| Christian Life and Doctrine | February 1951 |
“Giving All Diligence”
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” —II Peter 3:14
THE hope of the second coming of Christ, and of sharing with him in his kingdom which at that time would be established, was one of the chief sources of inspiration to the Early Church. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica and told them that Christ would descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, explaining that the dead in Christ would rise, and that those who were alive and remained would also be exalted to meet the Lord and be with him, he added, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”—I Thess. 4:14-18
There was a general expectancy at that time that the Lord would return soon, so throughout the epistles we find such expressions as “the time is short,” “the night is far spent,” “the day is at hand,” and others of similar import. Paul wrote to the Hebrews, saying, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive [the fulfillment of] the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”—Heb. 10:35-37
It is this background of inspiration to faithfulness which Peter uses in his second epistle. He admonishes us to give “all diligence” in order that “an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (ch. 1, vss. 5,11) “Wherefore,” he continues, “I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” Then he gives a brief outline of “the present truth” in which, together with him, they were “established.” It was the “power and coming [Greek, presence] of our Lord Jesus Christ” as he had seen that glorious feature of the plan of God symbolized by the Transfiguration Vision.—II Pet. 1:16-18
However, while Peter perhaps did not realize that nearly nineteen centuries would elapse before the second parousia of Christ would become a reality, he was aware that it would not be until after his decease. He wrote the epistle, he explains, in order that after he died the followers of the Master might have it as a testimony to keep them reminded of this glorious hope; that is, the kingdom hope which was to come to fruition at the return of the Lord, when the faithful ones would have an abundant entrance into his kingdom to live and reign with him.
Knowing that time would elapse ere the Lord returned, Peter also was aware that during the intervening years it would be important for the Lord’s people to continue on the alert, taking heed to the “sure Word of prophecy, … as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise” in their hearts. (vs. 19) Peter admonished the church to watch for signs portending the approach of dawn and the time for the manifestation of that “everlasting kingdom” into which he wanted them to have “an abundant entrance.”
But Peter also knew—even as Jesus, Paul, the Revelator, and the prophets taught—that during these intervening years there would come a great falling away from the faith, and, that false teachers and prophets would make their appearance, and that these would have some success in diverting the minds of the Lord’s professed followers from the real hope of the kingdom. “There shall be false teachers among you,” he wrote. These, he explained, would “follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” (ch. 2, vss. 1,2) Throughout this entire chapter the apostle continues to warn the church against these false teachers, identifying many of their characteristics, in order that the faithful watchers might be properly on guard against them. This second chapter, however, is merely a parenthesis in the main subject matter of the epistle, a brief but important outline of the efforts of Satan during the age to disrupt the hope of God’s true people and thus to turn them aside from “giving all diligence” to make their “calling and election sure.”—II Pet. 1:10
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you,” the apostle continues in chapter 3, “in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” Four times thus does Peter urge the importance of “remembrance.” “I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance,” he says in chapter 1, verse 12. “I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance,” he adds in verse 13. In verse 15, which we have already mentioned, he says that he is writing the epistle in order that God’s people might have these things in remembrance even after his death.
And now again, in the opening of chapter 3, where he comes back to the real theme of the epistle, he states that it is his desire to stir up our pure minds “by way of remembrance.” And what is it that he wants us particularly to remember? In verse 2 he explains: “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” Peter was not one to argue that there is enough in the fifth chapter of Matthew to save any man. He did not accept the viewpoint that only those portions of the Word of God which have to do with the devotional life of the Christian are important. To him all the words of the holy prophets were vital and essential, as well as the commandments of Jesus and the apostles.—II Pet. 3:2, Diaglott
The apostle does not leave this point in the realm of generalities, with the thought that each reader could reach his own conclusions as to what words of the prophets, and what commandments of the apostles he referred to. Rather, he itemizes some of the important things he has in mind, and from these we learn that he is still discussing the great day of the Lord, that day which was to be introduced by the return and parousia of our Lord Jesus Christ, who would come to establish his long promised kingdom.
“Knowing this first,” he says. If our minds are properly stirred up by way of remembrance, and we are thoroughly “mindful of the words of the prophets,” etc., we will know “first” that in the “last days” there would come “scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming [parousia, “presence”]? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”—vss. 3,4
The word here translated “scoffers” literally means, “deriders.” Prof. Strong informs us that by implication it has the thought of “false teachers.” The Apostle Jude seems to allude to this passage in verses 17-19 of his epistle, where he writes, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers [same Greek word as translated ‘scoffers’ in Peter’s epistle] in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”
From this observation by the Apostle Jude, it seems obvious that these “false teachers” are not to be found particularly among the great mass of nominal Christians, but in close association with those who are earnestly keeping “the present truth” in remembrance, and who are giving all diligence to make their calling and election sure. The fact that they are referred to as “sensual,” and “walking after their own ungodly lusts,” does not mean that they are immoral. Indeed, according to human standards they may be very fine characters—probably loving, and kind, and patient.
Their sensuality, rather, is the fact that their conclusions on matters of truth are based upon their own human reasoning. They do not have the Spirit, Jude tells us; that is, they are not guided by the Holy Spirit to discern the mysteries of the kingdom of God, particularly as they relate to Christ’s second presence in the “last days.” Because of this they reach erroneous conclusions and become false teachers. Their teachings, moreover, as Jude points out, lead to separation from the brethren.
Peter explains that the human reasoning of these leads them to the conclusion that there has been no change in human experience “since the fathers fell asleep,” therefore there is no evidence of the presence of Christ. The apostle’s words, “since the fathers fell asleep” are very important part of his argument. They are designed to convey a deeper meaning than merely a long lapse of time. In Hebrews 1:1, Paul tells us that God spoke to the ‘“fathers” by the prophets. And it is Peter who informs us that among other things, all these prophets testified to the fathers that following the second coming of Christ there would “be times of restitution of all things.”—Acts 3:19-21
But since the “fathers fell asleep” there is no change. The world continues to die, therefore there is no evidence that that which the fathers expected, because promised by the prophets, has yet come to the world. Where, then, is the evidence of his parousia, since restitution was to be one of the results of our Lord’s return? This, the apostle points out, would be the argument of the false teachers who in the last days—in the actual time of the Lord’s second presence—would deny that he had returned.
Peter’s reply to this viewpoint of the false teachers is very revealing, indicating his own clear understanding of the Master’s teaching on the topic, and showing that those who are not clear on the subject are “willingly ignorant.” He writes, “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God [that is, according to the teachings of the Word of God] the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.”—vss. 5,6
The point Peter makes here is that those who are looking for what the prophets promised to the fathers as evidence of Christ’s second presence are overlooking Jesus’ own teachings on the subject; for, in his great prophecy concerning the signs of his presence he used the days of Noah and the destruction of the antediluvian world by the Flood as one of his illustrations of what would occur when he returned—“As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man.”—Luke 17:26
Obviously the days of Noah were the days when he was actively engaged building the ark and preaching righteousness, prior to the Flood. The days of the Son of Man, therefore, would be the days when he would be present preparing for the overthrow of this “present evil world” as illustrated by the destruction of the “world that was” by the Deluge. This being the case, those who are looking for restitution blessings as the first evidence of the Master’s second presence are seriously in error, and as Peter puts it, willingly so, since all they need to do is to be humble enough to accept Jesus’ own teachings on the subject, teachings which are so clearly set forth that there can be no mistaking their meaning by those who are being guided by the Holy Spirit.
Lest some might not get the force of his argument, Peter makes the clear comparison between Jesus’ illustration of the days of Noah and the Flood which destroyed the first world, with the destruction of “the heavens and earth which are now.” He explains that the same Word of God which records the facts relating to the destruction of a world by the Flood, informs us that the present world is reserved until the “day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Thus he identifies the time when the Lord’s people could expect this present evil world to come to an end—that is, at the beginning of the day of judgment.
However, realizing that the viewpoints of the false teachers were based upon their humanly conceived notions, he is quick to remind us that when he speaks of the judgment day he does not mean an ordinary day of twenty-four hours. “Be not ignorant of this one thing,” he writes, “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” In other words, when Peter speaks of the “day of judgment” his reference is to a period of a thousand years; and in this “day,” first the nations and institutions of earth are judged, and following this will come the judgment of the individuals of mankind.
“Be not ignorant of this one thing,” Peter emphasizes, as though a proper understanding of this “one thing” is essential to a clear knowledge of present truth as it relates to the end of the age. This “one thing” is God’s viewpoint of time. The scripturally designated span of human life is three score and ten years. Human reasoning is very much inclined to measure the time element of all occurrences upon the basis of this very limited period. So when we read in the prophecies that the Lord will make a “short work” in the earth, we are likely to conclude that this means a few days, or at the most, a few weeks. The “sudden destruction,” mentioned in the prophecies, we are inclined to think of as lasting but a few days. It is against this human tendency that Peter is warning us when he says, “Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years.”
If we remain ignorant of this, then we will continue in darkness concerning the real meaning of the events with which we are today surrounded. If a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, a period of a hundred years would be but a very short time with him—only one-tenth of his day. And it is this day, writes Peter, that comes as a “thief in the night.” Paul helps us out on this by adding, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”—I Thess. 5:4
Paul makes it clear that a great destruction would come upon the world in this “day of the Lord,” and Peter substantiates this, explaining that it is in this day that “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.” (vs. 10) The “heavens” as well as the “earth” here mentioned are, of course, symbolic expressions denoting the spiritual and earthly phases of this “present evil world,” or the religious and civil aspects of what men have called civilization.
These, the apostle points out, are to be destroyed after the Lord returns, or “in” the day of the Lord. We are now witnessing this prophetic destruction of the world. The various prophecies pertaining to the times in which we are living describe, from one standpoint or another, the many ways in which the world is coming to an end. The evidence, therefore, is overwhelming that we are now in the “last days,” that wonderful time in the outworking of the divine plan to which the apostles and the Early Church looked forward with hope, the hope which inspired them to continue laying down their lives in the service of him whom they loved, and for whose coming they looked and earnestly prayed.
Kingdom Blessings
But hoping for the return of the Lord would not have been much of an incentive to faithfulness had the Early Church believed that it would result only in destruction. Ah no! They knew that it would, of course, mean the destruction of “this present evil world.” But they knew also that then there would be established a new world, God’s world, over which Jesus would be the King, and that if faithful they would reign with him. So Peter wrote, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”—vs. 13
Yes, the new heavens and a new earth (a new and entirely different social order) is the real objective of our Lord’s return. The destruction of Satan’s world is but a necessary part of the kingdom work—the work of destroying all the enemies of God, of man, and of righteousness; and the last enemy to be destroyed is Death. (I Cor. 15:25,26) Restitution blessings are to follow the return of the Lord. In this the false teachers are right, and we look for these also. We look for a “new heavens and a new earth”—that is, the kingdom of Christ, which will be the medium for dispensing restitution blessings to the dying race—but, guided by the clear teachings of Jesus and of the apostles, we realize that first “the heavens and the earth which are now” must be destroyed. Seeing these being destroyed from day to day, we rejoice to recognize that the day of the Lord has begun, that the Master is present, and that now as never before, the “time is short” in which to make our calling and election sure.
“Seeing Then”
Jesus said to his followers, “I have chosen you out of the world.” (John 15:19) If we are true to this calling the “present evil world” will hold no interest for us, for we will recognize that our citizenship is in the new world, in the kingdom of Christ. The fact, then, that the present world is being destroyed is not discouraging to us, but instead is a strong reason for redoubling our efforts to qualify for an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It is this very practical and important application that Peter makes of the knowledge all the brethren should possess concerning the day of the Lord, the presence of Christ, and the hope of the kingdom. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,” he writes, “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” (vs. 11) This was a very important consideration even in Peter’s day, when the Lord’s people knew that Satan’s empire would at a future time be dissolved. But how much more meaningful it is now! Today we no longer need to say that “these things” “will” be dissolved, for now they are being dissolved.
In our text—verse 14—the apostle writes, “Seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent.” But now we can say, Since we see these things let us be diligent more than ever diligent—that we may “be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” “What manner of persons,” and “without spot”—these expressions well describe the goal for which we are striving in so far as our character attainments are concerned.
What is involved in these expressions? It seems probable that Peter is using them to: sum up that wonderful lesson on character development which he outlines in detail in the first chapter of the epistle. And what a logical presentation of truth he thus has given us. First, a detailed outline of holiness unto the Lord, a holiness without which no one can have “an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Then follows a statement of our wonderful kingdom hope, a hope centered in the return of the Lord. Next, the identification of false prophets and teachers, against whom all the truly consecrated should be on guard because they subvert the truth and thereby lead us away from the Lord and away from our glorious hope of the kingdom. Then follows that wonderful outline of present truth as it relates to this end of the age, telling us what to expect, and for what to look as evidence of our Lord’s return. Finally, we are brought back to the original theme of Christian growth in grace, by the statement, “Seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent.”
And let us note briefly some of the things mentioned by Peter in which we are to be diligent. In the opening chapter he writes: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” (vs. 4) Marvelous indeed are these promises, but there are conditions attached to them, and unless we make an effort to comply with these conditions, they will avail us nothing. So the apostle adds, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance [self-control]; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.”—vss. 5-7
Here, then, are the elements which make for “holy conversation and godliness,” and which will qualify us to be “found in peace, without spot and blameless.” These are the things for which, in our effort to develop character we should be diligent, and the more so since we are seeing all the various elements of this present evil world disintegrating. “For,” writes Peter, “if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”—vs. 8
How important is knowledge when it bears the proper fruitage in our lives, but how valueless if it does not. Judging from Peter’s analysis of the subject, this knowledge of Christ includes what we know about the divine plan which is centered in him. In this epistle is stressed particularly the importance of knowledge pertaining to the Lord’s second presence and the events to be expected in connection with the establishment of his kingdom. Let us not be willingly ignorant of any phase of these precious truths, but “knowing these things,” let us give all diligence to order our lives in keeping therewith.
“He that lacketh these things,” the apostle continues, “is blind, and cannot see afar off.” That is, if we fail to add to our faith the various elements of Christian character which Peter mentions, it will mean lack of diligence in the proper use of the truth. This unfaithfulness on our part will result in a measure of spiritual blindness. The things which are “afar off,” those glorious things of the kingdom—which in Peter’s day were indeed “afar off,” but now very near—will not be seen by us in their real beauty. Our appreciation of the kingdom hope will be lost.
But let us avoid this danger, or, as Peter puts it, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” Yes, more than ever now we should give diligence, for we are seeing the evidences of a falling world all around us. Now in reality the “time is short,” but long enough, nevertheless, if we give all diligence to make sure of an “abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” May the glorious fact of the Master’s presence be such a powerful incentive to faithfulness that we will permit nothing whatever to hold us back from developing these graces, that we “may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”—vs. 14