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NASB | 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. |
Subject: Created for heaven or hell? |
Bible Note: Hello JVH0212, Thank you for your response! _______________________________________________ This is surely the most popular passage cited (almost never with any reference to the context) to “prove” that God could not possibly desire to save a specific people but instead desires to save every single individual person, thereby denying election and predestination. The text seems inarguably clear, but it is always good to see a text in its own context: Please read 2 Peter 3:3-13: Immediately one should see that unlike passages such as Ephesians 1, Romans 8-9, or John 6, this passage is not talking about salvation as its topic. The reference to “coming to repentance” in 3:9 is made in passing. The topic is the coming of Christ. But the next thing that stands out to me is the clear identification of the audience to which Peter is speaking. When speaking of the mockers he refers to them in the third person as “them”. But everywhere else he speaks to his audience as the “beloved” and “you”, and that this audience should behave “in holy conduct and godliness”, and that they look for the day of the Lord. Peter includes himself in verse 13, where we “look for new heavens and a new earth”. This is vitally important, for the assumption made by the person looking to insert freewill here, is that when verse 9 says the Lord is “longsuffering to us-ward” that this us-ward refers to everyone. How they conclude this, I don’t know. Likewise, then, when it says “not willing that any should perish” but that “all should come to repentance”, it is assumed that the “any” and “all” refers to anyone at all of the human race. Yet, the context indicates that the audience is quite specific. In any other passage of Scripture the interpreter would realize we must decide who the “us-ward” refers to and use this to limit the “any” and “all” of verse 9. For some reason, this simple and fundamental necessity is overlooked when this passage is cited. 2 Peter 1:1-3 tells us the specific identity of the audience to which Peter is writing: 2 Peter 1:1-3: 1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Peter writes to a specific group, not to all of mankind. “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” This not only refers to faith as a gift, but it surely limits the context to the saved, ‘cause they received this faith “through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” There is nothing in chapter 3 that indicates a change in audience, and much to tell us the audience remains exactly the same. Since this is so, it becomes quite clear that the person wanting to insert freewill here, is badly misusing this passage by ignoring what Peter is really saying. The longsuffering of the Lord is displayed toward His elect people (the “you” of verse 9). Therefore, the “not willing that any should perish” must be limited to the same group already in view (the elect). In the same way, the “all should come to repentance” must be the very same group. So, in essence Peter is saying the coming of the Lord has been delayed so that all the elect of God can be gathered in. There is no reason to expand the context of the passage into a universal proclamation of a desire on God’s part that every single person come to repentance. Instead it is clearly His plan and His will that all the elect come to repentance, and they most assuredly will do so! _______________________________________________ Thanks again, talk to you soon, proorizo |