2 Peter 2:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

NIV: if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

NASB: then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

CSB: then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

NLT: So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.

KJV: The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

NKJV: then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

Peter finally concludes his long "if" statement by arriving at the "then." This is his conclusion.

The point of this lengthy statement has been this: God's judgment is coming. The false teachers in the church will be condemned and destroyed. This is not a question of "if" God will repay, only "when." If God condemned the rebellious angels and the world of Noah's day and Sodom and Gomorrah, then He won't hold back in condemning those rebelling against Him now.

But there's more to the sentence: If God saved Noah and Lot, men He declared to be righteous, He will also save those He declares to be righteous now. God knows how to do both. He knows how to rescue His people, the ones He declares to be godly, from trials. And He knows how to hold those who are ungodly to be punished for their rebellion on the coming day of His judgment.

The message is clear. We may be tempted to look at the world and think that those who oppose God are winning. It may seem that standing with God costs more than it's worth. We must never forget that God is still paying attention. Destruction will come, and so will salvation. The faithfulness we demonstrate today will be vindicated, one day.

2 Peter 2:1–9 describes false teachers who greedily spread lies about Christ’s authority. They encourage Christians to indulge in sexual sin. They pursue erotic desires in the open, are experts in greed, despise authority, live in bold arrogance, and blaspheme things they don’t understand. Peter assures that these deceivers will be punished for the harm they’ve caused. This includes leading people away from Christ and back into the sinful practices from which they had begun to escape. God did not spare sinful angels, or the wicked of Noah’s day, or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and will not spare these false teachers, either.

False teachers had entered the early community of Christians. These deceivers lied to the believers, challenging the authority of Jesus. They also invited others to indulge in their sexual sin. Sadly, there are still versions of these false teachers plaguing the modern Christian community. Peter harshly describes the sins of these ''cursed children,'' the eternal judgment waiting for them, and the tragic impact their deception is having on those enticed by them.

In chapter 1, Peter urged his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Peter now describes the false teachers in the church who were leading people away from a true understanding of Christ. These deceivers were lying to the believers and encouraging them to indulge in sexual sin. Peter promises that God’s judgment is coming on these ''cursed children'' and details the tragic impact their lies have on anyone who believes them.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.