People can be very impatient sometimes. They want something right now, and don’t want to wait for just the right time. We don’t like delays, no matter who is doing the delaying. We don’t like them, even if it might be for an ultimate good, either. In his epistle, the Apostle Peter touches on what we might think is a delay, and what God is ultimately doing.
As the Apostle Peter begins our passage, he reminds us that God does not view time in the same way that we do (vs. 8). God understands time much differently than man. For man, a thousand years seems like a very long time, yet it isn’t for God. Moses said the same thing in Psalm 90:4. However, we are impatient, and don’t like the seeming delay in Jesus’ return, sometimes even wondering if He has forgotten His promises (vs. 9). Before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He promised His followers that He would return again. That was about two thousand years ago, and we’ve been waiting ever since. Some people, especially unbelievers, question or even mock this promise by the Savior. Peter states, though, that Jesus is waiting His return so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him.
When people are stubborn and unrepentant, God waits patiently for them to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. God prefers that they see the error of their choices, and turn back to His righteous path. He has delayed the day of His judgment so that more people may turn to Him. God has an immense capacity for patience before He breaks forth in judgment. He endures endless blasphemies against His Name. There are rebellions against Him, and the breaking of all of His laws. God is waiting patiently while He is calling and redeeming the lost to be saved. Those who perish and go to hell are those who reject Jesus Christ. They have an unrepentant heart, rejecting Jesus and holding on to their sin. God delays His return because He is patient and desires time for people to repent (vs. 9). In light of that, we as Christians should not be living idly, but instead realize that time is short, and there is important work to do in spreading the Gospel.
Some people have falsely believed that verse 9 teaches a type of Christian universalism, believing that because God doesn’t want anyone to perish, all people will be saved and go to heaven. This is not true. The verse states “...but that all should come to repentance.” God gave us free will to choose or reject Him. The way He provided for salvation, Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, was sufficient to save everyone, but we must repent from our unbelief and accept it. Those who don’t will be condemned (John 3:18).
Peter continues, stating that the Day of the Lord will come when we aren’t expecting it like a thief in the night (vs. 10). The Day of the Lord mentioned often in the Old Testament, is a specific intervention of God in human history for judgment. Ultimately it refers to the future time when God will judge the wicked on earth and end this world system. It will have a surprise arrival, sudden, unexpected, and disastrous to the unprepared.
Realizing that this day will come, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal, and not be bound to earth and its treasures or pursuits (vs. 11-12). This is a challenge for Christians to conform their lives to God’s standards, in light of coming judgment and eternity. We should be living separated from sin, and with a reverent attitude. Having an eager anticipation for the Lord’s return should keep us living productively.
Living with the end in view requires spiritual vigilance and self-control (vs. 14). If we belong to Christ we do not need to be afraid of the future, and instead should be engaged in seeking the salvation of the lost. Believers should not fear the future day of God, but eagerly hope for it.
In the meantime, as Peter instructs us, we should grow in maturity and a deepening knowledge of Jesus Christ (vs. 18). We should be growing spiritually, renewing our minds in the Word, and learning more truth about God. If every day we find some way to draw closer to Jesus, we will be prepared to stand for His truth in any and all circumstances.
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