God’s Inclusive Love

KEY VERSE: “The LORD … is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” —II Peter 3:9

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: II Peter 3:5-15

IT MIGHT seem strange that this affirmation by the Apostle Peter of God’s patience and longsuffering, and his unwillingness that any should perish, is couched in a very graphic description of his destruction of two worlds. The first is described as the world, or order that existed before the Flood, “whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished.” However, when we consider the evil that grew rampant during the 1,656 years of that world, we appreciate in a measure the patience of our Creator. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, and it repented the Lord that he had made man in the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”—Gen. 6:5,6

The second world, or “the heavens and the earth which are now” (II Pet. 3:7), was termed by the Apostle Paul the present evil world. While this order of things which has existed since the Flood has much good in it, evil still predominates. To emphasize the longsuffering of our Heavenly Father during the more than 4,000-year span of this world, Peter writes, “Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”—vs. 8

While four thousand years might indeed seem a very long time to mankind, we are reminded that God’s concept of time is much different than ours. From man’s point of view it might appear that promises God made long ago to bless all the families of the earth have either been forgotten, or at best he is slack in their fulfillment. And with the dire threat of destruction hanging over the nations as it is today, one might wonder about God’s unwillingness that any should perish. In fact, it is God’s purpose that this second world shall perish, for Peter described its destruction in these symbolic words: “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heaven 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

Contrary to how some may interpret the world situation today as a lack of concern and interest on the part of God for keeping his promises to humankind, just the opposite is true. Peter refers to the period which accomplishes the destruction of the second world as “the day of God” (vs. 12), and the Old Testament is replete with prophetic references describing the “day of Jehovah” as a time when his special attention is turned to the earth. God’s termination of this present evil world is, in fact, one of the many promises found in his Word.

Peter reminds us that the fulfillment of this time of trouble prepares the way for the accomplishment of another vital promise, that of the establishment of the kingdom of Christ, which he terms new heavens and a new earth. “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

This long-range plan for man’s salvation, involving the longsuffering of God through the permission of evil, our Heavenly Father, in his great wisdom, saw was the best way to insure an effective opportunity for everlasting life for all people. Not willing that any should perish, but that whosoever will may come to full repentance through a knowledge of good and evil.

With this understanding, what an encouraging message of hope we have for a dying and suffering world. The dark night of sin and trouble is about to break in the dawning of a new day where the principles of righteousness will bring life and happiness to all mankind, even those who have gone down into the grave. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”—I Cor. 15:22

Mankind, looking back to this time, will not see the angry, vindictive, punishing God their distorted vision now conjures up, but rather they will see a loving, concerned, and attending Heavenly Father, sitting vigil through a long, dark night, waiting patiently for the dawning to bless his children with health and life.

Peter reminds us, “Seeing that we look for such things,” we can “account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.”—II Pet. 3:14,15

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