What Sort of Person Ought You to Be?

Scripture:

2Pet. 3:11   Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? ¹³ But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

2Pet. 3:14   Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; ¹⁵ and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶ speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.

Observation:

As Peter begins to bring this letter to a conclusion, he asks the readers to reflect on all that he has written to them. The temporary nature of human time reminds us that all we see, know and understand will dissolve away. What is permanent is God, and therefore we ought to live our lives in line with the One who is eternal. When we align ourselves with the temporal, we fail to realize that there will be a new heaven and a new earth that will become our home. 

In the meantime we ought to be people living in peace, a people who reflect Christ, the One who is ”without spot or blemish.” Again, he refers to the patience of God, who is allowing enough time for all of God’s children to return home. 

Peter acknowledges that Paul has also written letters. Some have assumed that the two of them were in a feud because of what Paul wrote in Galatians. Peter didn’t want there to be any confusion or misinterpretation. God’s people can disagree but live in harmony with one another. Ignorant people wanted to twist the stories to show division within the church, but this simply was not true. The Old Testament Scriptures were foundational to the faith, but these letters were now becoming Scripture to the early Church. 

Application:

There is a very certain expectation that we are to be different because of the presence of Christ in our lives. The question posed by Peter is relevant for us as well. If we know all these things about Christ, “what sort of person ought I to be?” Peter gives us the answer.

1. We are to be found “in Christ.” This means that we are ALL in, that we are entirely sanctified, and therefore are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 

1. We are to be a people of peace. Our character ought to be marked by the fruit of the Spirit, and this is in complete contrast to what we find in this world. We are to be peacemakers, reaching across the aisle to those who may think differently than we do. We are to shower love on those who may want to hurt us. All of this behavior is a reflection of Christ. 

1. We ought to be living holy and godly lives. When I was young the church defined what the holy and godly life looked like and we rebelled against some of the definitions. We believed that we could have more freedom and yet, still be God’s holy people, but did we allow the pendulum to swing too far? Is there any difference now between God’s holy people and the people of the world? If there is no difference, then we ought to consider our lives and whether we are living as holy and godly people. 

1. In humility we have an attitude of continual learning. We serve an infinite God and therefore there is always more stretching out before us. We must be willing to learn from one another. Powers reminds us: “One indispensable benefit of regular corporate worship is the opportunity it offers to examine one’s understanding of the Bible within a Christian context. Without the corrective influence of corporate worship, believers become vulnerable to their own subjectivity if not sin’s subtle delusions” (Powers, NBBC). The Venerable Bede put it this way, “For the only cure for the unlearned is to listen in all humility to the words of those who know better” (On 2 Peter). 

What sort of person should we be? A good question to place before us on a regular basis for some good self-examination. 

Prayer:

Lord, to become more like You is my desire. I realize my short-comings and recognize I have so much more to learn. Please, help me to live in humility before You and others so that I can be the person You would desire for me to be. Amen.