… Instead of deliberately purposing for any to perish, God deliberately purposes for all to ‘come to’ repentance. “The true explanation for His ‘delay’ is found in the last part of the verse and lies in His longsuffering. Any serious interpretation of this verse, then, has to adequately account for the fact that this statement functions as an explanation for God delaying judgment. The reason for the delay is the fact that God is patiently waiting for men to repentant because He does not want any of them to perish. Why? The controversial statement answers this question.
Here, Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” In keeping with the discussion above, Peter assures his readers that God is not being unreliable or unfaithful to His promise. In 3:8, he reminds the readers that even though the coming judgment may seem to be taking a long time to arrive from their perspective, it does not seem like such a long time to God.Īll of this forms the context for the controversial statement in 3:9. Indeed, he goes as far as to say that the world is being reserved for judgment (3:7). He makes special reference to the fact that there will be scoffers asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?” and saying, “all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” In 3:5-7, Peter assures his readers that, despite the apparent tranquility, judgment is coming. In 3:3-4, he begins describing what the end times will be like. In 3:1-2, Peter explains why he is writing the letter. Peter seems to be assuring his readers that although judgment has been delayed, it will most assuredly come. But understanding these verses is key to clearly understanding who God does not want to perish in 3:9.
While 2 Peter 3:9 is a well-known verse, the preceding verses are less familiar. I will argue that these alternatives are neither natural nor persuasive. In this essay, I will examine and evaluate the arguments Calvinists give for reading the verse in other ways. But Calvinists often challenge the Arminian reading, arguing that it misunderstands who the verse is referring to. The verse clearly says that God is not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter 3:9 is one of the primary texts that Arminians use in support of their belief that God desires the salvation of all men.
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