Growing in Grace

May 26, 2013

Lesson: 2 Peter 3:1–18

Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:18

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Introduction

Peter closes his letter to those of like precious faith with these words of encouragement to mature in the grace and knowledge of their Savior: “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen” (3:18). In the words of John Calvin, “He also exhorts us to make progress; for it is the only way of persevering, to make continual advances, and not to stand still in the middle of our journey; as though he had said, that they only would be safe who labored to make progress daily.”

Psalm 92:12–14 raises our souls in the knowledge that we live our lives in the Spirit: singing, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat (fresh) and flourishing.” God’s children are compared to the tree that grows like a cedar of Lebanon. Though we may seem to be weak and burdened at times, in this world of dark wickedness, the church of our Lord and Savior will become as stately and strong as these Lebanon trees. The wicked will neither see nor understand what the Lord wills and sees; for we are planted in the very household of God; in the very courts of the Triune and majestic Lord. It is in the fellowship of believers that we, even in our old age, shall know the freshness of life, flourishing in the word and communion of our Lord. Verse fifteen gives the intent or objective of this growth: “To show that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” We declare, in our growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord, the wonder and beauty of righteousness, which is Christ’s alone. This is that righteousness which is imputed to us, justifying us before our Father in heaven that we are his.

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Words Were Spoken!—2 Peter 3:1–7

As in the first epistle of God’s apostle, Peter writes to “stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance,” in order that we “may be mindful of the words that were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” Peter is speaking to those who are sincere in their faith in Christ, who have tasted the righteousness of their Savior, who have been taught by the word of God. There are some of us here that truly understand the need to push the body to exercise. For if we do not take that walk, if we remain in that chair, our bodies become weaker. So it is with our eyes of faith: if we do not exercise ourselves in the Word of God we become dim, unable to deal with the scoffers who are among us, “walking after their own lusts.”

These are the scoffers within the church, those who ridicule the faith questioning the Word of God, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?” They `mock the prophets who have long since died, saying, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” The scoffers look for any excuse that will rationalize their behavior. They come with their heads held high in their own self-importance, “walking after their own lusts.”

The scoffers, those who teach another doctrine according to their own desires, have not only forgotten the Word of God, they have willfully forgotten and denied its truth. They brought into question the promise of the Lord that he would come. They would ask, “Where is he?” Time has passed and there is no coming. What answer does Peter give? He points the scoffers to the Lord who has kept his promises. There is the example of the Creation and the Flood. It is God who has created. They willfully forget this, for their own wisdom is of most importance. They are willingly ignorant “that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in water.” The world and its rivers and oceans exist by the very word of God. They are maintained by the same word of God. His promise to bring judgment upon the earth comes by his word. By the word of God “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” We must not forget the promises and work of the Sovereign Lord. For they give us confidence in the promises to be kept.

Peter continues, for in the same manner today, “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Christ is Judge. The water of the day of Noah, and the promise of the fire to come, indicates the judgment upon the wicked. The scoffers are to take note. Even today “we see many such at this day who being slightly imbued with the rudiments of philosophy, only hunt after profane speculations, in order that they may pass themselves off as great philosophers” (J. Calvin). These scoffers of the world are like “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13).

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Discussion: What is the nature of the scoffers within the visible Church?

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The Promises of the Lord—2 Peter 3:8–13

We, as the beloved of God in Christ Jesus, are not to be “ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” We are not to forget that our Sovereign Lord is working all things together for his glory and the good of those for whom he shed his precious blood. Christ is with us today, ever mindful of his promise, that his will is being done and will be accomplished. God works out the future, the days to come, by doing his will today. As he has set the winds in motion that will bring the rains and storms and sunshine of the tomorrow, so he is working in us to carry out his purpose in eternity. Calvin reminds us: “For waiting seems very long on this account, because we have our eyes fixed on the shortness of the present life, and we also increase weariness by computing days, hours, and minutes. But when the eternity of God’s kingdom comes to our minds, many ages vanish away like so many moments.”

Let us therefore be patient, not anticipating God’s work. For “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, …but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be carried out for the salvation of all those for whom he paid a ransom price. The one who holds us in his hands has promised that his Father in heaven has “so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life”; and “whosoever believeth in (the Son) should not perish but have everlasting life” [John 3:15–16].

Verses 10–13 teach us about the coming of the Day of the Lord. This Day of the Lord “will come as a thief in the night.” We will know by the times that there will be a coming of the Lord in judgment, but we will not be able to tell just when this will be. What will happen before the very eyes of those who have gone on before, and those who are on the earth, is this: “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” How does this match up with the statement that we are to look for that day of God when the heavens will be dissolved and “the elements will melt with fervent heat.”  However, we are to, “according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

There seems to be, in the passing away of the old, a cleansing work of God in giving to his people a new heavens and a new earth. A process of renovation will take place to get rid of all of the pollution which man has brought upon this world. We read in Romans 8:21, “because the creature (creation) itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” The new heavens and new earth will be like that of today, except, it will be a place where true righteousness dwells. Therefore, if such a destruction of what we see today is to take place, and the glorious place will be only for righteousness, then the question before us is this: “What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation (conduct) and godliness”?

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Discussion: What does it mean to live by the promises of the Lord?

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Consider Christ!—2 Peter 3:14–18

Our holy (righteous, moral) conduct begins by our being diligent in the way of Christ, “in peace, without spot and blameless.” We are to be diligent in our desire to be like Christ, as Christ made peace between us and the Father through his redeeming work on the cross of Calvary. We read in Colossians 1:19–20 that it pleased our heavenly Father that “in him should all fullness dwells; and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” A mark of a Christian is peace. The Christian has peace within himself through fellowship with Christ and his Word.

We are encouraged to be blameless before a wicked world by thinking upon “the longsuffering of our Lord,” which is for the salvation of his people. So also, we are not tossed to and fro by the philosophies of the wicked, allowing the situation to make us frenzied with anger; but we are to act accordingly, with the strength of knowing that we are at peace with God in Christ, to the salvation and help for those around us. Surely, as Peter refers us to Paul’s wisdom given to him by God, there are “some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” This is the confrontation of the people of God in all ages.

Let us, therefore, beware of the traps of the scoffers and wicked teachers: “Beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.” We are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” GRACE refers to “those spiritual gifts we obtain through Christ. But as we become partakers of these blessings according to the measure of our faith,” KNOWLEDGE “is added to grace; as though he had said, that as faith increases, so would follow the increase of grace” (Calvin). Let us go to the Word of God, in prayer and in worship, one with another, that to Christ “be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”

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Discussion: What does it mean to desire the way of Christ?

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Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2013 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.