GOD'S LONGSUFFERING IS SALVATION
by
W. E. Best
Copyright (c) 1992
W. E. Best
Scripture quotations in this book designated "NASB" are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by the Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission. Those designated "translation" are by the author and taken from the Greek Text. All others are from the King James Bible.
This book is
distributed by the
W. E. Best Book Missionary Trust
P. O. Box 34904
Houston, Texas 77234-4904 USA
Section I
The Text Of II Peter 3:9
1 Scoffers Of The Objects Of God's Longsuffering Answered
2 The Objects Of God's Longsuffering
3 God Is Longsuffering For The Elect
4 The Objects Of God's Longsuffering Are Brought To Repentance
Section II
The Immediate Context Of II Peter 3:9
6 The Elect Are Recipients Of Equally Valuable Faith
7 The Elect's Activity Of Faith
9 The Path Of Sanctification Of The Elect
10 The Effect Of Sanctification Of The Elect
11 The Nonelect Illustrated By A Shortsighted Blind Person
12 The Goal Of Sanctification Of The Elect
13 The Result Of The Elect's Failure To Make Their Calling And Election Sure
Section III
The Overall Context Of II Peter 3:9
14 The Necessity Of Preaching The Gospel To Bring The Elect To Repentance
15 God's Message Is Applicable To Only The Elect
16 The Elect Bring Forth Fruit
18 Jesus Christ Mediates For The Elect
The two books entitled GOD'S LONGSUFFERING IS SALVATION and THE MOST NEGLECTED CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE are companion books. The first is a study of II Peter 3:9. The second is a study of Romans 9. Both are primarily a discussion of God's election of some to salvation and His passing by others. They are composed of sermons preached to the people of the South Belt Assembly of Christ.
God is longsuffering to the elect because the longsuffering of God is to be considered as salvation to them. There are many so-called controversial verses of Scripture in the Bible, but there is not one that has created debate among religionists more than II Peter 3:9"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This verse is misunderstood and incorrectly used by both free will and free grace theologians. The polemical nature of the verse arises not from the Greek construction but from preconceived ideas of the text. Most people who read the Scriptures form an idea of what a text means before investigating the text itself, its immediate context, and the overall context of Scripture.
The term "controversial" should never be used with reference to a text of Scripture. There are no verses in the Bible subject to debate. Controversy arises from the nature of the interpreter, not from the nature of the text itself. Since Scripture is the revelation of God's infallible mind, contention arises from the fallible nature of men. This is not to say that some things in the Bible are not "hard to be understood" (II Pet. 3:16). Peter did not say he had difficulty understanding Paul's Epistles, but he did say the uninstructed and unstable pervert the remaining Scriptures. Distorting any text of Scripture from its proper meaning is serious.
The following are questions revealing interpreters' problems in the study of II Peter 3:9.
1. Is God's longsuffering universal or limited?
2. Has God secured salvation for the elect, or does He offer salvation to all?
3. Does God's being "not willing that any should perish" deny a decree?
4. Does God decree one thing while preferring another?
5. Does God desire all men to be saved but know many will reject Him?
6. Is the reason the Lord's return seems so long in occurring because He wants as many people as possible to be saved?
7. Is there a distinction between "us-ward (eis humas)," "any (tinas)," and "all (pantas)?"
SECTION
I
THE TEXT
of
II Peter 3:9
1
SCOFFERS
OF THE OBJECTS OF
GOD'S LONGSUFFERING ANSWERED
Peter answered the charge from the scoffers (empaiktai, the nominative masculine plural of empaiktes, which means a mocker or a scoffer) that God is slow to fulfill His promise (II Pet. 3:3-4). They were saying,"...Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (v. 4). He began by answering them with history (vv. 5-7). Those to whom He wrote were then reminded that "...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (v. 8). Peter was referring to the scoffers when he said, "...as some men count slackness..." (v. 9). This "some" who regarded the Lord's coming as delayed were false teachers. While the false teachers were charging God with delaying His coming, Peter informed the elect that what the false teachers charged as delay was God's longsuffering toward His chosen which guaranteed their salvation (v. 9). Election is to salvation: "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (II Thess. 2:13).
The scoffers were accusing the Lord of being slack concerning His promise. The Greek verb translated "slack" is bradunei, the present active indicative of braduno, which means delay or neglect. The verb is used here and I Timothy 3:15. It comes from bradus, which means slow or slow to apprehend (Luke 24:25; James 1:19). The Greek noun translated "promise," epaggelias, comes from epaggelia which means a promise, act of promising, or the thing promised. What did God promise? He promised that His longsuffering will continue until the elect are saved (II Pet. 3:9, 15). Delay seems long to men because of our time perspective. But Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 proves there is an allotted time for everything. These verses also relate to our Lord Jesus Christ. There was a time for Him to be born, to die, and to be resurrected; and there is a time for His second coming. The time of Christ's return is unknown to men, but when God's purpose has been fulfilled in bringing all the elect to repentance, He will return.
The scoffers who were saying the Lord was delaying His coming were described in II Peter 2. Peter warned those who had received Divinely allotted faith that there would be false prophets among the people and false teachers among the believers who would "bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (II Pet. 2:1). In order for anyone to use this verse for a proof text for unlimited atonement, he must first show that the "Lord" means Jesus Christ. The word is not kurios but despoten (accusative masculine singular of despotes), and it means sovereign, master, or slave owner. One cannot prove that this is referring to Jesus Christ. In order for this verse of Scripture to teach universal redemption, one must show that redemption by the death of Jesus Christ is meant by the term "bought." It is true that agorasanta, aorist active participle of agoradzo, which means to buy or frequent the market place, is used here, but no blood is mentioned. The sovereign Lord purchased mankind in the sense of staying their execution. God is staying the execution of the nonelect for the elect's sake. All mankind would be destroyed were it not for the elect. Some of the elect are the offspring of the nonelect; therefore, God tolerates the nonelect. In order for this verse to teach universal redemption, the false prophets and teachers would also be sheep for whom Christ died. But Scripture proves that Christ gave Himself for only the sheep (John 10:11,15,16). The false prophets and teachers were not God's elect. For this passage of Scripture to teach universal redemption, one would have to say God's elect can be reserved until the day of judgment to be punished.
The promise concerning which the scoffers said the Lord was slack refers to the second advent of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus will not return from the Father to this earth for the purpose of establishing His kingdom until the last one for whom He died has been brought to repentance. There are two serious errors made by some concerning the return of Christ. The first is presented by dispensational premillennialists and the second by amillennialists. Dispensational premillennialists represent Jesus Christ as offering the kingdom to the Jews. Therefore, they portray Him as offering the kingdom before His death. However, the kingdom will be established on the basis of His suffering. If the Lord had offered Himself as King at His first advent, John the Baptist would have announced Him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah instead of "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In none of His messages did the Lord Jesus offer the kingdom. His message to Nicodemus clearly showed that the Son of Man must be lifted up, and Nicodemus must be born again in order to see or enter the kingdom. One of Peter's blunders was to object to the Lord's suffering and death (Matt. 16). Christ's offering the kingdom to Israel before His death and the salvation of the elect would have been contrary to the purpose of God. Hence, dispensational premillennialists seriously err to say He offered the kingdom. The second serious error concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ is presented by amillennialists. They represent Jesus Christ as reigning now before He reveals His glory. One is as erroneous as the other.
Believers are warned against scoffers. After Peter was strengthened and reached the level of spiritual maturity, God told him to strengthen the brethren. This is what he was doing when he said, "THIS second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance" (II Pet. 3:1). Where there is grace the hearer can be stirred up by being called to remembrance of God's word. Dwelling on truth is necessary even for the strongest believers. Peter was not apologizing for stirring up their pure minds by way of remembrance. Truth is infinite, but our minds are finite; therefore, we never learn any subject as well as it should be learned because every subject from the Bible is the subject of God's infinite mind. The most elementary doctrine is virtually a summary of the whole Bible.
Believers should be mindful of the words which were spoken by the holy prophets and also of the commandment of the apostles of the Lord and Savior (II Pet. 3:2). The reason for our mindfulness of these words is that the scoffers come in the last days. They walk after their own lusts and question the promise of Christ's second advent. Christ will not come until all the elect have come to repentance. But the mockers used Christ's delay in their minds to support their liberalism. They used the term "delay" as an excuse to continue in their activities which were evil. Not only the unregenerate but also most professing Christians do not understand Christ's so-called delay of His return. They do not understand that Christ is, as it were, delaying His coming to manifest His longsuffering until everyone given to the Son in the covenant of redemption and for whom Christ died has been brought to repentance.
False prophets and teachers scoff at the Lord's promised return. But they are willingly ignorant of history and prophecy (II Pet. 3:4-7). They ignored the flood which destroyed all the people on earth except Noah and his family. The earth, which was renewed after the flood, is now being reserved with a view to judgment to come (II Pet. 3:10-11).
2
THE OBJECTS OF GOD'S LONGSUFFERING
The objects of God's longsuffering are those chosen by God before the foundation of the world. God's longsuffering of II Peter 3:9 and 15 does not refer to all mankind in general but to the elect in particular from among mankind. To say Christ died for all without exception would indicate the elimination of election. One cannot deny that Peter spoke of election (I Pet. 1:2; 2:9; II Pet. 1:10). Since Christ died for the sheep, it is meaningless to say He died for all, including the goats. If Christ's death was a ransom for all the human race, as most religionists claim, all will be brought to repentance. But all have not been and all are not being brought to repentance. Many have died and are dying in their sins.
God is longsuffering to "us" because the longsuffering of the Lord is to be considered salvation (II Pet. 3:15). The longsuffering of God guarantees the salvation of all the elect. Christ did not die in vain; He died for the sheep (John 10:11, 15, 16). Since the English verb "is" in the King James Bible is not in the Greek text, we are to regard the longsuffering of our Lord as salvation (II Pet. 3:15). In verse 9, the antecedent of both "any" and "all" is the "us-ward" of God's longsuffering. (See II Peter 1:1, 2, 4; 3:9, 15.) To say "us-ward" can mean all men without exception would be hermeneutical absurdity. The following would be the results of "us-ward" referring to all mankind in general: (1) God's delay will continue as long as His longsuffering continues. (2) If the first is correct, one is forced to conclude that God's longsuffering will continue as long as He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (3) If Christ should come before all without exception come to repentance, His longsuffering, which is regarded as salvation, would fail.
God's longsuffering is toward the elect: "...longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Pet. 3:9). The first, second, and third person plural pronouns used by Peter identify the persons addressed.
The Greek is a more definitive language than the English. A case in point is that the Greek not only uses the personal pronoun to identify the antecedent but it sometimes incorporates the person and number of the antecedent into the verb. This makes the verb to perform much of the function of a personal pronoun. When both a personal pronoun and a verb are used together in Greek, the expression is considered definitive. Hence, the antecedent is identified with both the pronoun and the verb.
Peter's use of plural pronouns must be considered by the exegete in order that he may properly interpret II Peter 3. The first, second, and third person plural pronouns used frequently in this short Epistle should attract the exegete's attention. The first person plural pronouns refer to the elect, most of the second person plurals refer to professing believers without discriminating, and most of the third person plurals refer to the false teachers.
The first person plural pronouns in Peter's Epistles refer to Peter and those united with him in the grace and cause of Jesus Christ. They not only share the same Savior and the same exceeding great and precious promises, but they also look together for new heavens and a new earth. God's sovereign choice is set forth in the Greek verb translated "have obtained" (lachousin, aorist active participle of lagchano, which means having received by Divine allotment) in the opening statement of Peter's second Epistle (II Pet. 1:1). Peter wrote to those who by Divine allotment had received valuable faith with him and other Christians. Hence, through the righteousness of God, we have the same blessing that Peter experienced. Peter's wish for the saints' future was that their peace might increase. It can never increase apart from the accurate knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ (II Pet. 1:2).
God's divine power has gratuitously given to "us" all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of God who has called "us" to glory and virtue (II Pet. 1:3). The "like precious" (accusative feminine singular of isotimos, which means equally valuable) faith (v. 1), all things that pertain to life and godliness (v. 3), and great and "precious" (accusative plural of timios, which means priceless) promises (v. 4) have been permanently given to "us" by God. God has given "us" equally precious faith, and we are in a resultant position because of this faith which is God's gift. This denotes Christian security, because we have been freed by God from the corruption that is in the world: "...having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (II Pet. 1:4). Conclusively, the first person plural pronouns of II Peter 1:1-4 include all the redeemed in general.
With his use of the second person plural pronouns, Peter did not assume that all who read his Epistles were Christians. This is the reason Peter used subjunctive mood verbs to which the second person plural pronouns are related. The subjunctive mood denotes what is likely to but not positively will occur. We will mention two subjunctive and five imperative mood verbs with which the second person plural pronouns are related: (1) "might be" (genesthe, second person plural aorist middle subjunctive of ginomai) (II Pet. 1:4), (2) "add" (epichoregesate, second person plural aorist active imperative of epichoregeo) (1:5), (3) "give diligence" (spoudasate, second person plural aorist active imperative of spoudadzo) (1:10), (4) "shall never fall" (ptaisete, second person plural aorist active subjunctive of ptaio) (1:10), (5) "account" (hegeisthe, second person plural present middle imperative of hegeomai) (3:15), (6) "beware" (phulassesthe, second person plural present middle imperative of phulasso) (3:17), and (7) "grow" (auxanete, second person plural present active imperative of auxano) (3:18).
The third person plural pronouns in chapter two refer to the false teachers: (1) "But there were [egenonto, third person plural aorist middle indicative of ginomai] false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be [esontai, third person plural future middle indicative of eimi] false teachers among you, who privily shall bring [pareisaxousin, third person plural future active indicative of pareisago] in damnable heresies..." (v. 1). (2) "And many shall follow [exakolouthesousin, third person plural future active indicative of exakoloutheo] their pernicious ways..." (v. 2). (3) "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise [emporeusontai, third person plural future middle indicative of emporeuomai] of you ..." (v. 3). (4) "...They are not afraid [tremousin, third person plural present active indicative of tremo]..." (v. 10). (5) "...They understand not [agnoousin, third person plural present active indicative of agnoeo]..." (v. 12). (6) "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray [eplanethesan, third person plural aorist passive indicative of planao]..." (v. 15).
In general, the first person plural pronouns refer to the elect. Peter used the second person plural pronouns because he did not assume all his readers were Christians. Finally, the third person plural pronouns identify the false prophets and teachers.
The Lord "is longsuffering to us-ward [the elect], not willing that any [the elect] should perish, but that all [the elect] should come to repentance" (II Pet. 3:9). God's longsuffering toward Saul of Tarsus is evidenced in Acts 9:1-9. God was longsuffering toward him because he had been chosen by God as one of His own. God will vindicate the elect: "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long [makrothumei, present active indicative of makrothumeo, which means is being slow to punish or longsuffering] with them" (Luke 18:7). God will see that justice is done for those He elected and gave to His Son before the foundation of the world. God is longsuffering to the elect who have been saved, and His longsuffering guarantees the salvation of all for whom Christ died.
3
GOD IS LONGSUFFERING FOR THE ELECT
God is longsuffering for the sake of the elect. Longsuffering from our viewpoint is not the same as longsuffering when it is related to God. Therefore, we must be careful in our translation of the noun and verb forms of the word when it is related to God. Three words in the Greek text are variously and irregularly translated patience, longsuffering, and forbearance. This irregularity in translation creates confusion. Therefore, great care must be exercised in determining how each word is used in any text.
The noun form of patience (hupomone) is patience under trial. It is translated patience in all 32 references where it is found. The verb form (hupomeno) is a compound verb meaning to endure, stand firm, bear, or put up with. The preposition hupo means under, and meno means to abide or to remain. Hence, it means to remain under. The verb form is found 17 times, and it is translated endureth, endure, tarrieth behind, abode, patience, suffer, and patiently. Patience (endurance or perseverance) does not describe God, but it describes those to whom God has given grace. We must determine the significance of the noun for patience in the three references where it is connected with God or Christ.
1. Patience is given by God to the recipients of grace: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus" (Rom. 15:4, 5). The noun hupomone is in the ablative case; therefore, it teaches that God is the source of our endurance. Christians endure by God's grace: "...he that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10:22). Paul said, "I endure all things for the elect's sakes..." (II Tim. 2:10). "If we suffer [endure], we shall also reign with him..." (II Tim. 2:12). "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation [trial]..." (James 1:12). "Behold, we count them happy which endure..." (James 5:11). Endurance is a synonym for patience, but this type of patience is never attributed to God absolutely considered. God does not endure in the sense of holding out against any circumstances because He is the Author and Controller of all circumstances. He is sovereign. Christians endure circumstances because of the grace God has given. "The God of patience" describes neither God nor one of His attributes. It describes what God has given His born again one's ability to endure or persevere. Through the God of patience, the things we are taught from Scripture, and the comfort we receive from Scripture, we are to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus (Rom. 15:5). "The God of patience" is to be understood in the same sense of "the God of hope" (v. 13) and "the God of peace" (v. 33). God is the source of our patience, hope, and peace.
2. Our patient waiting for Christ is a prayer wish: "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (II Thess. 3:5). The marginal reference calls "the patient waiting for Christ" the "patience of Christ." There is a difference between patient waiting for Christ and the patience of Christ. Here is where interpretation comes in. Is this objective or subjective? Christ is before us as the object of our hope in the King James Bible. That would be objective. Whereas, the marginal reference, "the patience of Christ," would be subjective. Is this an objective attribute of God or Christ, or is it a subjective experience of Christians enduring trials for Christ's sake? It is a subjective experience because endurance is not an attribute of God.
3. Endurance is possible for the child of God only in Christ: "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of [en, locative of sphere, in] Jesus Christ..." (Rev. 1:9). Christian brotherhood and companionship in tribulation, the kingdom, and endurance are possible only in Christ.
The verb translated "is longsuffering" of II Peter 3:9 is makrothumei, a third person singular present active indicative of makrothumeo, which means being slow towards, being patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others, or being longsuffering. The noun for "longsuffering" (makrothumia is used fourteen times and is translated longsuffering in every place except Hebrews 6:12 and James 5:10, where it is translated patience. The verb form (makrothumeo) is used ten times, but only once in relation to God (II Pet. 3:9). The noun form is used five times in relation to God (Rom. 2:4; 9:22; I Tim. 1:16; I Pet. 3:20; II Pet. 3:15). When this word is used as an attribute of God, it is generally directed toward the elect. Although God endures no circumstances, He is longsuffering toward the elect. Surely there is no debate over the verb form of longsuffering in II Peter 3:9. Like the patience of God, the longsuffering of God is not His attribute, but His longsuffering is extended to the elect.
God tolerates the nonelect while His goodness is leading the elect to salvation: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance [anoches, genitive of anoche, which means toleration of something or someone, a holding back, or a delay of punishment] and longsuffering [makrothumias, genitive of makrothumia, which means patience, endurance, or longsuffering]; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom. 2:4). The text does not declare that the riches of God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering are directed toward all men indiscriminately. The text neither affirms nor denies that "O man" (vv. 1, 3) is the recipient of God's riches. The text does declare that those who despise God's riches do not know the goodness of God which leads to repentance. If "O man" refers to the nonelect, he not only despises the riches of God, but he will never know or come to repentance. On the other hand, if "O man" is an elect person, he may despise God's riches for a time, but he will be quickened and led to repentance. Saul of Tarsus illustrates this truth, and every child of God can relate with it.
Some think a distinction between forbearance and longsuffering is artificial. Others use one as a synonym of the other. However, there is a difference between them. God the Holy Spirit is not guilty of tautology, a needless repetition of an idea in different words. In the light of our present study, God's longsuffering is the source of His forbearance. God tolerates the nonelect while His goodness is leading the elect to repentance.
The longsuffering of God toward the elect is the cause of His forbearance toward the nonelect. Did not God manifest self-restraint with Saul of Tarsus during the time he was persecuting the assembly? (See Acts 9:1, 2; Gal. 1:13-17.) Why was God longsuffering with Saul? God had chosen him in Christ before the foundation of the world, and He had separated him from his mother's womb. Therefore, since the longsuffering of our Lord is to be regarded as salvation, His longsuffering with Saul could not end until he was regenerated and effectually called. On the other hand, God's forbearance toward the nonelect arises out of His longsuffering for the elect.
When God's purpose in His longsuffering toward His elect is consummated in the salvation of all for whom Christ died, His toleration toward the nonelect will conclude in judgment: "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory" (Rom. 9:22, 23). The text does not say God both forbears the vessels of wrath and is longsuffering toward them. God forbears the vessels of wrath. As God was forbearing with Pharaoh in His longsuffering over Israel, He will be forbearing with the nonelect until all the elect have come to repentance. As forbearance serves longsuffering, the nonelect serve the elect. Longsuffering is the source of God's forbearance. This means the longsuffering of God toward the elect motivates His forbearance toward the nonelect. Therefore, when all the elect have been brought to repentance (II Pet. 3:9), the forbearance over the nonelect will end in judgment. In His longsuffering, God spared the elect angels (I Tim. 5:21), but His forbearance toward the nonelect angels ended in judgment (II Pet. 2:4). In His longsuffering, He saved Noah, but His forbearance with the old world of the ungodly concluded in judgment (II Pet. 2:5, 6). Lot was delivered, but the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were condemned and turned into ashes (II Pet. 2:6-8). Likewise, in His longsuffering, the Lord delivers the godly out of trials; but in His forbearance, He reserves the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished (II Pet. 2:9). As God was forbearing with Pharaoh in His longsuffering to Israel, He will be forbearing with the nonelect until all the elect have been brought to repentance. God's toleration serves His longsuffering as the tares serve the wheat (Matt. 13:24-30).
The one thing that distinguishes the elect from the nonelect is grace. Grace was given the elect in Christ before the world began (II Tim. 1:9). That grace which was given in the purpose of God is actually given in time when the elect are regenerated. There is the gift of grace to the elect before time, and there is the gift of grace in time. Although the gifts of God's providence are common in the sense that rain descends on the just and on the unjust, God's grace is not common in that sense. Grace is common in the same sense that salvation is "common" (koines, genitive of koinos, which means common or belonging equally to several) (Jude 3) to only the elect. When the elect, all of whom were given grace before the world began, are regenerated and converted, they enjoy grace that was given them in time and also in eternity.
Paul used the word "forbearance" with reference to the sins of the elect before the death of Jesus Christ: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:25). The meaning of forbearance in this case refers to God's withholding punishment of the sins of Old Testament saints until Christ's first advent. There was no sacrifice for sin sufficient to take away sin until the sacrifice of Christ. God's delayed punishment of their sins was in the sphere of His forbearance. Some have gone too far to make a point in their explanation of forbearance in this text. They say God viewed the elect as reprobate until their redemption in Christ. Although the Lord Jesus Christ was forsaken, unlike the nonelect, He was not eternally forsaken (Matt. 27:46). The infinity of Christ's Person compensated for the eternality of punishment for the sins of the elect. Since the elect were given grace in Christ before the world began (II Tim. 1:9), they could never be viewed by God as nonelect. They are referred to as "lost sheep" and "other sheep I have, which are not of this fold" (Matt. 10:6; John 10:16).
In II Peter 3:15 and 16, did Peter have in mind Paul's use of the word "forbearance," with reference to the sins of the elect before the death of Christ (Rom. 3:25), and his use of the word "longsuffering," with reference to the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction (Rom. 9:22)? "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which 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" (II Pet. 3:15, 16). Paul used the aorist active indicative of phero, which means bore or endured when he said, "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering [patience] the vessels [skeue, plural of skeuos, vessel or instrument] of wrath fitted [katertismena, perfect passive participle of katartidzo, which means having been prepared] to [eis, for] destruction" (Rom. 9:22). The perfect passive participle describes a past completed action with a continuing state. They had not only been prepared but were in a state of ripeness for God's wrath. Consequently, like Romans 1:18, they were the objects of God's wrath. On the other hand, "...he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared [proetoimasen, aorist active indicative of proetoimadzo, which means prepared beforehand] unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles" (Rom. 9:23, 24). Preparation for destruction is in time; whereas, the election of grace is eternal with the assurance of salvation in time.
The only reason Jesus Christ has not returned is because there are some for whom Christ died who have not yet come to repentance. God is tolerating the nonelect until His purpose is completed in the salvation of the elect. The nonelect are here for a purpose. They will continue to serve their purpose until the last one that God gave to Christ in the covenant of redemption has been brought to repentance. Then His forbearance toward the nonelect will cease and will consummate in judgment upon the world of the ungodly. If "us-ward" of II Peter 3:9 refers to all mankind in general, God's delay would continue as long as His longsuffering continues. That would be a denial of the second coming of Christ. If Christ should come before all without exception come to repentance, His longsuffering, which is to be regarded as salvation, would fail. All have not come to repentance, and all will not come to repentance. Therefore, God's longsuffering cannot speak of all men without exception, but it speaks of all men without distinction.
God's longsuffering will continue as long as God is "not willing [boulomenos, present middle participle of boulomai, which means willing deliberately, purposing, or desiring] that any [elect] should perish..." (II Peter 3:9). One must beware of dualism in his discussion of God's will. If God should purpose one thing while desiring another, He would be impotent and doubleminded. That would contradict Scripture: "But he [God] is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth" (Job 23:13). God can never decree one thing while desiring another. Dualism is the foundation of every false religion. Those who affirm God's universal willingness or desire that all men without exception be saved are forced to (1) believe in universal salvation, (2) deny the Lord's second coming, or (3) believe God must change His purpose in order to conform to the will of man. If God purposed all men without exception to be saved, He will bring it to pass, because whatever God purposed to do He will accomplish (Is. 46:9, 10). Since God did not purpose to save all men without exception, Christ will return when God's longsuffering terminates. His longsuffering will conclude when all the elect have been brought to repentance. Moreover, God will never change His will to conform to the will of man. That would make God mutable and subject to man.
Many erroneously teach that God has a decretive will and a perceptive will, but that is dualism. Some believe God wants all men to be saved and has made provision for all to be accepted, but some will exercise their God-given free will to exclude God. They explain that God cannot prevent this unless He takes away man's freedom of choice. They say some will perish but not because God wills it. Others assume that God's unwillingness for anyone to perish does not express a decree that God has willed everyone to be saved, but He longs that all would be saved (I Tim. 2:4). Does God have a decretive will and a perceptive will? Does He decree one thing but have a sympathetic desire for another? Does the word "all" of I Timothy 2:4 refer to all without exception or all without distinction?
I Timothy 2:4, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth," must be considered in the light of its context. The first sentence of I Timothy 2 includes verses 1 and 2. The second sentence includes verses 3 and 4. The third sentence includes verses 5 and 6. The word "all" for whom supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks should be made includes kings and all who are in authority. Furthermore, "all men" of verse 1 means the same as "all men" of verse 4 and "all" of verse 6. Would you say that "all" in each of these cases means all without exception or all without distinction? The word "all" of verse 1 has to mean all without distinction. Conclusively, neither prayer nor salvation is restricted to one segment of society. Neither is the all for whom Christ gave Himself a ransom restricted to one segment of society. Paul proved this in his letter to the Corinthian Christians: "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence" (I Cor. 1:26-29). The "wise," "mighty," and "noble" do not refer to all men without exception but to different segments and levels of society.
The proper exegesis of I Timothy 2:4 depends on the correct interpretation of the ambiguous word "all." No one can deny that the word "all" can have several meanings: "all manner of herbs" (Luke 11:42) and Christ will draw "all men" to Himself (John 12:32). All men without exception are not being drawn to Christ. They never have been, they are not now being drawn, and they never will be. Peter saw "all manner of fourfooted beasts," not all beasts but all manner of beasts (Acts 10:12). Furthermore, the free gift coming upon "all men unto justification of life" (Rom. 5:18) does not mean all without exception but all without distinction. Consequently, the word "all" is used in a limited or restricted sense in many contexts, as it is in I Timothy 2:1, 4, and 6.
The will of God of I Timothy 2:4 must be taken to mean what He Himself will do rather than what He wants us to do. It is incorrect to say that God is desiring (present tense) to save all men without exception. God who determined (past tense) to save some without distinction is by providence making His salvation effectual in those for whom Christ gave Himself a ransom (I Tim. 2:6). If God's will of I Timothy 2:4 means that which He wants all men without exception to do, God wants all men without exception to use His means to come to Christ for salvation. However, Christ said not only that man is incapable of coming to Him but also that men will not come to Him: "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him..." (John 6:44).
Jesus Christ did not become a ransom for all men without exception. A ransom is of such a nature that when paid, it automatically legally frees the persons for whom it was intended. When Christ laid down His life, He became a ransom. The ransom was already secure before its subjective application in the hearts of those for whom Christ died. Nothing can change what Christ did. If a person is persuaded that Christ became a ransom for all men without exception, he is forced to believe in universal redemption. If he says that the Lord's unwillingness that any should perish means all men without exception, he will have to deny the second advent of Jesus Christ. This will force him to the third conclusion that God changed His purpose to conform to the will of man, but that would make God mutable.
There is much discussion over two verbs in the New Testament used to describe God's will. One is thelo, which is used in I Timothy 2:4, and the other is boulomai, which is used in II Peter 3:9. Out of the 207 times thelo is used in the New Testament, it applies to either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Out of the 34 times boulomai is used in the New Testament, seven apply to one of the Persons in the Godhead (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; 22:42; I Cor. 12:11; Heb. 6:17; James 1:18; II Pet. 3:9). Both of these verbs are used for the first time in the same passage of Scripture in Matthew 1:19"Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing [present active participle of thelo] to make her a publick example, was minded [aorist passive indicative of boulomai] to put her away privily [secretly]." The following are explanations that have been given of these two verbs: (1) Matthew made a distinction between willing (thelo) and wishing (boulomai), between purpose (thelo) and desire (boulomai). (2) The stronger word is thelo. It expresses a determination, purpose, or decree. It is active resolution, the will urging on to action. The lesser word (boulomai) means to have a mind, to desire, or sometimes a little stronger meaning, running into the sense of purpose. (3) The meaning of boulomai is to will, that is, to be willing, be disposed, be minded, or to intend. Whereas, the meaning of thelo is to determine, choose, prefer, wish, delight in, or desire.
People who use II Peter 3:9 as a proof text to teach that this does not refer to God's decree but to God's desire, in other words God purposes one thing while desiring something entirely different, are guilty of dualism. What is the proper distinction between what some men call God's decretive will and His perceptive will?
Great confusion is introduced into the subject of God's will when men divide God's will into decretive and perceptive wills as though His will is more than one. They say the decretive is God's will of purpose whereby He decrees all things to come to pass. It is sometimes called God's secret will. They teach that God's perceptive will is His will of command whereby He declares man's duty. It is sometimes called God's revealed will. Thus, they are persuaded that II Peter 3:9 refers to God's perceptive will which tells us what God desires to happen. Some of them have declared that "not willing" (me boulomenos) anyone to perish does not express a decree, but describes God's wish or desire because He longs that all would be saved but knows many reject Him.
God's will is one (Job 23:13) with decretive and perceptive aspects. The decretive aspect of God's will is God's purpose for Himself and what He will do. The perceptive aspect of God's will is His will for us and what He wants us to do. The adjective "perceptive" means having the power or faculty of perception. It refers to cognition, understanding, or immediate or intuitive recognition. The perceptive aspect of God's will declares the obedience which pleases Him. It signifies what men ought to do though they are unable in themselves to do it. God does not desire the repentance of all men without exception; He demands it in both Old and New Testaments. God commanded Israel to repent. Paul, in his message to the Athenians, told them that God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). A frequently repeated question is, why does God command men to do something they cannot do? The answer is, in the first place, the interrogators do not understand the distinction between spiritual inability and natural ability. What men are capable of doing naturally, they are incapable of doing spiritually. Contrary to the opinion that God is delaying His return because He wants as many people as possible to be saved, God can never decree to save a certain number of people from among mankind and also desire the salvation of all men without exception. That would make God, with whom there can be no doublemindedness, doubleminded. The will of God is beyond the will of man to control. God is carrying out one purpose, by one plan, and on one principle to accomplish one goal.
The unregenerate man is doubleminded. He desires one thing while doing another. He cannot do what he desires because he is constrained or restricted by circumstances. Therefore, the sinner cannot determine anything absolutely. Although he does not recognize God, he is restricted by circumstances which are controlled by the sovereign God of the universe. The unregenerate person may boast that he will do thus and so tomorrow, but he is a fool (Luke 12:16-20). The regenerated man is in a different position from the unregenerated man. The regenerated man's will is subservient to the will of God. He may prefer one thing over another, but the ruling principle in his life is, "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (James 4:15). Grace will enable the believer to submit his will to the decretive and perceptive aspects of the will of the sovereign God. During the days of His flesh on earth, the Lord Jesus Christ had both a human and a Divine will. Praying as the God-Man in the garden of Gethsemane, Christ's uncontaminated human will was made subservient to God's will of purpose for Him: "...not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). God absolutely considered does not decree one thing while desiring another. He is not constrained by circumstances. He is the Author, the Originator, and the Controller of all circumstances for the fulfillment of His purpose.
Those who affirm God's universal willingness or desire that all men be saved are forced to either (1) believe in universal salvation, (2) deny the Lord's second coming, or (3) believe God must change His purpose in order to conform to the will of man. Which horn of the dilemma will they take? If God purposed all men to be saved, He will bring it to pass (Job 23:13; Is. 46:9-11). Since God did not purpose all men to be saved, Christ will return when God's longsuffering ends. His longsuffering will terminate when all the elect have come to repentance. Furthermore, God will never change His will to conform to the will of man. That would make God mutable.
4
THE OBJECTS OF GOD'S LONGSUFFERING
ARE BROUGHT TO REPENTANCE
The elect are the ones brought to repentance by the Spirit of regeneration. God is longsuffering toward the elect, unwilling that any of them should perish but that all of them should come to repentance. In II Peter 3:9, the antecedent of "any" and "all" is "us-ward [you]" (humas, accusative second person plural of humeis, which means you). God decreed that all the elect should come to repentance. The Greek noun translated "repentance" means a change of mind, and the verb form means to change one's mind. Contrary to the teaching of many that the noun "repentance" means only a change of mind or the verb means only to change one's mind, we must not forget that a man's doctrine is reflected in his translation of particular Greek nouns and verbs. The verb for repentance (metanoeo) is a compound verb. It means to understand "after a change." A mere change of mind is a repentance that needs to be repented of. Men cannot repent until they have been changed by God's grace. Men change their opinions, but God alone can change their whole personalities. God not only gives a new heart and a new spirit, but He also writes His laws in our minds and in our hearts (Heb. 8:10). Men can neither think themselves to nor be educated to repentance. Furthermore, no human can persuade a sinner to repent toward God. God first turns an individual by grace in order that he can in turn repent: "Surely after that I was turned, I repented..." (Jer. 31:19). Repentance is God's gift: "...God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18).
Persons who do not fear God have never repented. The unrepentant are described as having no fear of God: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:18). There is fear, and there is fear--fear of man and fear of God. There is a certain amount of fear by man of other men, but "the fear of man bringeth a snare..." (Prov. 29:25). On the other hand, God said, "...I will put my fear in their [children of God] hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40). The one who fears God has nothing else to fear. On the other hand, the one who fears not God has much to fear. He is the hopeless victim of every fear and is therefore a coward. Bravery is natural, not spiritual. Mere physical or natural bravery is blasphemy. Blasphemy is the crime of assuming to oneself the right or qualities of God Almighty, and such so-called bravery always suffers defeat. There is a difference between natural courage and spiritual or holy boldness. Holy boldness is worshipful because it knows that holy boldness comes from God alone. Therefore, the fear of God makes the Christian brave and victorious in what appears to men to be defeat. The repentant thief asked the unrepentant thief, "Dost not thou fear God?" (Lk. 23:40).
Scripture defines Christianity variantly. It is not always described by the same word. Christianity is sometimes spoken of as trust "in" the Lord, love "for" God, obedience "to" God, and fear "of" God. Reverential fear is the beginning of understanding. Reverential fear of God is a permanent principle wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and it is a token of Divine election (Jer. 32:39, 40). This principle is constantly stimulated by the name, the word, and the worship of God. God's name is fearful: "...that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD" (Deut. 28:58). The word of God is fearful: "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded" (Prov. 13:13). Worship is fearful: "But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple" (Ps. 5:7). The goodness of God leads one to repentance, and when one has repented, he has a reverential fear for God.
God has ordained that we should preach the gospel to lead men to repentance. God quickens one by His Spirit, but there is not an instance recorded in God's word where God has regenerated one and has not sent the gospel to him, and he repented. The sovereign God of the universe is not so weak that He cannot send someone to give the message to those He has regenerated. All that God elected to be saved and for whom Christ died will come to repentance, and they will demonstrate their repentance by having a godly, reverential fear.
The following questions emphasize the necessity for repentance: (1) Can man repent apart from the new birth? (2) Does God preserve the elect until they come to repentance? (3) Are aborted babies nonelect? (4) What about those who die without repentance? Does the Bible not say that "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish?" (Luke 13:3). (5) Is God's sovereignty limited? (6) What is the purpose of the gospel?
The text we have been studying shows that the Lord's will mentioned in II Peter 3:9 is the decretive and not the perceptive aspect of God's will. (1) We are called the elect (I Pet. 1:2). (2) We are called a chosen generation (I Pet. 2:9). (3) We have received like precious faith by Divine allotment (II Pet. 1:1). (4) We are commanded to make our calling and election sure (II Pet. 1:10). (5) We are called beloved (II Pet. 3:1). (6) We are distinguished from the scoffers (II Pet. 3:3, 4).
SECTION
II
THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
of
II Peter 3:9
The immediate context is that which is nearest. Therefore, we will look primarily at II Peter. A few thoughts will be given from I Peter to show the importance of considering all of Peter's writings. The contrast between election and nonelection will be clearly perceptible in our investigation of the immediate context.
A comparison of I Peter 1:1"PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" with II Peter 1:1"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" will show that they differ. The content of Peter's first and second Epistles reveal that he addressed "believers" one way in the first and another way in the second. His first Epistle was written to elevate our thoughts and strengthen us against all opposition that comes from without. His second Epistle was given to strengthen us against our enemy seducing us from within. Peter called attention to himself as "PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ" in his first Epistle, but he added "SIMON PETER, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ" in his second Epistle. The name "Simon" means to hearken, and the name "Peter" means a stone: "...And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone" (John 1:42).
Higher critics do not believe the two Epistles by Peter should be included in the sacred canon. They think Peter, an ignorant fisherman who did not graduate from the schools of the prophets, was not qualified to write these two Epistles. Thus, they classify themselves with the rulers, elders, and scribes who opposed the teaching by Peter and John (Acts 4:5, 13). But Peter named himself as an apostle writing to the elect out of the dispersion (I Pet. 1:1, 2). There is nothing in the first Epistle that would contradict anything else in all of Scripture. Peter's second Epistle is more opposed by higher critics than his first as being part of the sacred canon. But internal evidence proves the writer of the first Epistle also wrote the second (II Pet. 3:1, 2). Since there is a second Epistle there must also be a first. Peter, the author of both Epistles, used language familiar to the Jewish people he addressed.
Simon Peter was a person who listened to truth, became settled, and therefore honored God. His settled state was revealed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). This stable person wrote these two Epistles in order to lift those to whom he wrote above the things to which they were subjected and elevate their thinking. Those to whom God is longsuffering were clearly identified by Peter. He recorded three significant things in I Peter 1:2 concerning those to whom he wrote: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." (1) They are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. (2) Their election is through sanctification of the Spirit. (3) This positional sanctification, which is the fruit of Divine election, is to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. All three Persons in the Godhead are named in this verse Father, Spirit, and Son. Election is a family secret. It is an act of the sovereign God which is inaccessible to us except in its effects.
5
Those to whom Peter wrote are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Two areas to be avoided in the subject of election are teaching nothing but election and teaching no election. Both are incorrect, and it might be debatable which is worse. Among the first group are antinomians, fatalists, and noncontributors to the support and proclamation of the whole counsel of God. So-called grace people who talk about grace and Christian freedom while living immoral lives are antinomian in character. Those who deny election hate this doctrine and misinterpret Scripture references that teach it.
Election is a Biblical doctrine. We are not to think of God's elect as those who have decided for Christ. We must think of them as those whom God decided to save. The elect's action is the reaction to God's act of having bestowed upon them the principle of life. The word election is used various ways in Scripture:
1. Sometimes it refers to excellency (Judg. 20:16; II Chron. 13:3; Ex. 14:7).
2. Election sometimes signifies the temporary designation of some person or persons to fill a particular office or station in the assembly or in civil life. Saul and Judas illustrate this (I Sam. 10:24; John 6:70). The disciples of the Lord also illustrate it (John 15:16).
3. Election is used in the sense of God taking a whole nation or a body of men into covenant with Himself by giving them the advantage of revelation (Deut. 7:6). The entire nation of Israel was brought into covenant relationship with God.
4. Sometimes election refers to that eternal, particular, and immutable act of the sovereign God where He selected some from among mankind to be saved by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This is personal election (Ps. 65:4; John 10:3).
5. Election sometimes signifies that gracious act of the Holy Spirit whereby God actually separates His chosen ones from the world by the effectual call (I Pet. 1:1, 2; John 15:19).
6. Christians are a chosen generation (I Pet. 2:9). They are chosen by purpose and by act.
7. Election is used objectively (Rom. 11:7). Paul's answer here was negative but not in such a way as to deny Israel's apostasy. Over against Israel's national apostasy, God has elected and reserved for Himself a remnant. There is sustained differentiation in the whole passage between the mass of Israel and the 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal (v. 4), between the mass of Israel and the remnant (v. 5), and between the hardened and the election of grace (v. 7).
8. Election is everywhere asserted to be God's and not man's act (Rom. 9:13; 11:5; Eph. 1:4; I Thess. 5:9; II Thess. 2:13).
9. Election is to salvation and holiness of life, not because the elect are seen to be holy. To say that salvation and holiness are the reason men were elected is to make the effect antecedent to the cause.
10. Knowledge of God infers a decree. God could not foreknow unless He decreed. If a thing is seen as being future, it is not of itself that it is future. That which is seen to exist is only the effect; but, where is the cause? If things that come to pass in time have not the reason of their own futurity in themselves, it must be in God. To say the ground of their futurity is in the things themselves is a contradiction. The same thing would be both the cause and the effect of itself. This would deny that God is the uncaused cause of all things.
11. God decrees all things harmoniously. When God decreed conformity to Christ in Romans 8:29, He decreed calling, justification, and glorification, all of which are harmonious and of equal extent. The decree of our everlasting, or eternal, state is not before calling and justification. Hence, means are connected with the decree (Acts 13:48; II Thess. 2:13, 14). The desired end and means are connected in Romans 8:28-31 and II Timothy 1:9, 10. There is only one immutable decree. It consists of but one purpose, one foreknowledge, and one good pleasure concerning the infallible ordination of God's elect to glory. It may be said that there are two acts to this decree, one concerning means and the other concerning end. But both are bound up in the immutability of God's counsel (Heb. 6:17).
12. If there is no Divine election, it would not be God who makes men to differ. To attribute election to man's faith is to ascribe to man the glory which belongs only to God. There is no such thing as God's resolving beforehand that He would have some persons to be His own and yet not determine who they should be.
13. Election cannot take place at the point of faith (Titus 1:1-2; II Tim. 1:9). If election follows faith, as Arminians teach, faith would be the cause and the effect of the same thing. However, the end and the meritorious cause of any one act cannot be the same. The Arminian teaching would be the same as saying believe and persevere in faith to the end and I will choose you before the foundation of the world. This is absurd. Election is required to make one persevere in the faith. Perseverance in the faith is not required for Divine election. Election is not of the faithful, but faith is of the elect.
14. Election is the foundation of salvation. To deny election is to deny the foundation of salvation. There is nothing problematic about election (Rom. 8; Eph. 1). Men must follow the rule of sobriety and not seek to be wise above that which is written. They must not be silent where God speaks, and they must not speculate beyond the boundaries God has given in His revealed wisdom.
15. Divine election should never be considered apart from Jesus Christ. It cannot be understood and should not be discussed apart from saving faith. Jesus Christ is the mirror of Divine election. Inquiry into Divine election can be a hazardous journey when it is attempted by the regions of one's own will. However, it is a joyous experience when one has been made to see his election in Jesus Christ. Hence, Christ is the mirror in which one contemplates his election. Election is not hidden in the sense that there are no answers to questions about it. It is hidden in the sense that apart from Christ we may not penetrate into the hiddenness of God's will. Predestination cannot be searched and found in the secret counsel of God, but it must be sought in the word of God in which it is revealed. This word of God leads to Christ who is the book of life in which are contained all the names of those who shall live eternally. The passages that refer to the book of life indicate the depth aspect of salvation. There is a profound connection between election and the book of life.
The order is election, positional sanctification, practical sanctification, and then assurance of election (II Pet. 1:10). It is impossible to walk the way of assurance apart from practical sanctification which is the fruit of positional sanctification. Practical sanctification flows from positional sanctification, and it results in assurance of Divine election.
Election is "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (I Pet. 1:2). The order in this verse cannot be reversed without incorrectly handling the Scriptures. God's determination is eternal; therefore, the nature of this prearrangement depends on God's, not man's, choice and free will. In the Greek, "according to foreknowledge" is kata prognosin. The preposition kata denotes motion or direction from the higher to the lower, from cause to effect. It also implies domination or control over someone or something. The noun prognosin, from prognosis, means more than previous knowledge. Peter is the only writer who used this noun (I Pet. 1:2; Acts 2:23). When speaking of Christ's crucifixion he said, "Him, being delivered by the determinate [horismene, perfect passive participle of horidzo, which means having been fixed determinately] counsel [boule, which means purpose or decree] and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23). The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was in God's Divine purpose. Since the perfect tense is used, it was a Divine necessity because it was His determined will. A mere previous knowledge will not work in either this passage or in I Peter 1:2.
Although the noun prognosis occurs only twice, the verb proginosko is used in I Peter 1:20 -- "Who verily was foreordained [proegnosmenou, perfect passive participle of proginosko, which means having been foreordained] before the foundation of the world...." This verb is used variantly in Scripture: (1) It is used in connection with our advanced knowledge (II Pet. 3:17; Acts 26:5). (2) It means appointment or foreordination by God (I Pet. 1:20). (3) It speaks of God's appointment or foreordination of the subjects for future blessings (Rom. 8:29). Jesus Christ was not merely foreknown to submit to the work of the cross. He was foreordained to it (I Pet. 1:20). That which was foreknown was determined. There can be no uncertainty in God's knowledge.
The man is blind who sees arbitrariness in the freedom of the sovereign God but does not see arbitrariness in himself. On the other hand, man is blind to the truth of election when he makes it an occasion of self-justification. Paul knew the Thessalonians' election by their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope (I Thess. 1:3, 4). One who does not produce the characteristics of those saved by God's grace are in the same category with the religious Pharisees who talked about election, but they were lost. Many give lip service to the great truths of grace whose lives do not measure up to what they profess to believe. This was a fault with the Jewish people who knew they were God's chosen nation. Our Lord battled that with the religious Pharisees while He was on earth. They replied to the Lord's statement, "ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," by claiming they were the seed of Abraham and had never been in bondage to any man (John 8:32, 33). But Christ told these same people they were of their father the Devil (John 8:44). Jeremiah encountered the same problem with the apostate Jews who claimed to be God's chosen people while they were conducting themselves like the unsaved (Jer. 7; 8). Micah also condemned this characteristic of the reprobate Jews who thought they were God's chosen people (Mic. 3:8-11). The conflict between our Lord and the Pharisees was concerning God's election. But there is a difference between God's electing a nation as a nation and His electing some to salvation from among those people. The Bible does not present election in a way of self-exaltation but in a way of humility before God.
Contrary to self-exaltation, the regenerated person who has been brought to the knowledge of his salvation may ask the following questions: Why did God choose me? Why was He longsuffering to me until I came to repentance? Why did He give me all things pertaining to godliness in the Christian life to equip me? Why has He given me a living hope? Why has my sovereign God assured me that when I have by my finite understanding in my numbered days exhausted the way of salvation, He will give eternity to disclose to my wondering gaze the full meaning of so great salvation? God is sovereign and can do what He pleases with His own. There is no place for pride in the grace of the sovereign God.
Those to whom Peter wrote had been sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit (I Pet. 1:2). God's purpose in election is fulfilled by the agency of the setting apart work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. This is positional sanctification (I Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:12-14). The efficacious work of Jesus Christ on the cross is the means of the effectual work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Those whom God has chosen do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in regeneration. The elect sinner is quickened by the Spirit of God. He is not conscious of it when it takes place. The most common interpretation of I Peter 1:2 is that the Spirit takes hold of the chosen and brings them to the act of faith in Christ and His precious blood. Those who embrace this view assume the obedience here is not of the saint but of the sinner. They believe the Spirit brings the lost sinner to the place where "he puts his faith in the Savior." They state that the hand of faith must be energized by the Spirit. Their explanation is that salvation is the work of God, but each sinner by an act of his own will places his faith in the Savior. They admit they cannot reconcile God's choice (John 15:16) with whosoever will (Rev. 22:17), but they profess to believe both statements.
Three questions are important at this point: (1) What kind of faith does the sinner have? The answer may be determined by examining the kind of faith the saint has. The saint's faith is called "holy faith" (Jude 20) and "the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). God gives nothing unholy; therefore, the saint's faith is holy. A person cannot be regenerated by his unsanctified faith. Those who believe faith is a human condition to the new birth heretically assign to faith a subjective quality that they think God finds to His satisfaction. (2) Can unsanctified faith be the means of the new birth? Unsanctified faith cannot be the spiritual means by which we are united with Christ. (3) How can faith which is the fruit of regeneration be its cause? Faith is the fruit of regeneration; therefore, it cannot be the cause. That would be like saying the effect is the cause of itself. The faith that God gives cannot be the cause of itself. Obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Christ follow sanctification of the Spirit: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (I Pet. 1:2).
Those to whom Peter wrote were obedient. They had been elected according to God's foreordination through positional sanctification of the Spirit to obedience (I Pet. 1:2). Every person is a child of either obedience or disobedience. The children of disobedience have not come to know the Lord because they have not been regenerated (Eph. 2:1-3). The children of obedience are the recipients of God's grace. The preposition "unto" (eis) of I Peter 1:2, which precedes the word "obedience," governs the accusative case word used and denotes purpose. The purpose of election is obedience.
The design of election is a holy Christian life (Eph. 1:4). The purpose of predestination is that we might be conformed to Christ (Rom. 8:29). Redemption is determined for our purification (Titus 2:14). The reason for our effectual calling is that we have a worthy vocation or manner of life (Eph. 4:1). God's truth has been committed to us in order that we might be sanctified (John 17:17). Our restoration from sin is that we might be led in the path of righteousness for His name's sake (Ps. 23:3). God chastens us that we might be partakers of holiness without which no man can see the Lord (Heb. 12:10).
Obedient children gird up the loins of their minds, do not fashion themselves according to their former lusts, live holy lives, and fear displeasing God. Peter exhorted his readers to "gird up the loins of your mind" (I Pet. 1:13). This is a metaphor equivalent to the common expression, "roll up your sleeves." They should not fashion themselves according to their former lusts (v. 14). The word for "fashioning" (suschematidzomenoi, present middle participle of suschematidzomai), being in the middle voice, indicates that they should not participate in or be conformed to things to which they had been accustomed. Paul used this same word to command the Roman Christians to not be conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2). Peter commanded Christians to be holy in all manner of life because the Lord is holy. This holiness is the holiness of kind, not the holiness of equality (I Pet. 1:15, 16). We are regenerated to a holy life, and we shall be holy, not absolutely but relatively. It is a holiness of likeness. True devotion to God is holy living, living a separated life, and manifesting a holy life. Christian ethics finds its standard in a holy God and not in an unholy world. Obedient children of God pass the time of their sojourning here in reverential fear lest they displease their heavenly Father (I Pet. 1:17).
Our positional sanctification, which involves regeneration, is to obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 1:2). Many explain that since obedience precedes the sprinkling of blood in this verse, the act of faith results in cleansing by Christ's blood, which is justification. They allege that justification is a removal of the guilt and penalty of sin and the imputation of Christ's righteousness. They believe the Father chooses, the Spirit energizes the sinner's faith, and the Son cleanses by His blood in response to that faith. However, this is not the teaching of Scripture.
The Greek word for "sprinkling" in this verse is the accusative of hrantismos. Every reference to sprinkling is related to the Jews. Peter was addressing the strangers scattered, the Jews of the dispersion. They were elect according to God's foreordination to obedience and sprinkling of blood. The only other places this word, either in its noun or verb form, is used is in Hebrews, which was also written to Hebrew believers.
Peter was not talking about the application of Christ's blood to us in regeneration. He was speaking of the sprinkling of blood typified in the offering of the red heifer of Numbers 19, which is God's provision for His own in their worship and pilgrimage on earth. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses and just keeps on cleansing us from our sins: "...the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [katharidzei, present active indicative of katharidzo, which means cleansing] us from all sin" (I John 1:7). This is not the initial but the continual cleansing. Aaron, a type of Jesus Christ as High Priest, was not involved in the offering of the red heifer (Num. 19). Eleazar, a type of the common priesthood of all believers, was involved in this offering. Conclusively, the sprinkling of the blood of Christ is the application Christians make in our obedience in our Christian lives. We make application of God's provision for our walk as aliens in this world.
Verses 3-5 of I Peter 1 are important in connection with obedience: God has "begotten us again [anagennesas, aorist active participle of anagennao, which means having been born again]". We have been regenerated from above to a living hope "by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Our inheritance is completed, but we are presently being secured by the power of God for that heavenly inheritance. The salvation of our souls is already completed, but our bodies have not yet been changed. The changing of our bodies will be the completion of our salvation.
Observe the distinction Peter made between "now" and "then." We "now" rejoice for only a season because of our trials (v. 6), but we shall "then" receive the end of our faith, which is the consummation (v. 9). "Now," trials are necessary. The strength of our faith is made known through testing. Every trial in the life of a Christian is for the perfection of his character. The Christian life is a life of one trial after the other. Each trial prepares the Christian for a greater one. But no trial will overtake us but that God has already made a way of escape (I Cor. 10:13). "Now," Christ is known by us imperfectly. "Then," we will know Him as we are known. "Now," we are in a state of expectation. "Then," there will be no expectation because we will be with Christ in glory. "Now," we are feeling distress. "Then," in the presence of Jesus Christ we will feel unspeakable joy.
Christians know that they will overcome because they are being preserved. We are being kept through the power of God-given faith (I Pet. 1:21). The believer is a purified person who purifies himself by obeying the truth (v. 22). This is not positional purification. We cannot do that. We have already been purified positionally by regeneration. But we purify ourselves conditionally. Faith is the fruit of regeneration, and it produces obedience. Truth excites, transforms, molds, and impels the child of God. The hallmark of Christians is relative purity. Faith sees what the eyes cannot. Hope foresees. It reaches out into the future. Love longs for what we see and foresee. By faith we stand. By hope we soar spiritually, like the eagle. By love we are at our best (v. 22). Obeying the truth by means of the Spirit results in genuine brotherly love.
6
THE
ELECT ARE RECIPIENTS OF
EQUALLY VALUABLE FAITH
Peter's second Epistle was addressed to the ones having received equally valuable faith by Divine allotment in the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ (II Pet. 1:1). We receive only that which was assigned to us by the sovereign God before the world began. Peter continued his dissertation of sanctification in his second Epistle. Those who had been positionally sanctified in regeneration should be progressively sanctified. In II Peter 1:1-11, the following points are emphasized: (1) qualifications for progressive sanctification (vv. 1-4), (2) the path of progressive sanctification (vv. 5-8), and (3) the consummation of progressive sanctification (vv. 9-11). Between faith, which is a present possession (v. 1), and the kingdom, which is a future possession (v. 11), is the Christian's responsibility.
The qualifications for progressive sanctification are listed (II Pet. 1:1-4). These verses emphasize what we have in Christ as the elect of God. We presently have equally valuable faith with the apostles, the righteousness of God the Savior, the gift of all things that pertain to life and godliness, and priceless promises. These things are ours in order that we might share in Divine characteristics thus escaping the corruption that is in the world. Accordingly, God has qualified us for progressive sanctification in which we are involved as long as we are in time, looking to that "glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
The apostle was demonstrating that all of his addressees had received by Divine appointment this equally valuable faith. It is received by God's act of regeneration -- the new birth. Therefore, all Christians are equal in their standing before God. Faith is God's gift (Eph. 2:8). No one naturally possesses this faith. It is valuable because it is called "holy faith" (Jude 20). The person who has this faith as the gift of God in regeneration will embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord by that God-given faith.
The apostle Paul spoke of unfeigned faith that was in Timothy (II Tim. 1:5). This was Paul's valedictory address to Timothy, his child in the ministry. There is a lot of so-called faith today that is not saving faith. Paul was thankful for the faith of Timothy which he was persuaded was genuine. Paul closed his first Epistle to Timothy by giving an example of fidelity, which is characteristic of genuine faith, in the midst of revolt.
The character of the faith of both Paul and Timothy is portrayed in the first chapter of II Timothy. Paul called to mind Timothy's "unfeigned [anupokritou, genitive of anupokritos, which means sincere, genuine, or unhypocritical] faith." (v. 5). (1) Unfeigned faith is not merely mental assent, but it is a complete trust in God (Rom. 10:9, 10). (2) Unfeigned faith is correctly placed in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). (3) It is the root from which all other graces spring. Without genuine faith there are no other graces. There is no root from which those graces may spring. (4) Unfeigned faith is presented in three stages: the morning, or adolescence of faith exemplified in Timothy; the noon time of faith exemplified in his mother Eunice; and the evening time of faith exemplified in his grandmother Lois.
Paul's exhortation to Timothy to rekindle his gift (v. 6) was connected with his assurance of Timothy's faith. In view of the problems of apostasy having begun and false teaching attracting great crowds in Ephesus, Timothy needed to rekindle his faith. The problems had caused Timothy's zeal to diminish. Timothy's gift was more clearly defined by the negative statement, "God hath not given [edoken, aorist active indicative of didomi, which means has given] us the spirit of fear..." (v. 7). The aorist active indicative verb focuses attention on when the gift took place. It took place at some point in past time. Timothy must not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord nor of Paul, but he should suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God (II Tim. 1:8).
The apostle then reminded Timothy of the truth of the gospel (vv. 9, 10). God is the one having saved and having called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace. These things were given to the elect of God even before the world began. God calls those things that are not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). Since the gospel reaches only those who are effectually called, it must be concluded that the salvation which is effected by the call is not the salvation that preceded the call. There is an eternal salvation in the mind of God. This is what everyone whom the Father chose in Christ had even before the foundation of the world. The effectual call gives God His rightful place as the prime mover in a true conversion experience. Therefore, the effectual call is personal (Luke 19:5), without repentance (Rom. 11:29), and made sure (II Pet. 1:10).
Timothy was reminded that Paul was destined to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the gospel (v. 11). For this reason he was suffering hardships that anyone suffers for standing for the whole counsel of God. But Paul was unashamed of the gospel. This reminds us of Paul's statement in Romans 1:16"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation...." Paul said he was willing to endure all things for the elect's sake that they may come to the knowledge of the truth (II Tim. 2:10).
Observe the perfect tense verbs in Paul's declaration in verse 12 "...for I know [oida, perfect active indicative of eido, which means have known] whom I have believed [pepisteuka, perfect active indicative of pisteuo, which means have believed] and am persuaded [pepeismai, perfect passive indicative of peitho, which means have been convinced or persuaded]...." Paul's knowledge was acquired by Divine revelation. Both the truth that had been committed to him and the knowledge of that truth were by Divine revelation (Gal. 1:12). He also knew in whom he had believed. This was a perfect state of believing. Furthermore, he was permanently persuaded or convinced. Hence, the emphasis here is on God's ability. At some point in time Paul had been convinced that God was able to keep, or protect, his deposit.
The deposit, contrary to the teaching of most, was not Paul's salvation. He was not discussing his salvation. The deposit was the truth God had given Paul to preach. In the face of all the false prophets and teachers, he was convinced that God was capable of protecting His truth regardless of how much it was being perverted by them. Heretics, false teachers, critics, etc., arise, but God is able to guard the truth that He has committed to His messengers for the elect who have not yet come to the knowledge of truth. Suffering for false accusations from the enemies of truth fades into insignificance in the presence of knowledge and the understanding that truth is revealed by God, and God is able to preserve His truth.
The context of II Timothy 1:12 proves that the deposit is the truth God commits to His messengers. The message that God had given to Paul by Divine revelation was given by Paul to Timothy (II Tim. 1:13, 14). Timothy had heard it from Paul's lips. Although God is able to protect His truth for the elect, that did not eliminate Timothy's responsibility. He must guard the good deposit by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God's ability does not allow the elect to become idle and useless.
Paul used his own desertion by his friends as an example to Timothy. In spite of the opposition Timothy received, he should be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ, declare the truth he had heard from Paul, and commit the same deposit to faithful men (II Tim. 2:1, 2). No matter what the criticism is of a certain verse of Scripture, God is capable of protecting His truth. The truth of God is not restricted to one verse, a few verses, or many verses. Any Christian who has a workable knowledge of all the word of God can know the truth. Paul was so devoted to truth that he stated that none of his persecutors persuaded him. In order that he might finish his life span with joy and the ministry (deposit) to solemnly declare the gospel of the grace of God, he was not pretending that his life was precious to himself (Acts 20:24).
God is able to preserve the deposit for the sake of the elect regardless of apostasy. He is able to keep His elect until the kingdom (II Tim. 4:18). He is able to preserve the kingdom for the elect (I Pet. 1:3, 5).
Every person who has God-given faith wants his faith to be continually tested, not according to the opinions of men but according to the word of God. God-given faith is genuine, fruitful, forceful, powerful, faithful, and fearful. God did not give us the spirit of timidity (II Tim. 1:7), but He gave us the spirit of awe in the presence of God and His word. Holy reverential fear is the fear that God puts in the heart of His people that they might not depart from Him (Jer. 32:40).
7
God-given faith does not lie dormant. The Epistle to the Hebrews gives a declaration of faith's action. The excellency of faith is discussed throughout Hebrews 11. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for (v. 1). The absence of the article in the Greek from the word faith in this verse shows that faith should be treated abstractly. Hence, it is used objectively rather than subjectively. The writer was not discussing subjective faith in the beginning of the chapter. Subjective faith is not the assurance of our hope. If it were, everyone who does not have faith but claims to have it would have assurance of hope. The objective revelation of God's word gives foundation to faith. Faith does not bestow reality where there is none. Subjective faith, which is God's gift to the elect in regeneration, is only the channel through which objective faith flows. Subjective faith alone does not save.
Saving faith sees the invisible Christ. Objective faith concerning the Person and Work of Jesus Christ gives subjective faith assurance, power, and victory. There is no assurance, power, or victory apart from objective truth. Therefore, distinction must be made between the act of believing and that which is believed. There is nothing simple about saving faith. It comes from God. It is a very complex subject that must be studied in the light of all the revelation of God in order to conclude what is true faith. It is not enough for a person to say, "I feel this" or "I believe this is right." Reason corrects the senses of feeling, tasting, hearing, seeing, etc. People of the world claim that seeing is believing, but Christians are assured that believing is seeing. Reason alone will not suffice. Faith must correct reason. Reason works in us but not in the same sense that it does in the unregenerate. The unregenerate will use his reasoning to try to make anything fit what he wants to believe. But faith is given to God's elect, and that faith corrects reason (Rom. 14:23).
Genuine faith may be compared with prophecy. Prophetical things must be seen in the light of Scripture and not in the light of human reason. This is demonstrated in what John saw in Revelation 20:12"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Since this event was prophetical, how did John see it? John was enabled to see by faith what would happen in the end. It was future from his point of view. Hence, faith can be compared with prophecy because they both agree in object.
Both Divine revelation and nature are for the things of the future. We will not need faith when we get to glory. Faith and hope will have served their purpose. Although faith is not the full enjoyment of what we see, it is a foretaste of the reality. Faith is given to the individual when he is regenerated, thus he is given the ability to believe, the ability to lay hold of the things of God set forth in the promises of God. Therefore, our faith in God's promises is not the complete enjoyment of them, but it is a foretaste of that perfect enjoyment.
Both the prophets and John saw by faith the promises of God and welcomed them. My parents lived in the country in a house with a large yard surrounded by a fence. When I visited them, they would see me drive in and greet me before my actual arrival. This is what the patriarchs did with the promises of God. They died without having received the promises, but they saw them and greeted them from a distance. Are you greeting the promises of the resurrection, the second advent of Jesus Christ, and the establishment of His kingdom as a foretaste of the realization of those promises? The patriarchs saw what was promised, but there was a distance between their faith in the promises and their experiencing the reality of them. There was something in the promises that God gave to Abraham and the patriarchs to exercise both their faith and perseverance. The patriarchs died in faith before receiving the promises. Some of God's promises to His children while they are dwelling on earth may not be experienced by those He calls home through death. Although believers may not be presently enjoying the reality of many things promised us, by faith we see them (Eph. 1:18, 19). We can see things we have never seen before because God is the Author of both our hearing and our seeing.
What are promises? They are the overflowings of God's love and care for His own: "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them" (Is. 42:9). God was speaking to Isaiah when He said He declared new things. He spoke many new things to the apostles, and those things are recorded in the Scriptures. The faith once delivered to the saints has been completed. We do not have any new promises. All the promises of God to His own are recorded in Holy Scripture. That does not mean that we understand and know all the promises, but they are there and that is why we are to continue to investigate the word of God in order that we might learn His promises. By faith we see the things God has promised before they come to pass. That is the faith by which the Israelites lived and died without having received the fulfillment of those promises in their lifetime. But they had a foretaste of them.
The Hebrew believers were warned not to become sluggish but to be imitators of the ones who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises (Heb. 6:12). The patriarchs saw the coming of Jesus Christ in the distance, and that was adequate for them. Visible manifestations of God, signs, or miracles are not necessary to faith. The recipient of faith is satisfied with listening to Scripture and letting it speak to him. The person with true faith does not question the Scriptures or seek to go beyond the revelation of God's mind. Although the believer does not actually experience the promises until God's appointed time, his faith is satisfied with seeing things in God's promises. We have not yet inherited the kingdom, but we see it by faith. We see the time we shall be like Christ when we shall see Him as He is, but we do not yet experience it. Our foretaste of it is a present experience which is sufficient to every person with God-given faith.
Looking at God's promises through the God-given eye of faith enables us to experience a foretaste of the fulfillment of the promises. The promises of God are spiritual food to faith. Many Christians are anemic because they fail to feast on the promises of God. The more of the promises of God that a child of God knows and understands, the stronger is his faith. One must study the promises of God and meditate on them. Meditation causes faith to flourish. Through meditation a Christian chews and digests the promises he has been studying. Faith is the sealing of God's promises. It stands on truth and God's power. This is illustrated in Abraham being strong in faith and believing that what God had promised He was able to bring to pass (Rom. 4:20, 21).
When the believer salutes the reality of God's promises, he is not coldly affected by what he has saluted. One who is coldly affected by God's promises has only an intellectual understanding of them. The truth has not passed through his brain into his heart to arouse his affection. When the mind engages the heart, serious thoughts make way for the greeting. The welcoming is not a great fleshly demonstration, but the emotions manifest themselves in the countenance of the one in whom the truth of God has passed through his mind to his heart. The ones to whom Peter preached on the day of Pentecost heard the truth mentally and were pricked in their hearts. When Peter told them to repent, they gladly received his word (Acts 2:41). Their reception was not cold and calculated. Their minds, hearts, and wills were affected. This principle applies to every Biblical truth. Regardless of circumstances, the hearts of those who see the promise of God, understand it, and salute it from a distance will be touched by it; and our affection will be exercised in joy.
Abraham saw the reality of God's promise of the coming of Jesus Christ and of the covenant God made with him, and he rejoiced in the reality of those promises nearly 2,000 years before their fruition: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56). Abraham saw Christ's day by faith and realized it was a day of satisfaction of justice and cancellation of guilt. No wonder he rejoiced. In contrast to Abraham, the unsaved Jews could not understand God's promises, and they sought to persecute the Lord Jesus for saying "...Before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58). Since the promises of God are in Christ, ignorance of the Son of God closes the door to God's promises (II Cor. 1:20). The religious Jews denied the eternal Sonship of Christ; therefore, Christ answered them by using the formula for absolute, timeless existenceego eimi (I am) (John 8:58). Thus, we have the time before Abraham, the time of Abraham, and the time when Christ spoke two thousand years subsequent to Abraham. The remarkable thing about the timeless formula "I am" is that it brings the "before," "of," and "subsequent to" to coincide by using the present active indicative of the verb eimi. There is no hope outside the eternal Son of God.
Peter spoke of our loving Jesus Christ even though we have not seen Him. Peter was addressing the elect of God who had been regenerated and converted (I Pet. 1:1, 2). He spoke of their not having seen Jesus Christ with the physical eye; nevertheless, they were presently loving Him, presently believing in Him, and presently rejoicing in Him because they had been permanently honored by the grace of God within them. Having been honored, we are rejoicing with never decreasing gladness: "Whom having not seen, ye love [agapate, present active indicative of agapao, which means you are loving]; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing [pisteuontes, present active participle of pisteuo, which means you are believing], ye rejoice [agalliasthe, present active indicative of agalliaomai, which means you are rejoicing] with joy unspeakable and full of glory [dedoxasmene, perfect passive participle of doxadzo, which means having been honored]" (I Pet. 1:8).
Paul stated the certainty of the promise: "Being confident [pepoithos, perfect active participle of peitho, which means having been persuaded] of this very thing, that he which hath begun [enarxamenos, aorist middle participle of enarchomai, which means having begun] a good work in you will perform [epitelesei, progressive future active indicative of epiteleo, which means will complete, perform, accomplish, finish or end] it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). What assurance! This promise of God is a reality to faith. We are assured that what Jesus Christ has begun in us He will keep on performing until its actual perfection in glory. Joy arises from the certainty of God's promises and our assurance of the fulfillment of them.
Joy is manifested two ways. (1) It is manifested in greeting the reality by calling "those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17). This is by meditation. Meditation is hugging the promise. (2) Joy is manifested by living a life of cheerfulness in duty (I Cor. 15:58; Ps. 119:50). It is impossible to be convinced of the certainty of God's promises without being transformed in life. Let us test the truth of our estate by our affections. Regardless of the way people receive us or treat us, we are responsible to God.
Valuable lessons were learned by Paul and those to whom he wrote. Paul learned that it was good for him that even his close companions abandoned him when he was tried in our vernacular, before the grand jury before he was actually brought to trial the second time. Paul went from being a prisoner of house arrest, where he had the privilege of preaching the gospel (Acts 28:30, 31), to death row to await execution for preaching the gospel. Not one of his companions stood with him when his grand jury trial came up. Nevertheless, the Lord stood with him (II Tim. 4:16, 17). The Lord was showing Paul that all props must be removed in order that he stand with the Lord alone. The ones to whom Paul wrote learned that those who abandoned the apostle Paul were committing a terrible sin. The desertion of Paul by his companions was a reflection against God who they claimed to believe and serve, and it was a reflection against the truth God had given to Paul to proclaim.
By His Divine power, God has given persons with equally valuable faith all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Himself: "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" (II Pet. 1:3). Observe in II Peter 1:1-4 that "have obtained" (lachousin, aorist active participle of lagchano, which means having received) in verse 1, "hath given" (dedoremenes, perfect middle participle of doreomai, which means having been given freely or gratuitously for himself) in verse 3, "hath called" (kalesantos, aorist active participle of kaleo, which means having called) in verse 3, and "are given" (dedoretai, perfect middle indicative of doreomai, which means has given for himself freely or gratuitously) in verse 4 are all the acts of God.
Those who have received equally valuable faith are strangers here: "PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (I Pet. 1:1). Christ's "strangers" reside in a country not our own. Our citizenship is in heaven.
Since our inheritance is reserved in heaven for us, we must be preserved through our earthly pilgrimage that we may eternally enjoy our inheritance. Hence, we have double security. God's chosen ones are not gathered into one place in time. We are scattered, but in the dispensation of the fullness of time we will be gathered together (Eph. 1:10). Although Peter addressed the elect of the dispersion, the principle of his message also applies to the elect Gentiles.
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Peter wrote of the mutual "Saviour Jesus Christ" of the strangers (II Pet. 1:1). Connect the word "Saviour" (v. 1) with the word "Lord" (v. 2). Jesus Christ is not only our Savior, but He is also our Lord. No one can embrace Jesus Christ as Savior without at the same time embracing Him as Lord. Many make a distinction between the Saviorhood and Lordship of Jesus Christ, believing one can accept Jesus Christ as Savior but later in life embrace Him as Lord. However, when He becomes one's Savior, He at the same time becomes the Lord of that one's life.
The gifts enumerated in II Peter 1:1-4equally valuable faith, the righteousness of God our Savior, the gift of all things that pertain to life and godliness, and priceless promises are given to us that we might become sharers in the Divine nature (v. 4). A different Greek word is used for "precious" in verses 1 and 4. The word in verse 4 is from timios and can be translated "priceless." The word in verse 1 is from isotimos and can be translated "equally valuable." Verse 4 is greatly misunderstood; therefore, it is misrepresented by many to teach the new birth. Some believe the promises include the gospel, salvation, and the free offer of the gospel. The truth that Christ died for a certain number cannot be refuted. Some call it limited atonement, others call it particular redemption, but the meaning is the same. God does not offer salvation to those for whom He did not die on the cross. A minister cannot offer Jesus Christ, and he is not admonished to do so. He preaches Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit alone applies the salvation that Jesus Christ provided for those for whom He died. When that redemptive work of Christ is applied, then the persons to whom His redemptive work has been applied will believe the message as it is preached. They will see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ through the preached word. Conclusively, II Peter 1:4 does not teach gospel regeneration.
Peter had already proved in his first Epistle that one is not born again by these priceless promises: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (I Pet. 1:23-25). "Being born again" (anagegennemenoi, perfect passive participle of anagennao) means having been regenerated. Since it is in the perfect tense, it is a completed action with a resultant position before God. One is not born again of corruptible but "of" (ek, which means from, out of, or source) "incorruptible" (aphthartou, from phthartos, which means imperishable, undying, or enduring) seed.
There are three views of I Peter 1:23, the last of which is the better interpretation: (1) mediate regeneration, (2) immediate regeneration which makes a distinction between the living and abiding word, and (3) immediate regeneration which is followed by regeneration being made known by the written word.
Is the source of regeneration the written word or the living Word? Believing in gospel regeneration does not differ from believing in baptismal regeneration. The former requires someone to preach the gospel before a person can be regenerated, and the latter demands someone to baptize a person before he can be regenerated. No one can stand between the sovereign God and the soul of the individual in Divine quickening. One must not make a god out of the instrument of his salvation. Jesus Christ is the living Seed (Gal. 3:16). But there is a difference between the incorruptible Seed, the origin of the new birth of I Peter 1:23, and the word of God which is our support of verse 25. The Divine agency for making regeneration known is given in the latter part of verse 23: "...through the living and abiding word of God" (NASB). Some Greek students believe the present active participle dzontos of verse 23 and menei of verse 25 can be taken with theou or logou of verse 23. However, menei, which is the present active indicative of meno, is used with hrema (v. 25), which the context proves refers primarily to the spoken word, rather than to logos in verse 25. It refers to that which is spoken or declared. Peter was demonstrating that having been regenerated of incorruptible seed, this new life is made known by the instrumentality of the word of God.
Those who teach gospel regeneration use James 1:18 as another of their so-called proof texts. The context must be considered to properly interpret the verse. Having decreed it, God brought us forth with the word of truth. The words "begat" (v. 18) and "bringeth forth" (v. 15) come from the same Greek verb. James described maternal and paternal acts. The paternal act in sin is when lust receives the assent of the will to yield, and the maternal act is when the lust is manifested in an act of the will. The conception is the paternal act, and bringing forth is the maternal act. Sin is already there before the act is committed. This may be illustrated by a man who looks on a woman to lust after her. He has already committed adultery in his heart. This is the paternal act. Actually committing the act of adultery would be the maternal act. The maternal act of verse 18 is the bringing forth of the principle of life by means of the word of truth rather than the conception of the principle of life by the Holy Spirit. It is bringing forth that which is already there by means of the gospel.
Bringing forth, not conception, is taught in James 1:18. Life begins with conception. God "hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Tim. 1:9, 10). In the exercise of His will, purpose, or decree, God brought us forth by the word of truth so that we might be certain firstfruits of His creatures. God never starts something He does not complete. Regeneration is not a matter of two wills, God's and the sinner's. However, conversion is a matter of two wills, God's and the sinner's. The regenerated sinner is converted when he hears the gospel and gives his consent. Life is brought to light by hearing and embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The efficient cause of being brought forth is the will of God. There must be life before it can be brought forth. The instrument God uses to bring forth is the word of truth. Election, redemption, and regeneration all precede bringing forth. The purpose of being brought forth is in order that we might be certain firstfruits of God. The word of truth has an active force upon the will that has been made willing by grace. Unless a person's will has been made willing by grace, the preached word can do nothing for him. The purpose of the word of truth which we hear after God quickens us is to decentralize us and give us a new center.
Peter identified the persons who were given very great priceless promises that by these we might be partakers of a godlike nature. The antecedent of "us" of II Peter 1:4 is those "that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Pet. 1:1). Verse 4 is a continuation of verse 3. God called "us" by His own glory (power) and virtue (excellence). Without completing the sentence, Peter continued with "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises." The Greek word for "whereby" (dia) can be translated through, by means of, on account of, or by. Therefore, the meaning is that by means of Christ's glory and excellence He has given to us, the recipients of that equally valuable faith, exceeding great and priceless promises. Faith is the fruit of the precious blood (I Pet. 1:19) that was shed by the precious Christ (I Pet. 2:4). The glory and excellence of Christ's Person attracts those to whom faith has been given, and His power enables them to respond to His glory and excellence. Therefore, by these, believers are saved from the corruption that is in the world, not the corruption of the old nature that is in us. The root of this world's corruption is our own corruption--depravity.
"Promises" can be either unconditional or conditional. They are determined by the context in which they are used. Unconditional promises are our preservation, our strength in weakness, and our comfort in time of sorrow. They assure us because they are dependent on what God will do and not upon things in which we participate. Conditional promises are conditioned upon obedience by the children of obedience. The promises of verse 4 are conditioned upon our obedience. But the new birth is an unconditional promise, not conditioned upon one's obedience. Salvation is of the Lord. The word gennao, which refers to the new birth, when used in reference to God is always in the passive voice. This signifies that no one participates in the action of the new birth. However, these are conditional promises. There is not a reference to an unconditional promise in II Peter 1:4. Conclusively, it has no reference to the new birth. Paul made a significant statement concerning God's promises: "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (II Cor. 1:20). Our response to the "yes" of God's promises is the "Amen" of faith. The recipients of faith have been given exceeding great and priceless conditional promises that by these conditional promises we might become sharers in the characteristics of the Divine nature.
The elect do not become Christians by these promises. But by these promises, given to those who have by Divine allotment received Divine faith, they share some of the moral characteristics of God and escape the moral decay that is in the world. God shared some of the characteristics of man in the incarnation in order that redeemed and renewed men might share some of the moral characteristics of God. Peter's use of the word "partakers" does not intimate the communication of the Divine essence, but he referred to those Divine qualities and dispositions which express and resemble the perfections of God. The apostle used the subjunctive mood of the verb "might be" (genesthe, which means may become). The subjunctive is the mood of possibility. It indicates what is likely to but not positively will occur. Therefore, he did not speak of being but of becoming godlike because God has given us the gift of all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3). As soon as one has tasted of the graciousness of God he is spoiled for the world (I Pet. 4:1-6).
The Divine nature that has been given to the elect is not the nature of God Himself but godlikeness. Jesus Christ assumed a nature that had some of the characteristics of men, such as weariness, sorrow, thirst, hunger, limited traveling distance, etc. But He did not assume all of our characteristics. He took upon Himself only those that would not interfere with His impeccable nature. He became like us that the elect might become like Him. Recipients of grace have taken on some of Christ's characteristics. The characteristics we put on were lost in the fall and are renewed after the image of God in regeneration: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10). The present passive participle of the verb "renewed" (anakainoo) signifies that the change wrought in us in regeneration is a change that keeps on changing. God does not regenerate the elect to a retarded position. Retardation is of the individual, not of God. God's work of regeneration is perfect and complete. The cause of retardation is our failure to supply in our faith the seven enumerated properties of II Peter 1:5-7.
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THE
PATH OF SANCTIFICATION
OF THE ELECT
Progressive sanctification is the truth emphasized in II Peter 1:5-11. God has qualified Christians for practical sanctification. Therefore, we should give all diligence to supply in our faith the properties mentioned in verses 5-7 (II Pet. 1:5 NASB). Peter was not discussing the subject of our regeneration. He showed the qualifications for, the path of, and the perfection of progressive sanctification. The verb "might become" of verse 4 speaks of growth. One cannot grow unless he has life. A person would be heretical to intimate that God learns anything or that there is any growth in the essence of God. The Divine nature as it is related to God does not grow. But believers who share the godlike characteristics do grow. Thus, we may become sharers of the Divine nature, not essentially or hypostatically, in a way proper to the recipients of grace who possess godlike characteristics. There will always be "God and I." The bounds between the bestowing God and sharing believers shall never be destroyed.
Our supplying in our faith is a costly and generous cooperation with the grace God has given us. Faith which is God's gift is not added to anything. It is the foundation upon which the seven properties are built. It is not good for faith to be alone: "...faith without works is dead" (James 2:20