ONE BODY
In the second chapter we get the corruption of Christianity, and we see that the principle of that corruption is the spirit of lawlessness. It came into [p. 123] the church very early, and it practically set aside the Spirit of God. They despised governments. The spirit of clericalism came in, teaching error for reward like Balaam. In result, it happens to them according to the proverb: “The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire”. It is the moral end of Christianity on the earth looked at as a system in the world; it returns to that which it had left. Christianity, as a system, is ineffective for the moral improvement of man. What is unclean is externally washed, the outward corruption is modified, but in the end it goes back to first principles.
Peter develops the ruin of Christianity more as the outcome of the principle of corruption brought about by lawlessness and unrighteousness. Jude speaks of it more as apostasy — losing their first estate. Christianity as a system is the development of unrighteousness and lawlessness, but it is also the development of apostasy; it may be viewed in either light. People have indulged the idea that Christianity was to renovate the world, but what has to be anticipated is the dog returning to his vomit. But notwithstanding this, God effects His purpose. In the beginning of the Lord’s ministry He goes into the synagogue, and all bear Him witness and wonder at His gracious words, but afterwards they want to cast Him down headlong from the brow of the hill. Then later on the Lord leaves Nazareth and goes to Capernaum, and enters into the synagogue and finds there a man with an unclean spirit — possessed of a demon. Thus it comes out that the real question was between God and Satan. God must deliver out of the hand of the enemy. Man rejects the grace, but nevertheless God effects His own purpose in delivering from the hand of the enemy.
I think that through the system of Christianity men became outwardly cleansed from the pollutions in which they were, but I believe when once the [p. 124] authority of the word of God is refused, there will be no security for the maintenance of social relationships, and thus there will be a return to the moral pollution from which they had been washed.
Now in the third chapter we get another principle of evil, not the corruption of Christianity, but what is more Jewish in character. It is not what marked the beginning of Christianity, but rather the last days in which we live. “Since the fathers fell asleep” sounds Jewish. The pious people in ancient times believed the very things which are now denied, as, for example, the flood. The apostle is addressing himself to Jewish Christians. I believe the Jewish mind is infidel, for the Rabbis have given up the promise of His coming, both the first and the second. The result is, they get into materialism, and seek to make wealth here. The same thing has come in among ourselves; the coming of the Lord has not much place with us. I suppose no two facts affected us more to begin with than the coming of the Lord and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The apostle reminds them here of “the words spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour” (verse 2). What they said was all to one end. All the Scriptures had the coming of the Lord in view. Eve had the promise of His coming, Enoch prophesied of it. These scoffers are marked by one thing; they walk after their own lusts. You will find that whenever a man attacks or opposes the truth of Christianity, he has the world before him. He is covetous, though perhaps not for money, and such people are not superior to the lusts of the flesh. They are governed by their own lusts. The Christian, on the other hand, sees that light has come in, so that he can be free of the domination of the flesh and its lusts. It is through the decay of Christianity in its power that infidelity has reared its head again. When Christians walked [p. 125] in the power of divine love, nothing stood against the testimony.
The scoffers shut their eyes to the great fact that there has been one terrible catastrophe (verse 5). There were heavens of old, and an earth standing out of the water and through water, i.e., subject to water, and thus might be overflowed, and through these waters the whole system called “the world” (not the earth) being overflowed was destroyed. The condition of things was so ordered that it was possible for it to be destroyed by water, and that by the word of God. That it was “by the word of God” is the recognition of the moral element. Now, the constitution of things is different, the earth that now is is reserved unto fire. Note that it is by the same word of God (verse 7).
People speak of “other worlds”, but they know nothing at all about it. There are planets, but as to what is transpiring upon their surface, they only indulge their own thoughts and imaginations as to that of which they know nothing.
That which is to take place in the future is even more serious than what has already taken place. Both the heavens and the earth are to be subjected to fire. The idea of “fire” is purgation, and purgation by leaving no trace of it.
In verse 8 is a very important principle. The condition of our existence is marked by day and night and by time, but the Lord is not bound by these conditions. One day with Him is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
He is not willing that any should perish (verse 9). He does not counsel that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The “all” refers to man. God’s mind is that He would have all men to be saved, but He has also His counsel. It appears to me that if God saved everybody it would seem as if man and Satan had gained the day. When the fall came in, the only hope was in the sovereignty of God’s mercy, but [p. 126] I believe the moral effect on man would not be good if all were saved, for it would not leave God His own proper place as God; that at least, is my impression.
The day of the Lord in verse 10 means a period. I doubt if purgation by fire means annihilation. I think the new heavens and the new earth are evolved out of the old, but they are an entirely new order. The heavens have been defiled by the presence of Satan and of wicked spirits, the earth also has been the scene of all sorts of evil, and all must therefore be purged. I think we have to look at things in a moral light; it will be an entirely new order and constitution; the conditions of existence will be entirely altered. It is so important to look at things in a moral light, not in a physical way. The point is the perfect purgation of every scene that has been defiled by sin.
The “day of God” is not a dispensational idea; it is that God permeates everything. Divest your mind of all thought of dispensations, and you will get the “day of God”. We need to get into the largeness of God; in His thoughts what a small place dispensations have. The day of God is not a dispensation. Get into your mind what is morally suitable to the day of God, and you will understand the moral necessity for that day. That we are told to hasten thereunto, proves that it is not a dispensation; if it were, you could not hasten it, but if the idea is moral, you can come nearer to it.
Fire is used to purge material things, but in regard of man the only purging principle is the knowledge of God; nothing can be effective in man but the knowledge of God. If we know what is coming, the effect of it must be to promote all holy conversation and godliness; such are exercised in regard of God (verses 11, 12), and then comes in an additional thought: “Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God”. No Christian could be fully satisfied with the millennium; it is not a perfect state.
[p. 127] I should be much more disposed to listen to Peter than to scientific men. I do not suppose that Peter knew much about astronomy, but he had the light of God, and he looks at things morally. The new heavens and the new earth are not absolutely new, they are new in character. There will be no more sea; I think that will be literally true, but there is a moral idea underlying it. J.N.D.’s thought was that of no separation.
I believe that in the ways of God all is ordered beforehand, so that such a catastrophe as the earth being burned up can take place. And note, it is subject to moral conditions (i.e., when physically the conflagration of all things takes place, morally the time will be ripe for such a dealing of God). There will be entirely new conditions of existence in the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
I believe there must be an eternal witness to the presence of sin having been here; the lake of fire is God’s eternal witness to His righteous judgment of sin. The “lake of fire” is eternal separation from God, with, I believe, inflicted punishment.
We find in verse 14 what the effect of these things was to be on the saints: “Be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless”. Then, the apostle seems to hand them over to Paul, and in that way we get a recognition of his epistles. Paul was the apostle who explained what was consequent on the presence of the Holy Spirit here. It is in the light of that, that we can understand how the long-suffering of God is salvation. It is evident that Peter puts Paul’s epistles on the same level as other scripture (verse 16).
Ques What is “the error of the wicked”?
FER The various forms of evil which are spoken of in the epistle.
We are not to fall from our own steadfastness, but to grow in grace; that is the sway of the kingdom.
[p. 128] We are under grace, and grace leads to eternal life. When the moral government of God comes to an issue, grace will reign in a public way, that is, when He takes up the kingdom. The reign of grace is the millennium; we get it in anticipation in the power of the Holy Spirit. When the kingdom of God is set up, it is not to be law but grace; grace will reign.
Grace would not do in the present condition of things. If a king reigned by grace, people would not pay their debts. The sovereigns of Europe for the most part are said to reign by the grace of God, and yet the principle of their kingdom is law, and must be so.