II Peter 3:9

A Biblical Response to One of the Arminian’s Favorite Verses in Scripture

 

 

“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” (II Peter 3:9, KJV).

 

There are several rules when one interprets scripture as anyone who studies the Bible should know.  And, it is important to keep an understanding within the whole context without attempting to interpret (whether intentional or not) with an eisigesis1 approach instead of an exegesis2 approach.  So, if one only looks at this verse without reading the entire text it may be easy to misinterpret or prove a doctrinal point.

 

However, the first thing one should do when reading scripture is ask the question: To whom is he writing?  Of course, all of scripture is written to man, in particularly the Christian. And, of course, there are countless warnings to the lost.  But when examining this particular verse one must, at least, read the whole of the chapter. Peter opens the chapter by writing, “This second epistle, beloved, I write unto you.”  Peter is addressing this letter to the “beloved.”  It is doubtful that Peter would be addressing a group of pagans or heathens with this same type of term of endearment.  He supports this interpretation by writing in this same epistle in chapter 1, verse 5-8, by addressing their faith, godliness and knowledge of and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

He further continues in chapter one of this second epistle, “I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.”  In the translation the word “both” was added to help the reader understand the meaning of the translation from Greek to English.  But, it does not take away from or change the meaning of Peter’s audience. But, also, who is the “you” to whom Peter is writing?  Once again, the “you” are the “beloved.”  They are not every other single person that has lived or ever will live as the universalists/Arminians want to believe.

 

Furthermore, Peter is simply stating that he is reminding them of what he had written about in his previous epistle.  When one now reads his first epistle it is a clearer (though it should never had been unclear to begin with) understanding of to whom Peter is writing in regards to the addressees of II Peter 3:9 .

 

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (I Peter 1:1,2).  So, to whom is Peter addressing in his second epistle?  Who are the “us-ward, any and all” to whom he is addressing in chapter 3, verse 9 and who are the “elect” in chapter 1, verse 2 of his first epistle? The “us-ward, any and all” in the second epistle are the “elect” in the first epistle.  They were those undeserving sinners chosen before the foundation of the world through the foreknowledge of the Triune God for His own pleasure.3

 

From this we see that God is not waiting and wanting and pleading for sinful man to make a “decision”4 in determining their own salvation as the Arminian so wants you to think.  God is Sovereign. He is also patient in His own time for all the elect to come unto salvation and He is not willing that any of His elect will perish.  And, they will not!

 

 

• 1 --Eisigesis is reading into the text which may not be there but used only to prove a point

• 2 - Exegesis is taking out of the text which it means

• 3 - Ephesians chapter 1

• 4 - A “decision” in salvation places the sovereignty on man’s moral or persuasive conscious.  This is often referred to as decisional regeneration. A similar act is called baptismal regeneration in which man thinks that through the (false) teaching of infant baptism that man/baby is saved through the act of baptism on the part of themselves or surrogates.