2 Peter 3:17-18. Peter’s Final Appeal
How Peter longs that those who have put their faith in Jesus should go on to become mature Christ-centred disciples. He finishes this, his final letter before his execution, with these words,
“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for ever.” 2 Peter 3:17-18
He doesn’t have a grouse about how unfair his death will be, instead he is taken up with the glory of what it means to be accepted as one of God’s people and he longs for everyone to understand that security only lies in living with and for the Lord Jesus. To drift from Christ into secularism or even religion can be fatal for us in eternity.
Praise God
The letter finishes with a doxology, a statement of praise to God,
“To him be the glory both now and for ever.” 2 Peter 3:18
It is no coincidence that of the nineteen doxologies to God in the New Testament, all but three are in the context of praising Jesus as God; the exceptions being when the Old Testament doxologies are quoted. Look at the context of this doxology; Jesus, God’s Messiah or God’s Chosen King is addressed as ‘our Lord’ God,
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for ever.” 2 Peter 3:17-18
This is further reinforced by the opening of this letter,
“To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” 2 Peter 1:1
There is no doubt that Peter recognised that God’s Messiah was indeed God himself. ‘God and Saviour’ at the beginning of the letter means precisely the same as ‘Lord and Saviour’ at the end.
When Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do men say I am?’ it was Peter who, representing the other disciples said,
“You are the Christ.” Mark 8:29
When Ananias, the High priest asked him at his trial,
“Are you the Christ?”
Jesus replied without hesitation referring to a prophecy in Daniel (Daniel 7:13) which equates the Son of Man, the Messiah, with God himself,
“ ‘I am,’ said Jesus, ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 14:62
‘I am’ is the meaning of the word ‘Jehovah’, it is the personal name of God. Ananias has no doubt whatsoever about what Jesus was claiming and shouted out,
“You have heard the blasphemy!” Mark 14:64
Pilate also asked Jesus at his trial,
“‘But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’ He replied, ‘You are right in saying I am’” Luke 22:70
Again the onlookers had no doubt what Jesus was claiming. It is therefore no surprise that a few weeks after his resurrection, when given the opportunity, three thousand people realised that they had really crucified their Messiah and became believers in the risen Jesus.
Dangers
The New Testament is full of warnings about unprincipled men who will try to pull people away from the apostolic gospel. They clearly felt that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. How this is needed today. Pastors must help their congregations to remain true to the Word of God by teaching it clearly.
1. False teachers
Since early in the nineteenth century the older denominations in Europe have been destabilised because of false teaching. Some have erred into teaching that security lies in remaining faithful to their denomination, others have gone chasing after experiences but few have majored on what the apostles repeatedly urged, remaining close to Jesus. As Paul’s own death approached, he urged his successor Timothy,
“I give you this charge, ‘Preach the Word . . . for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you . . .” 2 Timothy 4:1-5
There is no excuse for complacency. Error has seduced many experienced Christian leaders over the centuries. Jesus himself repeatedly warned his followers. Shortly before his execution he said to them,
“Watch out that no-one deceives you. Many will come in my name claiming . . .” Mark 13:5
“You must be on your guard.” Mark 13:9
In the context of when he would return he warned against those who prophesy when this would be,
“Be on your guard, be alert.” Mark 13:33
The heart of Peter’s letter focuses on this problem,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies . . .” 2 Peter 2:1
2. Insecure followers.
Christians who are relying on Christ are safe. Peter wrote,
“Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away , , , and fall from your secure position.” 2 Peter 3:17
In Christ we are as secure as we can ever be because we are in God himself.
John Bunyan, the writer of Pilgrim's Progress, struggled terribly before he came to a settled faith in Christ. Here's what he wrote:
“One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before [in front of] him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, "The same yesterday, today and, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the grace and love of God.”
When we are dying and going through all that emotional and physical turmoil it is wonderful to be reminded of the most comforting teaching in all the world, "Remember, Christ is your righteousness. Christ is your righteousness. Your righteousness is in heaven. It's the same yesterday today and forever. It doesn't get better when your faith is strong. It doesn't get worse when your faith is weak. It is perfect. It is Christ. Look away from yourself. Rest in him. Lean on him."
We also can rejoice with the saints of the past in the salvation the Lord Jesus Christ has won for us. We are meant to have this confidence. The author of Hebrews urges us,
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart with full assurance of faith” Hebrews 10:22
The reason we can be confident is because Jesus Christ is our High Priest who has already paid the price for our sin. He didn’t die in vain! We cannot cleanse ourselves but we have been cleansed. The writer continues,
“. . . with full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
Christ has become the sacrifice for our sins once-for-all time, and he has been raised from the dead as our representative priest. By faith in Him, we are as righteous before the throne of God as He is righteous. For we are justified, made right with God, in His righteousness! If we are in Christ, we are committed to living with and for him, and we can rest secure on the promises of God. We can no more lose this justification than He can fall from heaven. Thus our justification cannot be added to or made more secure because it is complete in Christ!
With this in view, the author says,
“. . . by one offering He has perfected for all time those who come to God by him.” Hebrews 10:14
After a carol service in St. Helens Church, Bishopsgate, the rector, William Taylor, was sitting at a table talking with a young Hindu man who asked him,
“Why do you Christians have such a confidence about being accepted by God?
The rector drew on a piece of paper a ladder spiralling upwards. He then explained,
“Human religion relies on me trying to work my way up the ladder, whether by religious rituals, my behaviour or the badge of religion I carry. These are portrayed in the eight fold path of Buddhism. Karma is essentially my effort. In contrast, in Christ God came down to us and died to pay the price for our sin. Because we are now in Christ, heaven is now our home.”
There was a pause in the conversation as the young man looked at the diagram. He then said,
“What you are saying is that what we spend our lives striving for, you Christians have got already.”
A Buddhist, when he first understood the gospel said something similar,
“What we long for you have already been given.”
The story is told that on his deathbed someone asked Ghandi,
“Babki, you have spent your whole life searching for God. Have you found him yet?”
To which the revered man of peace said,
“No, not yet.”
What humility on the part of Ghandi, but how sad that statement is? Particularly sad since the Triune God of the Universe has willingly, readily revealed Himself to humankind. But that revelation can only be found, can only be apprehended, understood as God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who came from the Father, to reveal Him perfectly to us so that we can enter into a relationship with God.
The reason we can stand before God in full assurance is because of what Christ has done for us. We can therefore now experience our -
“ . . . hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and … bodies washed with pure water” Hebrews 10:22
3. Weak followers
Salvation is only found in a personal relationship with Jesus. To fall away from him, even if we remain in religious organisations, is to risk losing our salvation. Peter warned,
“Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”
Paul gave a similar warning to people who hoped that by being religious would be accepted by God. He uses the same word, ‘fall’, as Peter does. This word is sometimes translated ‘apostasy’.
“You who are trying to be justified by law, have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4
To drift from the Word of God is to drift from Christ. That is what the apostles keep warning us. Growing in knowledge is key to growing in grace. At the end as well as at the beginning of this letter Pete urges Christians to ensure they are growing in grace,
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2
All Christians are urged to work hard at developing their spiritual lives by gaining, amongst other things ‘knowledge’.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness knowledge . . .” 2 Peter 1:5
“If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:8
We, as bodies of Christians in local churches are responsible for encouraging others in the church to keep growing spiritually. There must never be a passivity in our walk with the Lord Jesus. God promises that when we seek him, we’ll find him, if we seek him with all our hearts (see Jeremiah 29:13).
BVP
