Be Steadfast in the Lord – 2 Peter 3v14-18

By the grace of God, we are wrapping up with the 2nd Epistle of Peter, and I’d say that it’s been a thrilling journey. Today’s release of study scripture is the last for this epistle, and as you know, most of the Apostles saved some of their most essential counsels in their last words. Let’s dive in.

Verse 14

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;” – 2 Peter 3:14 (NKJV)

Here, Apostle Peter was saying that since believers in Christ are looking forward to the second coming of Christ (see 2 Peter 3:12-13), there are things we can do to prepare ourselves towards that. That is, being steadfast in the Lord so we can diligently live according to His dictates in peace, without spot and blameless. From this, it’s pretty clear there’s no space for funfaring when it comes to living by the principles of God. You need to be vigilant and give no space for the devil.

Verse 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,” – 2 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)

The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Wow! So God is longsuffering because He wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He doesn’t want anybody to go to hell with the excuse that they didn’t hear the message of Christ. That is why He keeps commissioning people to go out and preach the gospel to all nations. People need to hear about JESUS!

Verse 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.” – 2 Peter 3:16 (NKJV)

Paul wrote about the importance of reaching out to people about the gospel of Jesus Christ in his epistles, usually not in the way that the Apostle Peter wrote it. From the verse above, we see that Apostle Peter was highly impressed with the writings of Apostle Paul. That means he got hold of, if not all, then some of Apostle Paul’s letters. He said some things he spoke of are hard to understand. But today, knowledge has increased, and several believers understand the Pauline epistles, maybe more than some of the Apostles. But it’s very unfortunate that many Christians, although knowing all these things, still don’t even live doing a quarter of the exploits the Apostles did. Oh, what a tragedy.

There is a slight warning in the same verse. Although Apostle Peter recognises Paul’s writing as somehow complex to understand, it is dangerous to twist the scriptures in their interpretation. If anybody does that, that person will face destruction because their inaccurate understanding will lead them to not live according to God’s ways.

Verse 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;” – 2 Peter 3:17 (NKJV)

Now that you know the essentiality of understanding scripture accurately, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness. Why did Apostle Peter use “your own steadfastness”? Because being steadfast in The Lord cannot be done by your strength. You cannot live unto God if He doesn’t give you the grace to do it. In the same way, the Bible is a closed book. Seek the Spirit of God’s help to understand it when you study it.

Verse 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.” – 2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

To conclude his epistle, Apostle Peter writes one of the primary reasons for a Christian to live. That is, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So, in grace, there’s space for growth, and you grow by knowing the Lord more and more each day. Prioritise the spiritual disciplines that help you grow spiritually, like fasting, Bible Study, prayer and church.

You are a blessing!