2 Peter 3:14-18

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

¹⁵ and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

¹⁶ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

these things (v.14) — new heavens and a new earth (v.13). Looking forward is akin to hope, as in Romans 8:18-25.

diligent (v.14) = eager, zealous, hastening

The Lord always wants what’s best for His own. He didn’t want them concerning themselves with circumstances that were beyond their control. After all, worry is a sin! Rather it was His will for them to place their faith in Him, who is in control of all things. They were to trust the promises of God which would anchor their souls in hope — then and only then would they be “found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” this will be particularly needful for those who endure the future horrors of the Tribulation period.

Peter answers for us the critical question of why God isn’t dealing with Israel as a nation during the administration of Grace, when He says, “An account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation,” that is, for the Gentiles. Once the fullness of the Gentiles is complete at the Rapture, then God will turn again to His chosen nation. Then all believing Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-26). — Sadler, pages 235-236

untaught (v.16) = unlearned, ignorant

unstable (v.16) = unsteady, unsettled, not established, unsteadfast, in contrast to the steadfastness that Peter calls his readers to in v.17. Unstable = lit. describing someone who does not have a staff to lean on, hence, a person who can not be relied on because they are not steady.

I had a boss at a Christian Bible study ministry who without hesitation stated that she did not like Paul’s writings and much preferred James. I also sat in a room with more than a thousand evangelical youth workers when the speaker said she didn’t like Paul because he was too hard to understand. The room erupted in cheers. (The speaker did go on to say that Paul’s writings were Scripture and should be taken seriously, but there was no cheering at that statement.

Those who teach that Peter’s writings are merely an extension of Paul’s revelation usually point to the fact that Peter encourages his countrymen to read Paul’s epistles. The purpose, however, was not to give further instructions to the Body of Christ. Peter wanted them to study Paul’s writings that they might have a fuller comprehension as to why the promises to Israel were temporarily being left unfulfilled. If they read Paul’s writings they would see firsthand the wonderful work that God was doing among the Gentiles according to His secret purpose.

The wisdom given to Paul spoken of here [v.15] by Peter is the hidden wisdom of God. Of course, this is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery (1 Corinthians 2:6-8 cf. Romans 16:25). If we remove Peter’s parenthetical thought for a moment, we are left with the following thought, “Even as our beloved brother Paul … hath written unto you.” We personally believe that the writing to which Peter refers is Paul’s letter to the Hebrews.

Peter always spoke his mind, “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.” What things? … We’ll just mention a few; the longsuffering of God among the Gentiles, Jews and Gentiles in one Body, the headship of Christ, the heavenly inheritance of the Gentiles, etc. … These things were hard for Peter to understand in light of the promises to Israel. Peter was still sorting all this out in lieu of Paul’s apostleship and message. On the other hand, the “unlearned and unstable” were twisting the Scriptures to discredit and challenge Paul’s authority, and they did so to their spiritual destruction. …

The terminology “other Scriptures” distinguishes Paul’s epistles from the prophetic Scriptures, which follow the prophetic theme. This should not surprise us, since the things found in Paul’s revelation were kept secret from ages and generations past, but now are brought to light in His epistles alone. — Sadler, pages 237-238.

I believe that Peter was referring to Hebrews when he mentions what Paul wrote to them (v.15) — them being the first-century Jews. I also believe that Paul didn’t use his by-line in Hebrews because he was the apostle to the Gentiles and he wrote that one book to the Jews.

It’s also unlikely that Peter would find Paul’s wisdom hard to understand if Peter and Paul were writing the same message to the same audience. This is additional evidence that they weren’t. See also Galatians 2:7-9.

this (v.17) — that “the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (v.15).

Another reminder that Peter’s audience for these words will be the saved kingdom Jews who are charged with remaining steadfast though the intense persecution of the Tribulation.