Parsing 2 Peter 3:9

Our Bible certainly is a remarkable tome. No matter how long and hard we study it, we discover truths which we never realized before.

I've been a Christian since 1969. After learning error from an aberrant house church, I had to unlearn their lies and learn the truth. For decades, I thought 2 Peter 3:9 was about God's wish that everybody would be born again. It was also one scripture which the cultic church I attended claimed meant that everybody would be eventually saved.

So, what does this verse actually mean? A preacher named Voddie Baucham showed in one sermon that this scripture doesn't mean God's permissive will but that God's waiting for all the believers to come to faith in Christ.

This verse in the Bible in Basic English reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his word, as he seems to some, but he is waiting in mercy for you, not desiring the destruction of any, but that all may be turned from their evil ways."

In the previous verses, Peter was speaking of those mockers who doubted God's future judgement upon them. As he wrote in 2 Peter 3:3 and 4 (BBE) that, "Having first of all the knowledge that in the last days there will be men who, ruled by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things, Saying, 'Where is the hope of his coming? From the death of the fathers till now everything has gone on as it was from the making of the world.'"

After pointing out that the world was destroyed in the flood, he wrote in 2 Peter 3:7 (BBE), "But the present heaven and the present earth have been kept for destruction by fire, which is waiting for them on the day of the judging and destruction of evil men."

Then we learn that time is no problem for our Father. As 2 Peter 3:8 (BBE) says, "But, my loved ones, keep in mind this one thing, that with the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years are no more than one day."

This verse changes the focus from the scoffers to the "loved ones" to whom he was writing. It reassures them, and us, that the seaming slowness of God to punish the scoffers is done for a good reason. That reason is revealed in verse nine.

For decades, I was taught that 2 Peter 3:9 was addressing sinners. Now, by Voddie Baucham's use of simple grammar, I realize that Peter was speaking of those who our Lord chose for Christ. Look at what John 17:9 and 10 (BBE) says. "My prayer is for them: my prayer is not for the world, but for those whom you have given to me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine) and I have glory in them."

We learn about these "loved ones" whom our Lord chose in 2 Timothy 1:9 and 10 (BBE), "Who gave us salvation, marking us out for his purpose, not on account of our works, but in the measure of his purpose and his grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, But has now been made clear by the revelation of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who put an end to death and made life unending come to light through the good news,"

What a joy it is then that our Master will lose none of the people whom his Father has predestined for salvation. We need not fear losing our place in heaven because of some kind of damning sin.

I'll be writing about our assurance of salvation in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? As John MacArthur observed, he would have lost his salvation long ago if it were possible to lose it.


On Thursday, I'll deal with another misunderstood passage of scripture.