2 Peter 3:15

2 Peter 3:15 ‘and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,'

‘and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation' -‘Look upon our Lord's patience as salvation' (Gspd). Instead of viewing God's delay as ‘slackness' or proof that He isn't coming, but rather, view such. delay as ‘patience' (2 Peter 3:9) and an opportunity to make yourself right with God. God's patience equals. chance to be saved. It is salvation for yourself (get yourself right with God) and also, salvation to others. ‘While one is attending to the exhortation to be earnestly endeavoring to spend effort to be morally without pollution and to be blameless in. condition of being reconciled with God at the second advent of Christ, he should also take note of the fact that the delay of the advent of Christ provides further opportunity to deliver one's self from Satan and sin.' (Hamilton pp. 263-264)

‘just as also our beloved brother Paul' -Obviously, there wasn't any strife or hard-feelings between Peter and Paul. And neither can we say with any sort of credibility, that Peter taught. different gospel than Paul taught. God is telling us (something we already know by simply reading the New Testament) all the apostles taught the same truth. Some people look at the conflict that is described in Galatians 2:11 and assume that there existed. life-long jealousy or rivalry between these two men. What. low view of the character or these two apostles! Maybe some scholars jump to such. conclusion, because that is what they would do, if they had been rebuked! Be impressed that while Peter speaks of Paul in affectionate terms, as he does concerning all Christians. Peter doesn't refer to Paul as ‘Saint Paul, the glorious Paul…'.

‘according to the wisdom given him' -Peter admits that ‘wisdom' had been given to Paul, which had enabled him to write to these Christians in the past. This wisdom was divine wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:9; Galatians 1:15; 1 Corinthians 14:37). Peter insists that Paul wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and what Paul wrote, wasn't Paul's opinions, or Paul's theology.

‘wrote to you' -Peter was writing to Christians in what is now modern Turkey (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:1). In years past, Paul had written letters to Christians in the same regions (Ephesians, Galatians, and Colossians).

Points To Note:

Peter admits that Paul wrote by inspiration and that Paul had written to these Christians. 2. This verse reveals how quickly the letters written by apostles were accepted as inspired and circulated to other congregations (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). 3. Carefully note that Christians in the first century knew that God was inspiring such men to write. These Christians knew these letters were Scripture. 4. Peter had access to the information in these letters! Even before Peter or Paul died, their letters were being circulated and collected. The contents and boundaries of the New Testament weren't decided by fallible men hundreds of years after the apostles died, rather such would be decided by God, and it was being decided in the first century.