2 Peter 3:14-18 (NKJV) Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 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, 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.
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; 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.
V14 “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless…” The Christian life is be lived every day, because we do not know the time or the hour of His return for the Church (Rapture). We are to be anticipating (G4328) His return. Compare: Isaiah 65:17-19, Isaiah 66:16-17, and Isaiah 66:22. We have a motive to be diligent to serve our Lord Jesus. We are to be found in peace, which is treating all with kindness and blessing even if persecuted. See Romans 12:18, Psalm 34:14, and Hebrews 12:14.
V15 “…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…” God judges evil but does not destroy without offering salvation, sometimes repeatedly. God has great longsuffering, so should we towards others. We stand and speak against evil and for truth, not a fake tolerance of evil society. Peter points out that Paul has great wisdom and reminds us of the source of that wisdom is not Paul but God. Thus, we pray for wisdom, too (James 1:5). “Written to you” refers to the Pauline epistles.
Longsuffering is “Longsuffering is a term used to describe the ability to endure difficult circumstances or people for an extended period of time without becoming angry or resentful.”
Patience is “Patience is a virtue that is closely related to longsuffering, but it has a slightly different connotation. While longsuffering emphasizes endurance and forbearance in the face of adversity, patience emphasizes the ability to wait calmly and without complaint for something that is desired.”
Source of quotes: https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/longsuffering-vs-patience
V16 “…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.” Because he is often hard to understand, people find it easy to twist the plain, normal sense to give it a different interpretation. False teachers are described as untaught, unstable, and find strange meanings in what should be plainly understood. Compare Psalm 56:5. Joseph Benson Commentary writes: “They misconstrue and pervert my most innocent expressions, and turn them into matter of calumny, in order that they may incense Saul against me. Hebrew, יעצבו, jegnatzeebu, they put upon the rack my words, to extort that out of them which was never in them. Or, they endeavour to squeeze from my words, as it were by torture, any sense they please, contrary to the intention of the speaker. All their thoughts, &c. — It is their whole study to do me mischief.”
V17 “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…” We are to maintain the faith. We are to be faithful to the end of our life. We need to pray for God’s help to accomplish these things. We do not want to fall. We want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We do not want to hear a rebuke. Being lead by false teachers into error means not being serious about the Christian faith or maybe even neglectful resulting in falling into error. The Greek word for “led away” is (Word Study Dictionary) “To lead off or carry away with someone, with the dat. of person (Sept.: Exo 14:6). In the NT, only in the pass. figuratively, to be led or carried away with something, mostly in a bad sense, meaning to be led astray, with the dat. (Gal 2:13; 2Pe 3:17); in a good sense (Rom 12:16, not minding high things but led by lowly things, which means cultivating humility).”
V18 “…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” Instead of drifting from the faith, instead of being led away from the faith, instead of being neglectful regarding our faith, let us stand, with the help of God, and stay true, live true, and actively true in our faith. Growing in grace and knowledge come with time, the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and receiving spiritual nourishment from Bible reading and study plus a pastor who teaches the Scriptures in their plain, normal sense.
We learn:
That we are warned to be faithful
- To stay true to our faith
- To grow in our faith
- To live our faith