existed together ---- the earth was in the water and the water was in the
earth.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Heretical or extreme doctrines may often
catch merely one word of the Scriptures one-sided. Therefore, let us discern
and judge every word according to the whole Scriptures.
2) Nothing shall be impossible with God (Luke
1:37). The heavens and the earth were created by the word of God, and the
promise of the Lord’s coming is the word of God. Indeed the word of God is enough
to destroy the heavens and the earth He created. The problem of men today is
whether they have believed the word of God.
3) The word is settled in the heavens forever
(Ps. 119:89). And the promise of the Lord’s coming must be fulfilled.
2Pet.3:6 “by which the world that
then existed perished, being flooded with water.”
YLT:
“through which the then world, by water having been deluged, was destroyed;”
Meaning
of Words: “by which”: through
which; “world”: orderly arrangement; “be flooded”: overflow, deluge; “perish”:
destory;
Literal
Meaning: “by which”: by the word of God; “the world
that then existed” has two meanings: 1) the world that was firstly created (see
Gen. 1:1-2); 2) the world in the age of Noah (see Gen. 6:11-12); “world” in the
source scripture means the orderly arrangement;
“Perished,
being flooded with water”, it also implies
two meanings: 1) it was God’s judgment upon the former world before He created
again (see Gen. 1:1-2 “darkness” suggests the flood covered the whole earth);
2) it indicates that God judged the corrupted world in the generation of Noah
by the flood (see Gen. 7:17-24; 6:11-13).
Note that the previous two times of destruction of the world by flood
might be both by the word of God. Therefore, “by which” in this verse means “by
the two times of God’s word”.
Note that “the
world that then existed” according to verse
five was the first world in the beginning of Genesis. However, according to
verse seven “the
heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word”, it was the world in chapter six of the
Book of Genesis, for the present world was the renewed world after that
judgment (see Gen. 8:21-22). The conclusion is that the apostle Peter may
mention two worlds and two times of flood.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The world was created and stood by the word
of God (see v.5) and was once destroyed by the word of God. Today, God still
upholds all things by the word of His power (see Heb. 1:3). He spoke and it
was. He commanded, and it stood fast (Ps. 33:9).
2) God is able to maintain life through water,
and also destroy life through water. Anything in the hands of God can be used
by Him. If we believers want to be positively used by God, let us cherish and
value God’s word.
2Pet.3:7 “But the heavens and the
earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the
day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
YLT:
“and the present heavens and the earth, by the same word are treasured, for
fire being kept to a day of judgment and destruction of the impious men.”
Meaning
of Words: “now”: today;
“reserve”: keep, preserve; “perdition”: destruction;
Literal
Meaning: “but the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by
the same word”, the heavens and the earth
which are now…”: the heavens and
the earth through which we live today; “preserved by the same word”: be reserved by the word of God (see Gen.
8:22);
“Are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men”, “ungodly”: those
who do not believe; “the day of judgment and perdition”: the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment of God
(
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The flood in the past merely destroyed
everything creeping on the ground. But the fire will burn all living creatures
and all things in the heavens and the earth (see v.10, 12). Only the spirit
shall return unto God who gave it (Eccl. 12:7). Therefore, let us spare efforts
on “our spiritual life”.
2) On that day, everything will be through
fire. And all that is able to abide by fire will be saved. However, even though
someone is saved, he shall suffer loss (see 1Cor. 3:13-15). All that cannot
abide by fire will be burned.
3) Our God is fire (Heb. 12:29), who will purge
all the people and things unworthy of His holiness by fire.
2Pet.3:8 “But, beloved, do not
forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day.”
YLT:
“And this one thing let not be unobserved by you, beloved, that one day with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day;”
Meaning
of Words: “forget”: ignore,
neglect;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved”, it shows that: 1) Peter exhorts the readers of this
epistle in love; 2) the following words (v.8-13) are different from the
previous words (v.1-7). The first seven words dispute the false teachers about
their mocking words, and the following verses exhort believers how to look upon
the Lord’s coming.
“But do not forget this one thing”, “one thing”: it is
that the Lord has not yet fulfilled the promise of His coming. “Do not forget”:
we have to look upon it in the sight of God.
“That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years”, “with the Lord …”
here Peter explains the meaning of time to the Lord; “one day is as a
thousand”, it means: 1) to the Lord, one day is not too short, and he pays
attentions to men’s everything in every day; 2) the Lord sees men’s everything
in every day with a long-term sight.
“And a thousand years as one day”, this verse is quoted from the Book of Psalm
(90:4), which indicates that: 1) a thousand years pass quickly. And time to the
Lord is not too long. 2) The patience of the Lord is so infinite that even
though He has waited for a though years, He still see it as yesterday when it
is past.
“That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day”, in a word, it
tells us: 1) to the Lord, there is no difference between the length or
shortness of time. He pays attention to the fulfillment of His will only; 2)
the Lord’s works are not limited by time. He can wait for men with patience. 3)
The only problem to the Lord is opportunity (whether men’s conditions are
suitable), not willingness or power.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The divine way of calculating time is
different from the human way. Therefore, let us not measure the time of God
according to human way.
2) Christians have to see time according to the
sight of God ---- ignore not the short day nor the prophecies in the Scriptures
because of “”
2Pet.3:9 “The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward
us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
YLT:
“the Lord is not slow in regard to the promise, as certain count slowness, but
is long-suffering to us, not counselling any to be lost but all to pass on to
reformation,”
Meaning
of Words: “slack”: tardiness,
slowness; “longsuffering”:
forebear, patient; “perish”:
destroy, lose; “repentance”:
compunction, reversal;
Literal
Meaning: “the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness”,
“promise”: the promise of the Lord’s coming;
“slackness”: fail to fulfill or be unable to fulfill; “is not slack”: it is not
God that delays the Lord’s coming.
“But is longsuffering toward us”, “longsuffering toward us”, it shows that it is
men that delay the Lord’s coming. The promise of the Lord’s coming has not been
fulfilled ---- it is not God that delays, but we believers that have not
prepared us to see the Lord. Therefore, God is longsuffering toward us to wait
for us to come to repentance.
“Not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance”, “perish” has two
meanings: 1) sinners who do not believe will perish forever; 2) believers are
chastened by God (see 1Cor. 3:15; 1Pet. 4:17-18) for they have come short of
the standard of God; “repentance”: the conversion of one’s mind ---- convert
from errors to the truth (see James 5:19-20);
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Each
moment is a chance of God to men ---- whether to be forgiven or condemned, it
is decided by whether we have caught the chance of God’s longsuffering. Once it
is missed, it is late for repentance.
2)
Let
Christians have the mind of the Lord and lead men living in sins to repent and
convert to God while the Lord has not come yet.
3)
God
is longsuffering toward sinners, especially Christians, and gives chances to
them to repent. Therefore they have chances to prepare them to be found by the
Lord in peace (see v.14).
2Pet.3:10 “But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a
great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and
the works that are in it will be burned up.”
YLT:
“and it will come -- the day of the Lord -- as a thief in the night, in which
the heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, and the elements with burning
heat be dissolved, and earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.”
Meaning
of Words: “day”: time, age; “come”: arrive, be
present; “a
great noise”: with a crash, whizzing; “pass away”: transgress, come near; “elements”:
principles, constituents; “fervent
heat”: set on fire; “melt”:
dissolved, destroyed;
Literal
Meaning: “but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night”, “the day of the
Lord”: the day of the Lord’s coming again; “come as a thief”, it indicates that
the Lord comes suddenly in an unexpected time, as a thief who always appears in
an unnoticed time (see 1Thess. 5:2).
“In which the heavens will pass away with a great noise”, “in which”: in the
day of the Lord’s coming; according to the whole scriptures, the last day will
not instantly come when the Lord comes again, for there will be an interval of
one thousand years (see 1Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:4-5). “The heavens will pass away with a great
noise”, it describes the
situation of the destruction of the old heavens: 1) the heavens shall be rolled
together as a scroll or garment (Is. 34:4; Heb. 1:12); 2) “a great noise”: the
huge noise uttered when the old heavens are rolled;
“And the elements will melt with fervent heat”, “the elements”: all
things, namely, “the earth and the works that are in it” ---- the earth itself
and all things in the earth (including all living things or materials) as well
as the airspace around the earth; “will melt with fervent heat”, it shows that
all material things will “melt” by fire (see v.7) and be dissolved.
“Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned
up”, “both the earth and the works” equal to “the elements”; “be burned up”:
God will not destroy the old creature by flood (see 2:5; Gen. 9:11), but by
fire.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Since
the Lord comes as a thief, no one can foretell the time. Therefore, let us not
confer the date in vain (see Matt. 24:36).
2)
This
verse tells us things that will happen in future and has not explained it in
detail. Therefore, we have to notice that things mentioned in the same verse
will not happen simultaneously.
3)
All elements will melt, so let Christians not pay too much attention to tangible
things, but seek the intangible spiritual things.
2Pet.3:11 “Therefore, since all
these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy
conduct and godliness,”
YLT:
“All these, then, being dissolved, what kind of persons doth it behove you to
be in holy behaviours and pious acts?”
Meaning
of Words: “manner of persons”:
style of persons, manner of conversation; “godliness”: piety;
Literal
Meaning: “since all these things will be dissolved”, “all these things”
refer to “the earth and all things that are in it”, through which we live (see
v.10); “since … will be dissolved”, since all things are so undependable and
will ultimately turn to vanity, let us not regard them as the goal of our life.
“What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness”, “manner of
persons”: the style of life; “in holy conduct”: the degree of living to God;
“in godliness”: the degree of likeness to God in life;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.
Therefore, we have to remember our God who creates us and fear Him and keep His
commandment. This is the whole duty of man (see Eccl. 12:1, 8, 13).
2) It is most important for Christians to know
how to discern what is transient or everlasting and let our life oriented
toward eternity to please God all our life.
2Pet.3:12 “looking for and hastening
the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved,
being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”
YLT:
“waiting for and hasting to the presence of the day of God, by which the
heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements with burning heat
shall melt;”
Meaning
of Words: “look for”: wait for,
expect, tarry, look for; “rush”:
urge on, await eagerly, hasten unto; “melt”: liquefy;
Literal
Meaning: “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God”, “looking for and
hastening”: accelerate or quicken the day; “the day of God” has two aspects of
meanings: 1) in a broad sense, it refers to “the day of the Lord” (see v.10);
2) in a narrow sense, it refers to the day of God’s judgment on the white
throne in the last day (see Rev. 20:11). Therefore, there are one thousand
years between the day of the Lord and the day of God (see Rev. 20:4-6).
Note that Peter sees the last day from the
present time, so he mentions “the day of the Lord” and “the day of God”
together. In fact, in the day of the Lord, the old heavens and earth have not
been dissolved. Therefore, we have to see things of “dissolution” (v.7-12) from
the angle of “a
thousand years as one day” (see v.8).
“Because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on
fire”, the old heavens and
earth will disappear after the kingdom of a thousand years when the day of God
comes (see Rev. 20:11; 21:1).
“And the elements will melt with fervent heat?” It is a repeat of verse ten “the elements will melt with
fervent heat” ---- “melt” first
and then “be dissolved”.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
Let
Christians love God fervently and remain steadfast in the lifestyle that
pleases God to hasten the day of God.
2)
All
the saints’ preaching the gospel with one soul is also another way of hastening
the day of the Lord’s coming (see Matt. 24:14).
3)
One
will not hasten the coming of the day of God unless he has ceased looking on
things on the earth. As long as we are
hoping for things on the earth, we will not set our mind on the heavenly things (see Col. 3:2).
2Pet.3:13 “Nevertheless we, according
to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells.”
YLT:
“and for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise we do wait, in
which righteousness doth dwell;”
Meaning
of Words: “look for”: wait for;
“new”: fresh; “dwell”: live, inhabit;
Literal
Meaning: “nevertheless we,
according to His promise”, “nevertheless”, it strongly indicates that we
Christian do not look for things that will be dissolved. “We, according to His
promise”, nevertheless we set our hope upon the promise of God in His word.
“Look for new heavens and a new earth”, “new heavens and a new earth”:
the everlasting new heavens and new earth (see Rev. 21:1) after the present
heavens and earth;
“In which righteousness dwells”, “righteousness”: be right and just
before God and men; “in which…dwells”: it is an impersonating description,
which shows that there is no righteousness or evil at all in the eternal world
(see Rev. 21:8; 22:15). At that time, “the righteous one Jesus Christ” (1John 2:1)
will reign and all the inhabitants are righteous (see Is. 60:21) and everything
is worthy of God’s righteousness.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) In Christ all the old things have passed
away and are become new (see 2Cor. 5:17). And in the eternal world, the old
heavens and earth will pass away (see v.10) and the new heavens and new earth
will keep forever.
2) In the new heavens and new earth, only
righteousness can dwell in ---- anything that fails to pass the righteous
judgment of God will be dissolved. Only righteousness can pass the divine
judgment.
3) For the
2Pet.3:14 “Therefore, beloved,
looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace,
without spot and blameless;”
YLT:
“wherefore, beloved, these things waiting for, be diligent, spotless and
unblameable, by Him to be found in peace,”
Meaning
of Words: “look forward to”:
wait for; “be diligent”: prompt, be earnest, use speed; “without spot”:
unspotted, spotless; “blameless”: without blemish, blameless; “peace”:
quietness, rest;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved”, this is the third time of
mentioning it (see v.1, 8), showing that Peter exhorts brothers in love to
prepare themselves to see the Lord.
“Looking forward to these things, be diligent”, “look forward to”: wait
for frequently; “these things”: the new heavens and the new earth that will be
brought when the Lord comes again (see v.12-13); “be diligent”: it suggests
that if we are not diligent, we will suffer loss (see 1Cor. 3:15) in the
judgment at the house of God when the Lord comes again (see 1Pet. 4:17).
“To be
found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless”, “without spot”: spotless, which is just opposite
to false teachers (see 2:13); “blameless”: no matter to God or to men, there is
no blemish (see Phil. 3:6; 1Thess. 2:10); “be found by Him in peace”, it means
that one is bold and unashamed before the Lord (see 1John 2:28).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Christians do not go to the heaven with
ease, but run with endurance the race that lies before us (Heb. 12:1).
Therefore, we have to “be diligent”.
2) The duty of Christians is “diligence”. He
who is diligent has assurance (see Heb. 6:11). The idle one is unable to bear
spiritual fruit (see 1:8).
3) If we do not endeavor to prepare us, we will
be unable to “be found in peace” when the Lord comes again.
2Pet.3:15 “and
consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved
brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,”
YLT:
“and the long-suffering of our Lord count ye salvation, according as also our
beloved brother Paul -- according to the wisdom given to him -- did write to
you,”
Meaning
of Words: “longsuffering”: patience; “salvation”: deliverance, saving, safety; “wisdom”: that is wise;
Literal
Meaning: “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation—”, “the longsuffering of our
Lord”, it indicates that (see v.9;
“As also our beloved brother Paul”,
“as”, Peter here intents to mention an
epistle of another apostle to prove and strengthen his exhortations; “our beloved brother”, it shows that brothers honor and love one
another; “Paul”: the apostle Paul;
“According to the wisdom given to him, has written to you”, “according to the wisdom given to him”: the wisdom in the Scriptures is from
above (see 1Cor. 2:6-7; James 3:17) “Has written to you”, there are at least thirteen epistles
written by the apostle Paul. There are also other Bible expositors thinking
that the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews is also Paul.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Because of the longsuffering of the Lord, we
have worked our own salvation (Phil. 2:12). However, now our salvation is near
than when we believed (see Rom. 13:11). Therefore, let us redeem the time and
catch the opportunities and seek with diligence (Eph. 5:16).
2) There are nearly dozens of writers in the
Scriptures. However, because of the wisdom from above, all the books can even
edify and strengthen each other, but not contradict. Therefore, every scripture
is divinely inspired (2Tim. 3:16).
3) The apostle Peter is the first apostle of
the Lord. He was once withstood by Paul to the face (see Gal. 2:11) but never
hated Paul. The magnanimous bosom and mind of Peter is really worthy of the
imitation of the Lord’s servants.
2Pet.3:16 “as also in all his
epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to
understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction,
as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”
YLT:
“as also in all the epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, among
which things are certain hard to be understood, which the untaught and unstable
do wrest, as also the other Writings, unto their own destruction.”
Meaning
of Words: “speak”: talk; “untaught”: ignorant; “twist”: pervert; “rest”: remaining;
Literal
Meaning: “as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these
things”, “these things”: things pertaining to life and
godliness (see 1:3, 12);
“In which are some things hard to understand”, it shows that there
are deep and difficult and elusive words in the epistles.
“Which untaught and unstable people”,
“untaught”: the unlearned; “unstable”:
believer who are young and weak in spirit (see 2:14) and unable to distinguish
both good and evil (see Heb. 5:13-14), tosses and carried about by every wind
of that teaching in the sleight of men (see Eph. 4:14). “Twist”: pervert the
meanings of the Scriptures;
“Twist to their own destruction,
as they do also the rest of the Scriptures”, “the rest of the Scriptures”: the scriptures besides the thirteen epistles of
Paul; here it especially refers to the Old Scriptures, because the epistles of
Paul were the first scriptures of the New Testament; “to their own destruction”: they exclude them from the blessings of
life (see Rev. 22:18-19).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) There may be some words in the Bible beyond
our understanding because of our lack of learning or faith or spiritual
experience. Then the most important is not to twist the words lest we should
come to destruction.
2) G. K. Chesterton said, “to keep the orthodox
doctrines is like to walk on the mountain ridge, which is as narrow as the edge
of the sword. As long as one slightly strays to either side, there will be
immediately great destruction. The truth often includes two aspects. If we
emphasize one side of any great truth, the destructive heresy will appear
immediately”.
3) The Bible is a mysterious book. Men of all
ages in all over the world have their own interpretations on the truth of the
Scriptures. However, the basic truth of salvation (e.g. the persons of the holy
Trinity, the knowledge of the cross, etc.) should be kept the same. Concerning
the detail explanations, different views are allowed.
2Pet.3:17 “You therefore, beloved,
since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own
steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;”
YLT:
“Ye, then, beloved, knowing before, take heed, lest, together with the error of
the impious being led away, ye may fall from your own stedfastness,”
Meaning
of Words: “know
this beforehand”: know before,
foreknow; “beware”:
watch, observe; “lest”:
so as not to; “the
wicked”: the lawless; “fall
from”: drop away, fail, fall away; “steadfastness”: stability; “be led away”: condescend, carry away
with, take off;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved”, this is the
fourth time of mentioning “beloved” (see v.1, 8, 14). Whenever the word is
mentioned, there will be a paragraph of important exhortations then.
“You therefore
… since you
know this beforehand, beware”, “know this beforehand”: there will be men twisting the Scriptures
to their own destruction. “Beware”, we have to beware of twisting the
Scriptures, no matter we ourselves or others. We are exhorted not to receive
any doctrines of errors.
“Lest you also fall from your own steadfastness”, once one has become not steadfast, he has
fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4).
“Being led away with the error of the wicked”, “the error of the wicked”: the heretical
doctrines of false teachers (see 2:1; 3:3-4); “be led away”: be enticed away
from the right path and become associated with the evil tide;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1)
No
matter reading or hearing the words, believers have to discern and judge
instead of receiving some strange doctrines lest we should have part in the
errors of others.
2)
“Beware”
is the best strategy. We common believers are not strong enough to take the
initiative. However, we have to at least watch and beware of receiving any
strange words.
2Pet.3:18 “but grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and
forever. Amen.”
YLT:
“and increase ye in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ; to him the glory both now, and to the day of the age! Amen.”
Meaning
of Words: “grow”: increase,
enlarge;
Literal
Meaning: “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ”, “our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ” is a complete name to the Lord Jesus, which appears only
three times in the whole New Testament, in the Second Epistle of Peter (see
1:11; 2:20; 3:18). “Lord” refers to His authority; “Savior” refers to His
works; “Jesus” relates to His humanity; “Christ” relates to His glorious
anointing; “grow in the grace and knowledge”: the former refers to the growth
in life experience, and the latter refers to the growth in knowledge and truth;
it is best to keep the balance between the two aspects.
“To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen”, “Him” is “the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ”; in the heart of Peter, the Lord Jesus is God (see
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Believers shall keep the balance of the
growth of both the experience of the Lord’s grace and the knowledge of God’s
words.
2) Growth in grace makes us enjoy more the
Lord. And growth in knowledge prevents us from the enticement of heretical
doctrines.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Know God
A. To know that the word of God is truth
(v.1-4);
B. To know that the works of God are consistent
(v.5-7);
C. To know that the bowel of God is merciful
(v.8-10);
Things that We Shall Not Ignore
A. Things we shall be stirred up ---- pure
minds (v.1);
B. Things l we shall 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 Savior (v.2);
C. Things we shall know ---- scoffers will come
in the last days, scorning the promise of the Lord’s coming (v.3-4);
D. Things we shall think of ---- the creation
and destruction of the world are both by the word of God (v.5-7);
E. Things we shall take heed of ---- why the
promise of the Lord has not been fulfilled (v.8-9);
F. Things we shall hope ---- it is not the old
heavens and earth that will pass away, but the everlasting new heavens and
earth in which righteousness dwells (v.10-13);
G. Things we shall be diligent in ---- grown in
the grace and knowledge of Christ (v.14-18);
Concerning the Lord’s Coming Again
A. Let us be mindful
of the prophecies of the Lord’s coming again
(v.1-2);
B. Let us know that there will be scoffers in
the last days scorning the prophecy of the Lord’s coming (v.3-7);
C. Let us not forget that the Lord will come
again (v.8-10).
D. Let us look for and hasten the coming of the
Lord (v.11-13).
E. Let us prepare us with diligence so as to be
found by the Lord in peace (v.14-18).
Beloved
A. Remind and stir up us so that we will be
mindful of (v.1-2) ---- look backward;
B. Do not forget (v.8, 11-12) ---- look upward;
C. Be diligent (v.14-15) ---- look forward
(stretch out to be the things before);
D. Be beware (v.17-18) ---- look around;
Be Diligent
A. Let us be diligent to lead a godly life
(v.11-14);
B. Let us be diligent to understand the word of
God (v.15-16);
C. Let us be diligent to grow in grace and
knowledge (v.17-18);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou