2 Peter 3:1 - Meaning and Application

To help them stay firm and steady in a faithful, practical memory of the gospel, the apostle begins by showing his warm affection. He calls them beloved, which shows the brotherly love he had urged them to practice (2 Peter 1:7). Ministers should be examples of love and kindness as well as of godly living.

He also shows his sincere concern by writing to them about the same things again, though in different words. Since this truth is good for them, it is no trouble to him to press the same point and keep moving toward the same goal in the most helpful way.

To give the matter greater weight, he reminds them of two sources of truth. First, they must remember the words spoken by the holy prophets, men who were inspired by God and made fit by the Holy Spirit to speak his message. Since their own minds had been purified by that same Spirit, they were better prepared to receive and keep what came from God through the prophets.

Second, they must remember the commands of the apostles of the Lord and Savior. So Christ’s disciples and servants ought to pay careful attention to what those he sent have declared as their Lord’s will. What God spoke through the prophets of the Old Testament, and what Christ commanded through the apostles of the New, must be remembered often and valued deeply. Those who keep meditating on these truths will find them strengthening and enlivening, stirring pure minds to live actively in holiness and to keep pressing on, eager and faithful, toward heaven.