Expository Summary - 2 Peter 3:1-9

A Concise and Expository Summary of 2 Peter 3:1-9 by Andrew Wood on Pilgrim's Toolbox www.pilgrimstoolbox.com

2 Peter 3:1-9
In the opening part of this chapter, Peter gives us the reason for his writing. He wanted to stir up their minds (and because we’ve received the same faith {2 P 1:1}, stir up our minds) to remember the words of the holy prophets and the Lord’s commandment by the apostles.
What exactly is this remembering? It’s a remembering that drives us toward obedience. What was it that the holy prophets, Jesus, and the apostles said? “Repent and believe! The wrath of God is coming. Turn from your sins and follow God in the way of righteousness and absolute submission to Him or else be destroyed.”
In Acts 3:18-24 Peter says: “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed’ to everything He says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.”
In Acts 17:30-31 Paul says: “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
In verse 3 Peter says, you need to know this, don’t miss this. He’s already used this method of capturing the attention of his audience in 1:21, and again he uses it here: “Know this first of all,” don’t be surprised by this.
I have to admit, sometimes I am surprised at the bold defiance against Christianity and against Scripture. If you’re familiar with some of the modern atheists making what they think are such clever arguments against God, and those who take what’s called “The Blasphemy Challenge,” you’ll know what I’m taking about.
Ask any atheist how universal laws, logic, and the desire for proof came to be embedded in the mind in a purely materialistic universe that came about by random chance.
They can tell you in great detail the fact that those things are there, but they can’t tell you how or why, because in their worldview those things have no foundation.
In the Christian worldview, based on God’s revelation of Himself, we can answer the ultimate questions. God created the universe with certain laws, He created our minds with logic, a small reflection of His own perfect mind, and He gave us the desire for proof. When the atheist debates and uses logic, he can’t help but borrow from our worldview. How foolish is that?
Someone once said it’s like a small child in the lap and hands of their father covering their eyes and saying “Where is he? If I can’t see him then he must not be there.” The whole time their Father is holding them, and even their words are a reflection of His own speech.
According to Romans 1:18 they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And according to our passage here, what was it that these mockers were doing? They were following after their own lusts. And isn’t that so typical of the sinful nature?
The problem with God, doesn’t really have to do with intellectual obstacles, it has more to do with following after wicked pleasures. People don’t want to deny their flesh, so instead they deny God, to try and get themselves off the hook and away from the guilt that comes with their sin.
Peter says they look right past the fact that they’ve made a false assumption. Things haven’t continued in the same way since the beginning of creation. Long ago, God spoke the universe into being, then He formed the earth out of water and by water.
The earth was destroyed by a flood of water, and the phrasing here makes it very clear this was a global as opposed to merely a local, flood. And why did this flood take place? Because man became exceedingly wicked. Genesis 6:5 says, “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” God turned from His patient heart, to a heart grieved and ready to punish man’s wickedness by His wrath. And thank God, His patience was for the sake of Noah, and for every saint thereafter.
How were these events of creation, sustenance, flood, and redemption accomplished? By His Word. How is the present creation being kept for fire? By His Word. We read in Hebrews 1:3 that God the Son upholds all things by the Word of His power.
Sometimes you’ll hear the atheist or biblical skeptic pose the question, “You said that God made everything, but that doesn’t answer the how question. What I want to know is how did He do it?”
You want to know the clear answer to that question from Scripture? By His Word the world was made out of things not visible. God spoke it all into being, “Let there be this!” And so it was, and so it is.
The critic wants a long drawn out explanation as to how God worked within the confines of the universe as they see it. In other words, they want to make the rules as to how God can operate.
And it’s as if God says, “I simply spoke, and speak it, all into being… It’s all governed by my command and controlled by my decree. Even you rebel and your defiance, are part of my purpose and design. From Me, to Me, and through Me are all things, to Me be the glory forever” (Ro 11:36).
For us who are in Christ Jesus there is great comfort here. Though it seems like it’s taking so long for the end to come. It is coming. And because God is eternal, this time thing doesn’t mess with Him. He’s so big, He encompasses time and space.
In verse 9, Peter describes the patience of God toward us. Note very carefully the words he uses here and the context of the entire letter, because this verse is often misunderstood and misapplied. Who was Peter writing to? “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours” (1:1). The brethren, those who have been called and chosen in Christ (1:10). He uses “Beloved” 4 times in just this chapter (1, 8, 14, 17).
On top of that he uses the personal pronoun “you” throughout the letter. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward YOU, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
“Regard the patience of OUR Lord AS salvation” (verse 15). God has a people, chosen in Christ from the foundation of the world (Ep 1:4), who will be saved and nothing can stop that. I’m so grateful that His plan includes us and that His patience has continued to our time so that we would be gathered in and named among His saints, bought by the blood of the lamb.

Song – Lord of All - Kristian Stanfill
Book – Almighty Over All – R. C. Sproul Jr.

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