Tag: these things

2 Peter 3:14 – Waiting Peacefully

Posted on by Will

So then, beloved ones, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found spotless, and blameless, at peace with him.

Truth to Learn

We are to be at peace awaiting and looking forward to the return of Christ.

 

Behind the Words

The expression “looking forward to these things” comes from the Greek, prosdokōntes tauta. Tauta means “these things,” and prosdokōntes means “looking toward or looking for, with expectation.” Hence, we could paraphrase this as “looking forward to and expecting these things.”

The word translated “spotless” is aspilos, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not or without” and spilos, meaning “a stain or a blemish.”

“Blameless” is from amōmētos, made up of the privative a, meaning “not or without” and a form of mōmaomai, meaning “to censure or to blame.”

Both of these words are expressed in the nominative case, meaning that grammatically they are subjects, not objects. Hence the end of this verse is more appropriately translated as “be diligent, spotless and blameless ones, to be found by Him at peace.”

 

Meaning Explained

Peter is saying, “Because the world will be destroyed by fire and a new heaven and earth will be created (which will only be inhabited by the righteous), therefore (or so then), we are looking for these things to come to pass just as he said they would. We have no reason to be like the scoffers who don’t believe God anyway, we have every reason to believe the message about the future… and we should be preparing for it.

If we believe that this earth and all earthly deeds that we do will be burned up, we should focus not on the things of this world but on the things that pertain to godliness. In order to expectantly look forward to something you have to believe in it. If you don’t believe it will happen, then you won’t be expecting it.

And, if we believe these things will come to pass, then we are to be diligent to be at peace when He comes for us. Since we are in Christ Jesus, we are under no condemnation from God and should truly have peace. This is exactly how He should find us when He returns to judge the world.

Notice Peter calls us spotless and blameless ones. I think he does this intentionally to show the contrast between us and the false teachers he was talking about in the previous chapter where the words “blots and blemishes” are the same root words as “spotless and blameless” without the privative a in front:

Suffering wrong as the payback for their unrighteousness. They consider it pleasure to carouse in the daytime; they are stains and blemishes, self-indulgent in their delusions while they indulge in luxury with you.  (2Peter 2:13)

 

Application

Are you expecting Him to return at any time? If so, do you have peace about it, and do you have confidence that He will return to take you home with Him?

If you’re truly saved then this peace should be yours because in God’s eyes you are spotless and blameless!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

2 Thessalonians 2:5 – Learn God’s Truth

Posted on by Will

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

Truth to Learn

Your faith depends on a good understanding of God’s truth.

Behind the Words

“Remember” is translated from the Greek verb mnēmoneuō, meaning “to exercise memory” or “to remember.” The English word mnemonic (a device to assist in memorizing something) is based on this word.

The word “still” is from the adverb eti. This word is a reference to things in the past. It is most often translated “yet” or “still.”

The words “I told” are translated from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth.” Figuratively, it means “to relate in words” or “to tell.” It is expressed here in the imperfect tense indicating past, continuous action.

Houtos is the Greek word translated “these things.” In the singular it means “this.” In the current verse it is expressed as a neuter plural, so it means “these” with “things” being implied.

Meaning Explained

Shortly after starting the church in Thessalonica, Paul was forced to make a sudden departure. Having stayed for a while in Berea and then Athens, Paul moved on to Corinth from where he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. The purpose of that first letter was to comfort and encourage the Christians in Thessalonica in the face of the persecution they were suffering. As part of that letter, Paul also related to them some further teaching to clear up a misunderstanding they had regarding the Day of Christ (the Rapture) and the Day of the Lord (the Tribulation).

Sometime after that first letter was written, the Thessalonian church had received some false teaching (supposedly from Paul) indicating that the Day of the Lord had already begun. As a result, Paul wrote this second letter, to give them further encouragement and to clarify what he had already taught them. The primary theme of this second letter is to let them know some of the things that must first take place before the Day of the Lord will begin. He said that two events had to take place first: the apostasia (referring either to the Rapture or to a large-scale departure from the basic tenets of the Christian faith), and the revealing of the “man of sin,” also known to us as the antichrist.

Now that Paul has given them instruction regarding these two events, he asks them, “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?” This makes it very evident that when he first started the church there, Paul gave them specific instruction regarding the Day of Christ and the Day of the Lord.

Do you see how easily false teaching can creep into the church? Every true Christian is eager to learn more about his or her faith and can get easily led astray without constantly reading the Bible and listening to good fundamental preaching. It’s no wonder that there are so many divisions within the church.

Application

Read the Bible and listen to good preaching, but always check what you hear against what is written in the Bible! Your faith will only be as strong as your understanding of God’s truth.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved