The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
— 2 Peter 2:9 —
Miguel Aparicio: Evangelical Ministries of the Americas | Honduras
The false notion that we are exempt from judgment has plagued mankind since the Fall. The natural man tends to believe that he won’t receive any just retribution for his evil deeds. Someone else might be guilty, we reason, but we are not. As a result, many live according to the philosophy that existed in the days of Zephaniah: we can do what we want because the Lord won’t do anything about it (Zeph. 1:12). 2 Peter 2:9, however, teaches that God in His sovereignty will hold people accountable for their actions and that He also gives grace to some in order to keep them from sin. Though our society may be corrupt, and though evil may surround us on all sides, God knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. In the immediate context, Peter gives a couple of examples of God’s sovereign justice. He did judge the world in Noah’s day, though sparing Noah and his family. And He did condemn Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, though He rescued righteous Lot and his family. We can learn from this passage that God is sovereign and just, and the unrighteous will face their judgment. God has not abandoned the earth after creating it, as the deists believe, leaving all things to chance. He will “keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” but He will also rescue the godly, knowing exactly how to protect them. Though our society may be corrupt, and though evil may surround us on all sides, God knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. The world will ultimately be judged by fire (2 Pet. 3:7), but we who are in Christ Jesus will escape that judgment since our Savior was judged in our place. May we honor Him, therefore, with our lives.
