3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
What are you doing right now? Peter closes his epistle with a statement reminding us that we should be found waiting (see also Matthew 24:42; 26:41; Luke 21:34-36). You might ask what are we to be waiting for? He said in verse 14 that we should be waiting for “these,” referring essentially to everything that he has discussed previously in chapter three. Let’s explore them in reverse order:
Verse 13 – Waiting for new heavens and new earth.
Verse 12 – Waiting for the coming day of God, eternity as God knows it for us as the heavens are set on fire and the heavenly bodies melt.
Verse 11 – Waiting for all things to dissolve.
Verse 10 – Waiting for the day of the Lord but warns us that it will come without warning and then all things will be destroyed.
Verse 9 – God is patient and wants everyone to come to Him and be saved.
Verse 8 – Peter gives us perspective about time and eternity.
Verse 7 – God is keeping everything intact until the He speaks judgment as the ungodly are destroyed.
Verse 6 – Waiting for scoffers to deliberately deny judgment.
Verse 5 – Waiting for scoffers to deliberately overlook the evidence of Noah’s flood.
Verse 4 – Waiting for scoffers to ask about where is the promise of His return.
Verse 3 – Waiting for scoffers to come following their own sinful desire.
As we discussed scoffers in verse 3 through 6 have already arrived just as Peter prophesied. Verses 7 through 9 provide a unique insight on eternity and what God desires giving comfort to knowing that He will wait for us, however, He gives a clear warning to unbelievers. So that leaves us with verses 10 through 14 which have not occurred yet, these are what we are waiting for today.
While waiting we are to be diligent (a word that implies that every effort will made,[1] see also 2 Peter 1:10) to be found without spot or blemish by Jesus when He returns (see Philippians 1:10-11; 2:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 3:13). He says that we should be eager to meet Him, and based on the word Peter chose (‘found’), there is no way of hiding from or avoiding Jesus. This is interesting since we understand that there is really only one who was ever without spot or blemish (see 1 Peter 1:19), being the ultimate Passover Lamb (see Exodus 12:5), which of course is Jesus. So can we be without spot or blemish? The answer is yes, since Jesus forgives us after we repent of our sins to Him (see 1 John 1:19; Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7). Peter, after telling us that we need to be without spot or blemish, adds that we should also be at peace (see Philippians 4:6-7; John 14:27). What type of peace is Peter talking about? Let me summarize, “the world is dissolving and breaking up all around us and that’s okay,” type of peace! Our peace comes from our hope in Jesus and that hope can easily be seen by unbelievers especially when things aren’t going well, we are witnesses for Jesus with the peace we have (remember 1 Peter 3:15).
3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
Peter says we should count the patience of our Lord as salvation, meaning that final judgment has yet to occur so we still have time to proclaim the truth to others about salvation (read 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:13). Remember the story about the Prodigal Son?[2] There is still time to come to Jesus! The New Living Translation renders the first half of this verse “And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.”
Peter then acknowledges the writings of his friend Paul saying that the apostle also wrote about these matters (for example 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Peter says that some of what Paul wrote about may be complex and somewhat difficult to interpret, opening the door to those who are unlearned or unstable (constantly changing their minds) to twist (as in torture) Paul’s words leading to their own destruction, by believing their own lies and distortions just as they have done with other parts of Scripture. Peter recognizes that the Word of God can be complex at times. As Christians we need to be careful who we seek to guide us in understanding Scripture. Peter took much of this epistle warning us about false and incorrect theologies, and now he is reminding us that both he and Paul wrote about the same concerns. Since we know that there are people intentionally distorting the truth, Peter wants us to take whatever precaution is necessary to not fall for the error of these wicked and lawless people. In other words, we have been warned and there are no excuses!
3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Peter pleads with us that while we are waiting for Jesus to return we are to continually grow (see Ephesians 4:14-16) in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. How do we grow in grace since it is something we undeservedly receive? Can we obtain more grace? No, we can’t get more, nor can we lose what we have. So how do we grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior? We grow in grace by making Jesus a priority in our lives just as Peter has taught us in both of his epistles. Certainly a tremendous part of growing in grace and sanctification is the need to be diligent in our study of God’s Word, but just in case we forgot Peter adds it to his closing remarks, essentially underlining the ongoing need to increase our knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter’s final words tell us that all glory belongs to Jesus now and through eternity. Amen!
Peter leaves us with something to think about and consider as we wait for the return of Jesus. Are we truly growing in His grace? Are we doing everything we can to grow in God’s Word?
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[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. Strong’s Greek No. 4704
[2] See Luke 15:11-32.