SINCE ALL
THESE THINGS ARE TO BE DESTROYED IN THIS WAY: Touton autos panton luomenon (PPPNPG): (2Peter
3:12;
Ps 75:3;
Isa 14:31;
24:19;
34:4)
As elsewhere in the NT,
Peter reminds his readers of the strong link between Christian hope and
daily conduct.
Are to be destroyed (3089)
(luo) literally means to
untie or loose from ropes or straps. Luo means to cause something to cease to exist or come
to an end and includes the idea of setting something free.
In an example of the literal use
of luo, after Lazarus had returned to life,
Jesus instructed them
Unbind (luo -
aorist imperative
= do this immediately) him and
let him
go (Jn 11:44)
The universe is pictured as
"unraveling at the seams" so to speak. In Colossians Paul teaches
that...
He (Jesus) is before all things, and
in Him all things hold together. (see note
Colossians 1:17)
In 1 Samuel we read...
He raises the poor from the dust, He
lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And
inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He set the world on them. (1 Samuel 2:8) (Comment: Although
some think "pillars" refers to world leaders, others favor this as a
reference to the cosmos and God's sustaining power, an interpretation I
favor - see Ps 75:3 "The earth and all who dwell in it melt; It is I who
have firmly set its pillars. Selah."
See Spurgeon's comment)
Luo is used of breaking the seal of the book in
Revelation 5:2 (notes), and of releasing the devil
for a short time in
Revelation 20:3 (note).
Three times
in three verses Peter uses luo to picture the dissolution
of the old heavens and earth, purging them from sin and corruption (see
note
Romans 8:20-21)
and preparing the way for the perfect, sinless, incorruptible (see
note
1 Peter 1:5) new heavens and new
earth.
WHAT SORT
OF PEOPLE: potapous:
(Mt 8:27;
1 Th 1:5;
Ja 1:24)
What manner of persons (4217)
(potapous) does not introduce a question, but an exclamation of
astonishment like "how astonishingly excellent you ought to be".
In light of the promised judgment, Peter challenged his readers to live
in keeping with their Christian hope -- allowing their anticipation of
Christ's return to impact their daily behavior."
Jameison and Fausset phrase the exclamation
How watchful, prayerful, zealous!
The sense is of Peter's exhortation is...
“Since all these things will pass away and since you are entering the
glorious eternal state, consider the type of persons you ought to be! Or this way as a more direct
declaration: "How astoundingly, how astonishingly excellent you ought
to be."
OUGHT YOU TO BE: dei (3SPAI) huparchein (PAN) humas:
Ought (1163)
(dei) refers to obligation including the idea of owing a
debt to someone.
Dei describes that behavior and lifestyle
(present
tense) which is necessary in view of the truth about the end of all things.
Paul in a similar way when confronted with the greatness of the gospel
and the lostness of mankind, felt
"under obligation
(indebted = dei) both to Greeks and to barbarians, both
to the wise and to the foolish." and so he was "eager to preach the
gospel" (see note
Ro 1:14-15).
Are you like Paul? Do you sense an obligation to live with
an eternal perspective? "If you don't, you should" Peter is saying.
The
Living Bible conveys the idea:
"And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what
holy, godly lives we should be living!"
“How astoundingly excellent you ought to be!”
Peter has issued us all a
straightforward challenge to conform our lives to God’s holy standard in
light of the certainty of coming judgment (cf.
2Co 5:9).
Hiebert adds that the
verb "ought"
"indicates the abiding
obligation resting upon believers to manifest moral maturity as an
abiding possession."
Be (5225) (huparcho) is distinct from the mere verb of existence (einai),
for
huparcho denotes a state or condition in which one is supposed
to be.
Huparcho
is in the
present tense indicating that these qualities are to be constantly
present. Scoffers, questioning the Lord’s coming with its ensuing
judgment on them, lead ungodly lives. By contrast, Jesus’ followers are
to continually be in a state or condition of holiness and godliness.
In his first epistle Peter addressed
his readers as "those who reside as aliens" thus describing them
as sojourners, visitors here for a short time, waiting for the
culmination of our citizenship in heaven (see note
1 Peter 1:1).
Later in the letter Peter exhorts them writing...
Beloved, I urge you as aliens
and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war
against the soul. (see note
1 Peter 2:11)
Heaven is our real home and we need
to live accordingly.
IN HOLY CONDUCT: en hagiais anastrophais: (Ps 37:14;
50:23;
2Co 1:12;
Php 1:27;
3:20;
1Ti 4:12;
Heb 13:5;
Ja 3:13;
1 Pe 1:15;
2:12)
In light of the certainty of God's
judgment, two writers, Peter and Paul, admonish believers to live godly
and holy lives.
Holy Conduct is God's will for
His children. Like Father, like son. In
1Thessalonians 4:3
Paul writes that...
this is the will of God, your
sanctification (holiness); that is, that you abstain from
sexual immorality (see note
1Thessalonians 4:3)
Holy
(40)
(hagios)
(Click study of
hagios) means set apart, sanctified,
consecrated. Hagios is translated "saint" in many NT passages.
Every saint's position in Christ is holy, but here Peter calls for the
experiential holiness. He is saying let your practice match your
position.
Hagios describes not just who
we are now in Christ but how we should then live — set apart from sin
and from evil and dedicated unto God.
If we really believe what Peter has
just written, it will be reflected in the way we live, and the way we
live gets down to our personal choices: What I will do with my time, my
$$, etc (realizing of course that none of these things are mine but His
and that we are now acting as stewards who will one day be held
accountable in regard to how we handled the Master's riches!)
So Peter is trying to MOTIVATE us
because he knows that this world and ALL (did you catch that? ALL.) is
passing away soon to be dissolved in a roaring flame sent by God...the
only fruit that saints can be assured will endure this holy fire is the
fruit borne by abiding in the Holy Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conduct (391) (anastrophe from verb
anastrepho) refers to how we conduct ourselves with a focus on
our everyday behavior.
Conduct refers to our external
actions and behavior whereas the next word godliness describes an
internal heart attitude of reverence.
In classical Greek, the verb (anastrepho
from aná =again, back + strépho = turn)
meant among other things to turn one’s self about, to turn back, round,
or about, to dwell in a place. The noun anastrophe, means
a turning back or about, occupation in a thing, a mode of life or
behavior. Note that the ideas of “a mode of life” and “one’s behavior”
are derived from the fact of one’s activity.
Thayer
says that the related verb form (anastrepho) means “to
conduct or behave one’s self, to walk,” the latter meaning not referring
here to the physical act of walking but to the act of determining our
course of conduct and the carrying out of that determined course of
action. In the biblical use of the word, the moral and spiritual aspect
of one’s manner of life is in view here in 2 Peter.
Saints are set apart
for God's purposes and should be different but not odd. If we are (holy,
wholly) different, we will attract people (cf notes
1 Peter 2:13;
1
Peter 3:15).
If we are odd, we will repel them.
After presenting the
truths about future events, Peter now exhorts the saints to a quality of
life that should characterize those who are " looking upward". A similar
"pattern" is seen In his first epistle, where after presenting the great
exposition on the truth about our salvation in
1Pe 1:1-12,
Peter exhorts his readers -
"gird your minds for action, keep
sober
in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Now with minds firmly fixed
on "future grace", he calls for them to manifest a
behavior congruent with their belief -
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your
ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy
yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written, "YOU
SHALL BE HOLY,
FOR I AM HOLY."
(see note
1 Peter 1:14;
1:15-16).
Are you investing in a world that
will soon be burned or in a world that will endure eternally and is
totally unaffected by the vagaries of the stock market?
John Piper adds...
"I saw that old black
plaque with the silver chain and white writing almost every day while I
was growing up. It hung in our stairway in Greenville. Now it hangs in
our kitchen for our sons to see. It says, "Only one life, 'twill soon
be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." That's the point of
verse 11: everything is going to be burned up but the fruits of
holiness. A life lived for the world will go naked into judgment; a life
lived for Christ will be laden with eternal riches. When the main doors
are opened at the Metrodome you get blown out with a tremendous gust of
wind because of the air pressure inside. Picture a person at the first
Metrodome tropical bird show, who spends all day collecting bird
feathers in the dome. And then with the biggest and best collection of
bird feathers in his arms (of which he is very proud) he comes to the
door of the dome. The door opens and his feathers are blown all over 5th
Street and Chicago Avenue. Ridiculous? Yes. But it is a flattering
picture of the person who tries to build meaning for his life with money
or professional reputation or art or hobbies. It' s all going to be
blown away and he will stand before Christ utterly shamed. The lesson is
this: put your life under the spotlight of eternity; assess it from
God's vantage point. And devote yourself to what will last (cf. Mt
6:19-21 1Cor 7:31 1Jn 2:17). " (Click
entire sermon)
AND GODLINESS: ka eusebeiais:
(Click
for 15 NT uses of godliness)
Godliness (2150)
(eusebeia
from eu = good + sebomai = worship) means
literally "good worship".
Eusebeia reflects an attitude of
one's life to live with a sense of His presence and a desire motivated
by love ( = obedience Jn 14:15) to be pleasing to Him in all things we
say, do and think. The godly man lives above the petty things of life,
the passions and pressures that control the lives of others. The godly
man seeks to do the will of God (see note
Romans 12:2) and, as he does, he seeks the
welfare of others, making the kind of decisions that are right and
noble, not taking the "easy" path simply to avoid either pain or trial,
and doing what is right because it is right and because it is the will
of God. That's Biblical godliness!
Godliness
(eusebeia) means literally to worship well
and describes a person whose life is devoted to pleasing God and is lived out
as an act of worship (not just a "Sunday type experience"). (see
note
2Peter 1:4)
Eusebeia depicts a
life characterized by a personal piety which reverently seeks to do what
is pleasing to God. Thus the saint's lives must present a marked
contrast to that which the false teachers permitted and practiced.
Everything material has the stamp of oblivion upon it. The things of
which men boast, the things for which they live are passing things at
best. To live for material things is to live for the temporary. Common
sense tells us to turn from the tinsel and toys of this world and live
in holiness and godliness.
In light of the truth of the Day of God,
we must make a choice of living for eternity rather than time, of emphasizing the spiritual rather
than the material, of choosing the permanent
over the passing.
Holy conduct
and godliness are closely related for conduct refers to action,
while godliness is the
attitude behind the action. Holy conduct refers to the way we our life,
while
godliness refers to the spirit of reverence with which we
live our life. Holy conduct rules our behavior, while godliness rules
our heart.
So what Peter is describing here
is what believers need to be in heart,
behavior, motive, action, attitude and duty.
It is also notable that holy
conduct and godliness are plural in the Greek which conveys the idea
that these attributes extend to all aspects of our life.
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Leaning Towers - The Leaning
Tower of Pisa in Italy is going to fall. Scientists travel yearly to
measure the building's slow descent. They report that the 179-foot tower
moves about one-twentieth of an inch a year, and is now seventeen feet
out of plumb. They further estimate that by the year 2007 the
810-year-old tower will have leaned too far and will collapse onto the
nearby ristorante, where scientists now gather to discuss their
findings. Quite significantly, the word pica means "marshy land," which
gives some clue as to why the tower began to lean even before it was
completed.
We know that some things, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, are destined
to collapse. But what about the Golden Gate Bridge, the World Trade
Center Towers, the Rock of Gibraltar, and the Rocky Mountains? Like that
tower, they too are resting on "soft foundations." They too will fall
one day—at a time already determined on God's calendar.
Maybe it doesn't seem pressing because we think we'll pass from this
earthly scene long before that great judgment day comes. That's not how
Peter responded. The inevitable collapse of all things made him think
about the eternal society built on righteousness and truth, a society
that would continue, even after Gibraltar is gone. It motivated him to
build his life on Christ, the only foundation that will never crumble.
—M. R. De Haan II (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Our main business in this world is to secure an interest in the next
