STEADFAST Against the Current of Time – Part 2

We should always bear this in mind: We live set apart to the Lord, so we don’t let ourselves get carried away with each new development. But we are always concerned for people, that they may come to know Jesus and be saved.

In 2 Peter 3:14, Peter addresses Jesus’ followers as “beloved.” What warmth and care radiate from his words! Then he calls for diligence (making a real effort and giving our all) in light of the coming judgment and Jesus’ return, so that we can be found “without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Peter doesn’t say “sinless.” That will only happen when we are perfected. Rather, it means we will be spotless and pristine; that we focus our efforts on living set apart to the living God. Our profession of faith should be consistent with our practical way of life.

As a side note, church livestreams can be helpful in some cases, but I see them as an inadequate last resort. They can never replace the true fellowship of following Jesus with other believers. I’m amazed at the hymns of praise that were sung online during the Covid lockdowns. But it also seems that we’ve forgotten how many of our brothers and sisters struggle with internet pornography and other online temptations. While we gratefully make use of livestreams and other internet resources, helping each other grow in purity must also be a concern.

We’re to strive to be found blameless and undefiled before Christ, “and at peace.” This refers to the peace we have when we’re doing His will. The temptation that Peter speaks of (the alleged free pass to sin from a misunderstanding of the doctrine of grace) cannot bring peace. The conscience can be dulled or numbed, but we must never confuse this with God’s peace. Jude speaks of similar circumstances in his letter. He writes of the deceivers and the deceived: “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” (Jude 16).

Let’s not fool ourselves: People who walk according to their own desires aren’t familiar with the peace that our verse is speaking of. It exists only when we’re living for God’s glory, according to His will and His Word. This is true even though we still need daily cleansing and forgiveness until we are perfected.

But this same principle also applies to peace among Jesus’ followers. It’s one thing to stay on target theologically, not softening important Bible and doctrinal issues. Division may be necessary for that to occur. But it’s something else altogether if new fault lines are continuously forming between fellow believers, because people are elevating their own opinions and knowledge to a shibboleth. Peter isn’t saying that we should be found as weathervanes or people skilled in diplomacy when the Lord returns. A holy walk is always linked to firm spiritual principles and beliefs. But it’s a beautiful thing when we are found at peace. The ones who are at peace are the ones who, whenever possible, have sown peace among fellow believers rather than unnecessary discord.

Steadfast Through God’s Long-Suffering

In 2 Peter 3:15, the Apostle tells us to consider God’s patience as salvation. What does he mean by that? In verse 9, he explains that the Lord is patient, delaying His judgment in order to save people.

We should always bear this in mind: We live set apart to the Lord, so we don’t let ourselves get carried away with each new development. But we are always concerned for people, that they may come to know Jesus and be saved. The Lord is long-suffering, but verse 15 isn’t speaking of salvation in the sense of being converted. We are to look to the Lord’s long-suffering for our salvation. Peter is writing to those who have the same precious faith and are already saved. Benedict Peters puts it this way: God’s forbearance is salvation for God’s beloved. He writes: “We should draw this general principle from our text: If God doesn’t immediately fulfill our expectations and we have to persevere until the promise arrives, then that is to our salvation. It is to our blessing when God doesn’t immediately give us what we desire, even when our desire is for something good.”

He then cites examples of how saints endured from Hebrews. It is the Lord’s forbearance that enables us to endure unto our salvation (in the sense of perfection). This can also be applied to being steadfast. We need His long-suffering so that we don’t get carried away by the new developments, but instead endure. He placed us in the midst of such a time precisely according to His plan and will.

But this can also be understood in light of God’s longsuffering with His redemption plan. He is forbearing until the full number of the Gentiles has come in—until everyone who has yet to come into the Church of Jesus is saved. Benedict Peters also understands this passage to be speaking of those who are already saved, but lack full certainty. The Lord is long-suffering until they too have come to full assurance.

In this sense, we can apply long-suffering to the Lord’s patience with us. It means standing firm. How many times has the Lord waited, patiently and with long-suffering, for us to realize something for ourselves? How many times has He saved us or brought us back when we were in danger of taking the wrong path? As I look back over all the years of my own discipleship, I become more and more aware of the Lord’s long-suffering in my life.

So, on the one hand, Peter is clearly calling us to a holy, separate life for the Lord. And on the other, it’s also due to our Lord’s long-suffering that we don’t lose our firm footing but are saved.

Steadfast Through the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ

Second Peter 3:17 speaks of deception and iniquity—actions directed specifically against God and His will. Peter tells us to be careful not to get carried away but to stand firm. Figuratively speaking, we’re not meant to feel like the four climbers, being pulled down into the abyss one after the other. In the last verse, the Apostle shows us the spiritual alternative that makes us steadfast. But this same last verse also speaks of much danger and seduction.

We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no stagnation in spiritual life; that would be dangerous! Continued spiritual growth makes us firm. And the call to grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ makes us dependent on Him.

We need to recognize that we depend on Him and His grace for our entire lives. In this passage, Peter is calling us to holy conduct and godliness. We are to strive diligently to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace before Him. But that could mislead us into a fatal self-assessment: that we’ve already got everything under control through our own loyalty and dedication—just as Peter was convinced of his own walk until he denied Christ. Yet, this is the Apostle who, having suffered that painful but healing shipwreck, writes to us to grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We need His grace in order to be steadfast. It is the power of His grace that enables us to have a holy and godly walk. His grace is the rock-solid safety rope that keeps us from being swept away in deception and iniquity.

When our discipleship begins, we’re often convinced of our own devotion and piety, just like Peter was before he denied Christ. But over time, it becomes increasingly clear that it is our Lord’s grace that keeps, corrects, and catches us time and again. It is His grace alone that preserves us and eventually redeems us into His heavenly kingdom. It’s just as John Newton wrote in the third verse of “Amazing Grace”:

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come:

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

As a result, the realization that we owe everything to God’s grace alone doesn’t make us nonchalant but dependent. In contrast, I worry about those who are relying on their own devotion and their own will, like those four climbers on the north face.

Even deceivers and false teachers speak of grace, but they’re not truly familiar with it. For them, it’s just an excuse to act on their sinful desires. But the knowledge and power of God’s grace enables us to live holy and godly lives. This is demonstrated by how grace becomes more and more important to us over the course of our discipleship. Everything depends on the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. His grace saved us, and will save us from the darkness by helping us to stand firm.

We’re meant to grow in the knowledge of Him, our Lord and Savior. Some followers of Jesus think they already know everything there is to know about their Lord. When you talk about Him, their eyes don’t light up; they just seem bored. People like this think their progress comes from theological intricacies or so-called “higher knowledge.” But these things don’t result in spiritual growth, nor do they grant stability in the current of time.

We become stable when we come to know Jesus more and more, and He grows in importance in our lives. This is inextricably linked to a life lived according to God’s Word. Jesus can’t be separated from His Word, although some evangelical circles certainly try. He meets us in His Word and reveals Himself there. And this process is linked to prayer and fellowship with Him and other believers. Today, we desperately need fellowship with followers of Jesus who know their Lord and Savior by His Word, and can distinguish the voice of the Good Shepherd from all others. Growing in the knowledge of Jesus makes us steadfast, because other things lose their importance. That must be the focus of our discipleship.

It also means we can discern and call out aberrations. But we won’t be steadfast if we scour the internet, looking for all the stories behind and connections between various evils, diving headlong into every possible (and impossible) topic. While we do need to confront the zeitgeist and current developments, what makes us steady is growing in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—in who He is and what we have been given in Him. Or as the well-known chorus says, “Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Hallelujah! Jesus is my life.”

Therefore, let’s see to it that the main thing remains the main thing (or becomes the main thing again): growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even in glory, we’ll be worshiping, serving, and marveling at Him.

Peter concludes his letter with a hymn of praise: “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Pet 3:18). The focus is Jesus, the Lord and Savior. This is the great difference from the deceivers and the pull of iniquity: Their focus is on man and his sinful desires. Everything revolves around me. Giving glory to the Lord today and forever allows us to become and remain steadfast. Only the knowledge and power of His grace can enable us to do it.

Conclusion

Let’s think back to the tragedy of the four-person climbing team. One after the other were swept from their footholds. At the end of his letter, Peter shows us how to stand firm in the midst of every development, so as not to be carried away.

The heart of the matter is a focus on the Lord’s coming, the judgment that will come with it, and the new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. We become steadfast through a walk of separation and godliness. It’s a matter of living to His glory, rooted in the Bible, transforming the way we think and act. God’s long-suffering and forbearance make us steadfast and are necessary for survival, so we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.