How Should 2 Peter 3:9 Be Interpreted?

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Where is the promise of His coming?

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How Should 2 Peter 3:9 Be Interpreted?

2Pe 3:9 (KJV) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

There is great disagreement as to the proper interpretation of this verse. The goal of this document to carefully look at the verse, in its context, and to compare it with other teachings in the New Testament in an attempt to bring clarity with charity.

There are two main views for the verse which are diametrically opposed. They are:

The General Interpretation:
God is withholding His wrath because it is His desire for everyone to be saved. To this end, He is patient with sinners, that they may have every opportunity to come to repentance.
The Specific Interpretation:
God is withholding His wrath, patiently awaiting the repentance of all those, both in the present and future, who are to be saved.

One of the key problems in interpreting any verse of the Bible is understand it from both its immediate and the wider context of the Scriptures. It is my contention that much of the confusion over this verse can be directly attributed to ignoring context, and the balance, to one's view of soteriology.

The problem of context:

It is very common to hear or read this verse being quoted in a shortened version:

"The Lord . . .is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Stated in this fashion, verse 9 seems to be a prime example of God's love for the lost and the perfect quote to support a free will view of salvation. But, this is not the whole verse. The question must be asked, " Why is this statement being made?" Knowing why will shed light on the meaning. And the answer can only be discovered by looking verse 9, in its entirety, plus the verses which immediately precede it.

2 Pe 3:3-8 ESV
(3) knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
(4) They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation."

Verses 3-4 form the foundation for the verses that follow. The goal is to answer the argument of the scoffers so that the Christians Peter is addressing may be comforted in the knowledge that God is working out His plan in His time.

(5) For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
(6) and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.
(7) But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Peter in verses 5-6 reminds them that God's word is sure. He cites Noah's Flood as an example of God's wrath being executed in the past, just as was promised. Building on the record of God's faithfulness to carry our His judgments, verse 7 goes on to speak of the judgment to come.

(8) But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

This widely abused passage, is written to make it clear that God is eternal and doesn't view time in the same way as do we. The importance of time is relative to the one who experiences it. A thousand years will always be a thousand years and a day is always a day. But, when viewed from an eternal perspective, years and days aren't that meaningful. Eternal God's actions aren't driven by time, but by events which He has foreordained. These events occur in time but time isn't as important as timing. By this I mean that it is the relationship between planned events that have real significance.

Writing about the second coming, Jesus says in Mat 24:36. "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." God isn't nervously watching the clock, afraid that He will miss the appointed moment to fulfill the promise of Christ's return and judgement. It is a fixed point in time, set by the Father, that will be preceded by certain planned events.

2Pe 3:9 begins by saying, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward," These words link what is to follow in the remainder of verse 9 with what has already been written in the verses immediately preceding. So, in context, the purpose of verse 9 is to explain why God has not fulfilled His promises regarding the second coming of the Christ and judgement. I think it also important to point out that Peter indicates that the longsuffering or patience on God's part is focused "us-ward" or towards those that Peter is addressing, Christians.

In Rom 9:22-24 it says, "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"

If we read the passage in 2 Pe. 3:9 in light of what it says in Rom. 9:22-24, a very different picture begins to emerge.

The belief that God is 'delaying' the second coming and judgment because He is wanting to give every sinner the chance to come to repentance is refuted by what it says in Rom 9:28, " for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay." God is not delaying in the hope that 'all' will come to repentance because He already knows who will and who will not respond to the message of the Gospel. As stated earlier, the second coming is a fixed point in time. Regardless of your view on soteriology, God's choice or man's choice, God, in His omniscience knows the end from the beginning. Given this truth, the very idea that He is withholding the time of Christ's return and judgment in order to give 'everyone' a chance to repent is untenable.

Looking once more at 2Pe 3:7, just two verses prior to the scripture in question, "But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly." This verse fits well with what it says in Rom. 9:22-24. It would seem that the overall intent of the verses in in 2Pe 3 are taking on a distinctly non-evangelistic tone.

Conclusion:

The picture presented by a view of God withholding wrath for the purpose of allowing time for 'all' in the sense of 'all mankind' to come to repentance is a denial of the fact that God already knows who will and will not respond to the Gospel message. His waiting is not based on a hope but rather a sure knowledge of the identity, times and places of the "vessels of mercy which he has prepared beforehand for glory-- even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles!" When the number of those who are to be a part of the Church has reached its fullness, Christ will return. This statement is true regardless of one's view on how salvation comes to be. God's choice or man's, there is a finite number who will be saved prior to the second coming and God knows that number.

By John M. Fritzius

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