count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scrip- tures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of law- less people and lose your own stability.” 14), being at peace (v. 14), taking care not to be carried away (v. 17), and not losing our stability (v. 17). Then we see im- mediately in verse 18, “But grow”! So, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus is OPPOSED to being carried away and losing our stability due to false, twisted teaching. To put it another way, staying centered on Christ and His Word is our protection against false teaching, error, and instability. We know that there have been many, from Peter’s time to our current time, who have twisted the scriptures into heresies and pitfalls. The answer to discerning, dismissing, and over- coming this is found in the means of grace and in our theme: Knowing Jesus, Growing in Grace. Notice also that verse 18 does not instruct us as to when to STOP growing in grace and knowledge. If anything, the
command: “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” Not only does Jesus Christ receive the glory from now until the “day of eternity,” we, in that same exact timeframe are to be in Him, growing in that glorious grace and knowledge of Him. The apostle Paul states the same idea in Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” We should of course focus on the fact that God begins and completes the good work in us but note also how long it will take and when it will be complete! For the young people reading this especially, I want you to take from this that growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior is not a short-term goal or something to do until another more interesting pursuit comes along. We are in it for the - ment in the effort. Jesus never disappoints. There are so many other passages that speak of the merits of knowing and growing in Christ. But I still have 4 more ar- ticles to write this year. I will leave you with just one of my favorites – Psalm 1. The very contrast between instability from
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
To put the last part of 2 Peter 3 with Psalm 1, beware walking, standing, sitting in the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, the seat of scoffers and false, twisted teach- ers, but instead delight in Jesus and His Word. Grow in the knowledge of Him and in the grace that He has given and meditate on that day and night. You will be like a tree planted by the water all your days.
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