2 Peter 3 : The latest

2 Peter 3 September 2016

Second Peter 3: 9 September 2012

With Blogger/Google and my websites I can write on a subject more than once, but I cannot cause the latest related entry to be read the most.

It would be nice to think that the September 2012 entry receives more pageviews (apparently) because of my 'lovely' brief webcam appearances, but I will not assume so.

I would like to clarify my current leanings on the subject. I am learning as I research and write. I am less than dogmatic in regards to interpretation with 2 Peter 3, in a similar way to Hebrews 6 and related passages from James. I hope this suffices in the humility department.

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Second Peter 3:9 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

William Barclay takes the perspective that when the text is stating that God does not want any to perish, like Paul in Romans in certain verses (Barclay lists 11: 32) it is in the context of God shutting persons out to unbelief. Barclay (1976: 343).

Admittedly such an interpretation could read as in agreement with John 3: 16 from the Apostle John.

John 3:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Footnotes: John 3:16 Or unique, only one of His kind

I stated in the September 30, 2012 article as 'You' is being addressed in (3), as in Christians: 'In context therefore, it is possible that Second Peter Chapter 3:9 is not directed to non-believers in regard to salvation but is directed to Christians in regard to repentance. It may be stating basically that the Lord is patient with you (Christians), not wishing for any of you to (perish/die) in a state of non-repentance.'

However: If this is indeed relating to the unregenerate, although written to Christians, Erickson is helpful.

Quote:

‘…God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), yet he apparently he does not actually will for us all to be saved, since not everyone is saved.’ (361).

Quote

‘We must distinguish between two different senses of God’s will, which we will refer to as God’s “wish” (will1) and God’s will (will2).’ (361).

Will1 is God’s general intention and Will2 is God’s specific intention.

Or it could be stated

Will1=God’s perfect will and Will2=God’s permissible will.

If it is God’s eternal permissible will to save only some, this does have biblical support.

There is the election of those predestined in Jesus Christ from Ephesians 1 and Romans 8.

God regenerates in Titus 3, persons in Jesus Christ being regenerated, also known as being born again (John 3). This is embraced secondarily by those in Jesus Christ as God is the primary cause. Human beings do not contribute to salvation but can embrace it.

From the book of Revelation only some within humanity are listed in the book of life, and a human being does not write his/her name in the book. Indeed it could be reasoned that at least in a permissible sense, God wills the predestination to salvation of only the elect.

Repentance and belief to/for human salvation for all of humanity may be a divine wish. It may or not be God's perfect will to save all. But I can admit in this entry, it could be God's perfect will in the sense that God wishes salvation for all (universalism) within his will. I am not dogmatic on this point.

But it definitely, biblically and theologically will not occur (Revelation 20-22). God's permissible will is what actually occurs and that is applied limited atonement and salvation for the elect in Christ, alone.

BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press. 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House. 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (2003) What Does God Know and When Does He Know It? Grand Rapids, Zondervan.

PAYNE. DAVID F.(1986) ‘2 Peter’, in F.F. Bruce, (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/Zondervan.