The Promise of God + Repentance and the Salvation in Christ Jesus!

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…” – 2 Peter 3:8-15 NIV

Although this devotional seems that it has a lot to cover, there are only three main points in 2 Peter 3:8-15—the promise of God, repentance and salvation.

Most of us believe that true salvation is living according to our own standards, because we think that everybody is able to go to the kingdom at the end of the age if we have done good deeds in our lives in this world. The main reason for this is that the world urges us to think that we are our own Lord and Savior. Therefore, we think that we ought to force ourselves to do them and lead a successful life until the end of the age, according to our own standards, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, we have to do good deeds and lead a successful life to enter the kingdom of heaven but we have to do them according to the standards of God and through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). The true salvation is actually from God through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) This is because God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world as an image of Himself (John 1:14) to crucify Himself on the cross as an atonement of our sins (Colossians 2:13-15). Thus, we are able to become the righteousness of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24-25) so that we can enter the kingdom of heaven at the end of the age. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) John 16:8-11 states that not believing in Jesus Christ is sin because all of us are actually created by God to be His image (Genesis 1:27) and since Jesus is the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)

Therefore, we must repent truthfully before God for not believing in Jesus Christ, due to the fact that Matthew 3:2 declares, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This means that eternal life has come to those of us who repents because eternal life is all about knowing God and believing in Jesus Christ until the end of the age (John 17:3).

In addition, we ought to understand that God is forgiving God as well. This is because most of us think that if we sin after we believe in Jesus by doing evil deeds, then there would be no point in living our lives. However, 1 John 1:8-10 assures us that if we confess our sins truly before God, He is going to forgive us despite our deeds. In addition to this, we are still sinners, even though we have believed in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2), but we are being made perfect through Him. This is exact reason why Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross (Hebrews 10:1-18).

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:3-7)

Furthermore, when we have repented before God and have eternal life within us, we automatically become the children of God (John 1:12-13) and the Spirit of God has been poured into us (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 3:19-20). Thus, we are able to discern what the will of God is for our lives (John 14:15-27). “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) This means that we have to overcome the world (1 John 5:1-5) that we begin to no longer care for the world, and we begin to just focus on the Spirit of God (Romans 12:1-2) This is because James 4:4-5 pronounces that whoever that would be a friend to the world has become an enemy of God, for He wants His Spirit to work within us for His good purpose (Romans 8:28). Overall, God wants us to become the righteousness of God through abiding in the Spirit of God (Romans 8:1-17).

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

However, there is the Word of God available for us as well, to help us to become the righteousness of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 1:16-17). “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. (Philippians 1:27-29)