“Not Wishing For Any To Perish”

by Chris Harris

2 Peter 3:9. Is it a good passage for the Lord wanting all men to be saved? Let’s look at it.

I believe everyone knows that I am a Calvinist, so I will offer how I see this passage as a Calvinist would. The thing is that we aren’t using some “special” hermeneutics to do so, rather just allowing the text to speak without allowing our presuppositions to force us in any direction.

So, let’s look at the passage.

2 Peter 3:9 (NAS): The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Now, notice that the subject of the Lord’s promise and patience. The subject is the pronoun “you”. Pronouns have antecedents, so we need to understand who it is that this pronoun represents in order to know who is the subject of the Lord’s promise and patience. So, who does this “you” represent?

Let’s look at some prior context.

2 Peter 3:8 (NAS): But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved

Just the prior verse gives us the pronoun “your”, and Peter tells us who this is. This is the “beloved”. Now, we can continue to probe more about who it is this pronoun refers to by continuing to look at the prior context, but at the moment it seems to be that the pronoun “you” refers to the “beloved” in specific, which would remove the possibility of verse 9 being universal.

Let’s look some more.

2 Peter 3:7 (NAS): But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Notice that in verse 7 Peter mentions “ungodly” men in specific, which if the “you” of verse 9 is universal should include them as well. But Peter uses these “ungodly” men in contrast to the “beloved” of verse 8. So, we can say that these ungodly men are not included in the “you” of verse 9.

Let’s continue.

2 Peter 3:3–5 (NAS): Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water

Notice in this set of verses we have a different pronoun used, one that denotes another group. The pronouns are “they” and “their”.

It is clear by the context that these pronouns refer to a group other than the “beloved” of verse 8. These people Peter calls “mockers” in verse 3 and also says that they follow after their own lusts. Which again should be representative of all men outside of Christ and should be included in the “you” which is the subject of the Lord’s promise and patience of verse 9 if the application is universal. It doesn’t seem that Peter has that in mind though.

Let’s continue.

2 Peter 3:1–2 (NAS): This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles

Verse 1 introduces us to the “beloved” in this chapter, which can be traced back to the first 15 verses of chapter 1 where Peter makes it abundantly clear that these he calls beloved are indeed fellow believers in Christ Jesus. In Chapter 2 he introduces another group, the same group of the “they” and “their” of chapter 3, which are not fellow believers but rather wicked men.

So, in conclusion, we must, according to syntax, grammar, and surrounding context following basic interpretation rules, conclude that the referent of the pronoun “you” in verse 9 can be no other than the Beloved of 3:1 and the same as the “you” of 1:1-15. We cannot see the “you” as being universal, but rather as those who were chosen, 1:10, and as such the promise and patience of the Lord belong to them and not to the wicked who Peter has so painstakingly contrasted against the beloved. God has patience with the beloved by enduring the wicked until the fullness of His people have been fulfilled, and all of the elect have been saved. He wishes for none to perish, as would be the case were He to prematurely judge the earth.