2 Peter 3:17-18

[clark thompson]

[h=1]2 Peter 3:17-18King James Version (KJV)[/h]17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeingye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the errorof the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in theknowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now andfor ever. Amen.
New European Version
17 Thereforebeloved, you, knowing these things beforehand, beware; lest, being carried awaywith the error of the wicked, you lose your own stability. 18 But grow in thegrace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the gloryboth now and for ever.Amen.


Text andcommentary © 2010 Duncan Heaster dh[at]heaster.org
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These are my thoughts, please share yours.
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17 Because we have the scriptures and have been warned weshould not fall for the tricks of false teachers if we are in His word and inHim, this does not mean we will not fall to our own flesh, this is a fight wehave to keep fighting. The error of the wicked is rejection of Jesus and allthat is good.
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18 We grow in by the grace of God, it is by His grace thatHe gives us growth. Knowledge apart from the Lord is not of true value but theknowledge of the Lord is something that keeps growing as we grow in and thruHim. We should always give God, Jesus the glory and praise, this is why we areto walk the Christian walk, to serve Him and give Him praise.

 

[NoHype]

There's really a lot more to those two verses than that. Peter is still pointing to what he covered earlier in that chapter with "seeing ye know these things before". What things was he covering? The idea of God's destruction upon the earth with previous world ages. If you count them there, there are three world ages Peter is covering there (1. "the world that then was"; 2. "the heavens and the earth, which are now"; and 3. the future "new heavens and a new earth").

2 Pet.3
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 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, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

That is where Apostle Peter put his stamp on Apostle Paul's teaching. Paul included this subject of God's previous destructions upon this earth. Some have a hard time understanding that within Paul's Epistles, just like they do here with what Peter wrote about it also.

So in essence Peter is saying, remember what God did with destroying the world of old, and keep that event in perspective with this present world, because He is going to destroy it too. So how should our understanding and conversations be?