2 Peter | Practical Teaching on Coming Conditions
Session 12 | 2 Peter 3:15-18
2 Peter 3:15-18 | Meanwhile, Listen to Paul
Verse 15 --
A fundamental principle for understanding the New Testament is displayed in this verse (while taught more explicitly in the epistles of Paul).
In Romans 11:15, Paul stated that the casting away of Israel resulted in the reconciling of the world and the receiving of them will be life from the dead.
Paul is writing from a Gentile perspective, saying that when God cast off Israel, He initiated individual salvation. When God will once again bring Israel back into His current work, He will initiate the resurrection.
Peter says much the same thing, except from the perspective of Israel. The longsuffering of the Lord is the casting away (2 Peter 3:15) of Israel. He has yet to come and fulfil His kingdom promises. Peter says that this is salvation. Since it cannot be kingdom salvation it must be individual salvation. And this is made clear when Peter says that the salvation of which he speaks is the one that is according to the wisdom given unto Paul.
This verse mentions that Paul hath written unto you. But to what writing does he refer?
Some believe it is a reference to the book of Hebrews. While this is enticing (I believe Paul wrote Hebrews), it really doesn't fit the context here.
Either I am wrong about the salvation in view being the salvation by grace (the Pauline gospel), or I am wrong about Hebrews being the last call to the Kingdom, and about kingdom salvation rather than individual salvation.
It seems to me that Peter must be referring to some other epistle. But what are our choices?
Peter's audience were the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (1 Pet. 1:1). These are all places within modern day Turkey.
Galatians is the only book carrying the name of one of these locations, and the content could fit.
More than likely, however, Peter refers to an unknown work of Paul.
Verse 16 --
Peter moves from the specific (but unnamed) work in verse 15 to a general reference to all his epistles.
Peter's instruction is that in the Pauline epistles contain some things hard to be understood.
It is important to understand the Greek word δυσνόητος [dysnontos].
The word has the prefix dys-, a prefix which is the opposite of eu*-*, the prefix that makes a word good.
In English, it is sometimes conveyed through the prefix mis-.
The root word is noeo, which is to understand.
Thus, hard to be understood could be summarized by our English word misunderstood.
Peter is saying that some have a bad-understanding of Pauline writings.
He is not saying that Pauline works are difficult in some grammatical structure or that the material is somehow written in a difficult manner.
Because some have a misunderstanding of Paul's writings, the unlearned and unstable wrest...unto their own destruction.
This seems to me to be the perfect complement to Paul's instruction to study...rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
If a student of the Word will take Galatians 2:7 at face value, realizing that Peter has one message and Paul another, then the messages become clear.
But almost invariably the unlearned and unstable (who often have PhD's) will insist that Peter and Paul must have the same message.
Even the simplest reading of Acts 15 displays that the two did not have the same message going into the meeting nor going out of the meeting.
The meeting simply laid the groundwork for how the two messages would be preached in areas in which they would overlap.
Verse 17 --
Peter says that they know these things before and thus should not succumb to the error of the wicked.
Since the things of which Peter speaks are Pauline writings, and specifically keeping them rightly divided, then the wicked in this context are those who do not rightly divide.
Indeed, failure to rightly divide twists the Word of God in so many ways that it must be considered wicked when it is done with knowledge.
Even in Paul's day people were beginning to reject his unique message (see 2 Tim. 1:15).
Note that being led away is in the passive. It is the wicked who are leading away. However, fall from your own stedfastness is in the active tense, thus almost taking the sense of diving“blame the teacher" to a certain degree, and at some point, we decide“jump off."
Verse 18 --
Rather than fall (v. 17), Peter wants his audience to grow in grace...and knowledge. These two things go together, and as one grows in knowledge of the Word he will grow in grace.
