“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 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, 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.” (2 Peter 3:14-16)
The most important future event that we as Christians look forward to with eager anticipation is Jesus’ return on the last day of this world. We await the day of the Lord, because that is when the event which the Apostle Peter revealed in the previous verses will take place; namely, bringing to an end this sin-cursed world, and ushering in eternity with a new, heavenly earth where we will dwell with God and all the saints in perfect bliss.
While we are waiting for that day to arrive, what are we to do so that we are found ready? Peter exhorts us to make every effort to imitate Jesus (1 Peter 1:19), living our lives “without spot or blemish.” As imperfect humans, we know that in spite of our best efforts we can’t make it through a single day without sinning. It is for that reason that we will daily need to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus in faith for forgiveness and salvation.
When this is a part of our day-to-day routine, we shall be able to be at peace with God as the apostle encourages us. Paul wrote of this in Romans, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1)
God hasn’t told us when Jesus will return, but we know it will be sudden. The Lord’s delay is due to His patience for the salvation of many. Our Lord hasn’t come yet, because there are still more of the elect who need to be brought to faith and eternally saved. Being mindful of this will help us to patiently await Jesus’ return.
Peter pointed out that Paul, who like him was given divine wisdom, also wrote about these matters in his letters. As we read through Paul’s letters, Peter informs us that there are “things in them that are hard to understand.” (verse 16) As we come across such difficult writings, Martin Luther gave us this advice: “If we come to something hard to understand, lay it aside instead of twisting it to our fancy.”
Speaking of twisting Scripture to suit our way of thinking, Peter writes of the unlearned and unstable doing this very thing. Oh, how important it is for us to guard against this folly, for it can lead to our eternal destruction! Paul gives us an example of this in Romans Chapter 6. People were guilty of twisting Scripture to say that God’s grace has given us a license to sin. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can see that this is one of the devil’s many lies which he promotes so that we are not found ready when Jesus returns.
In the final words of the Bible Jesus states, “Surely I am coming soon!” And we join in answering, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelations 22:20) But remember, we want Him to come when the time is right and when we are found ready for His return.
Our Lord hasn’t come yet, because there are still more of the elect who need to be brought to faith and eternally saved.
is retired from the pastoral ministry. He lives in Sunnyvale, California.