By No Other Means

2 Peter 3

​Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things—heaven and earth and everything in and on the earth—by His spoken Word. His grace and atoning work on the Cross is available to all, but effective only for those who will receive it by faith. His Word clearly proclaims that salvation is in no other, by no other means and eternal hope is promised by His resurrection from the dead and ascension to prepare a believer’s future home.
​
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16–17 (ESV)
​
When false teachers cannot accomplish their devious purposes with lies, they start to scoff and ridicule the Word of God. They want you to reimagine truth and forget that the very Word they deride is in control of God’s universe. From the beginning, God created everything by His Word, and His Word holds it together.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” Heb. 1:1–2 (ESV)

We see in Genesis 6-8 that His Word caused the Flood, and His Word will one day bring a judgment of fire to the ungodly world.

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:1–7 (ESV)

Dr. Tony Evans writes, “Those with a scoffing mentality deliberately overlook the fact that God has intervened in human history numerous times. For one, he intervened long ago by bringing the heavens … into being and bringing forth the earth. This happened by the word of God—that is, when God spoke at creation, things happened. Likewise, today, when God speaks his authoritative Word over an individual’s life, things happen. The scoffers also ignore Genesis 6–8, where the world of that time perished when it was flooded... By the same word that created the world and brought the flood, God will intervene in human history again by destroying the present heavens and earth with fire and bringing a day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 9 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” 2 Peter 3:8–10 (ESV)

We must remember that God can do in one day, even one instant, what it would take humans a thousand years to do. God’s apparent slowness to intervene on some occasions provides an opportunity for believers to fulfill His work and their responsibilities. The supreme example of this principle is that God delays final judgment because He does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance and believe the gospel message, the Good News of Jesus Christ. Many of us as believers and followers are waiting on God, when God is actually waiting on us.

Dr. Evans describes verse 10, “Here the phrase day of the Lord refers specifically to the coming great tribulation period when God will govern the affairs of man in a more direct and open way than he does at present.

Warren Wiersbe writes, “Whoever robs you of God’s Word robs you of your future. People who have no future hope have no motivation for life today. No wonder Peter closes with “Beloved, be diligent!” and “Beloved, beware!.”

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:11–18 (ESV)

We live in dangerous days, but the opportunities have never been greater. God is patiently waiting for the lost to trust Christ, but he needs you and me to share the gospel with them. Will you go make disciples who are equipped to make disciples? Will you invest in a few, the Word of God and the truth’s preserved and shared? Will you meet together with 2 other people to read, glean and share what God Word says on a consistent basis, so that you all may grow to know Jesus more?
​
Today, know that the Lord’s delay in coming is designed to give men and women time to repent of sin and come to His saving grace.

---