The Power of the Word of God

2 Peter 3:5-7
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, April 07, 2019
Copyright © 2019, P. G. Mathew
Language [Japanese]

Introduction

The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 4 asks, “What is God? The answer is, “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.”

God alone is infinite; thus, God’s power is infinite in his word. He creates out of nothing. He destroys and he saves. And he also re-creates by his word. It is this God of whom Paul, the most brilliant apostle, spoke when he addressed the rich, famous, and powerful mockers in Acts 26: “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8).

Our triune God alone has infinite power to do his will. He alone is sovereign, transcendent, and immanent. Fools say, “There is no God.” But they will be destroyed by this God of infinite power. No one can mock the word of God as preached in a true church and get away with it. God will be against such people. Peter says that God’s word is imperishable, living, life-giving, and enduring word of God.

Mockers will be destroyed by God’s word. In speaking about Jesus Christ, Peter says he is “‘a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for” (1 Pet. 2:8; see also Isa. 28:16). In other words, those who disobey the word of God are destined by God for reprobation.

Psalm 74:10, 18, 22 tells us that mockers are godless and revile the true and living God of the Bible. The vast majority of the people of this world worship the devil and demons (1 Cor. 10:20–22), as we also read in 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” They will experience the power of God’s word in their eternal destruction. The Hebrews writer declares, “How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:29–31).

1. God’s Powerful Word Created All Things Ex Nihilo (2 Peter 3:5)

In 2 Peter 3:5, in my translation, we read, “For mockers deliberately forget the heavens and the earth existed long ago by the word of God.”

Mockers hate the Bible and the truth the Bible teaches. They deny the Sovereign Lord, and his person and work, including his work of creation, salvation, and judgment. Jesus is coming again in glory to judge.

The father of these mockers is the devil, and they lie like the devil. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of [all] lies” (John 8:44).

The mockers deliberately forget the first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). They hate to give God glory. They are like those who close their eyes to a traffic signal, to their own destruction. In the book of Hebrews, we are also told who created the world. God spoke, and creation sprang into being.

In Genesis 1:3 we read, “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” In fact, we read eight times in Genesis 1 the words “God said” (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). And in Psalm 33:6 we read, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”

God spoke, and creation sprang into existence out of nothing. And, specifically, it was God the Son who created all things. So we read:

John 1:3: “Through him [i.e., the Son] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
John 1:10: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
Hebrews 1:1–2: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” The Son made the universe.
1 Corinthians 8:6: “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
Colossians 1:16: “For by him [i.e., the Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

Mockers know the truth, yet they suppress the truth of God the Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. In Romans 1:18–20 Paul tells us, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Such people read the Bible, only to reject all miracles, especially the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we read:

1 Corinthians 1:18–19: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’”
1 Corinthians 2:8: “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the [Holy] Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

These mockers are spiritually dead. That is why they do not understand the gospel. They are like creatures living in the sewer of sin. They are very active. They thrive in sin. Paul describes their lives in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” Then he speaks about those who were saved out of such lives: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

2. God’s Powerful Word Also Destroys

In 2 Peter 3:6, in my translation, we read, “And that by means of the word and by water the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.”

The old world people became very wicked; they were totally depraved. Yet that is the state of every unbeliever. Consider the following verses:

Genesis 6:5: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” This is speaking of the total depravity of the human heart—the intellect, the will, and the emotions.
Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and [desperately wicked]. Who can understand it?”
Matthew 15:19: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Romans 1:28: “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind,[1] to do what ought not to be done.”
Psalm 2:1–4: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains [their rule],’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”

God planned to destroy the wicked world of God-haters with a flood, which had never happened before. Noah and his family found grace and were saved. Noah built a huge ark and preached the gospel for one hundred and twenty years. Yet no one outside of Noah’s family was saved.

The people of that time did not believe that a flood was coming to destroy the world. The world appeared to be very stable. They had never seen a destructive flood, or any flood. But the flood did come, as God had planned. And God closed the only door to the ark (Gen. 7:16). In the huge ark, there were animals and four men and four women. After closing the door, God turned the water on, from the depths of the earth and the sky above. There came suddenly a climate change!

These mockers had refused to recognize the invisible Creator. God had power to destroy the world through a universal flood that lasted one hundred and fifty days. All the wicked people who refused to enter the ark of salvation perished.

The same is true for all who will not repent and believe in Jesus for their eternal salvation. We read in John 3:18–19, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict of God: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

In Genesis 7 we read, “The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark” (Gen. 7:20–23). God came in judgment with his word, disturbing the stability of this earth by a destructive climate change.

This world is not eternal. God alone is infinite, eternal, personal, almighty, just, and holy. May God help us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The fear of God keeps us from sinning and keeps us hearing and doing his will.

3. By the Same Word God Will Destroy This Present World on the Day of Judgment

In 2 Peter 3:7 we read, “And by the same word [of God] the heavens and earth that now exist are reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

Everyone who does not believe in the gospel is a mocker of God. Remember Festus, the governor? He spoke to King Agrippa about the apostle Paul. He said, “When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive” (Acts 25:18–19). Festus believed Jesus was crucified as a criminal. That is all. But consider Paul’s response:

[Paul said], “But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” Why did he say that? Jesus rose from the dead. He said. “Well, you are crazy.” “You are crazy, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long–I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:22–29)

Festus told Paul that he was insane. But Paul replied to this rich and powerful audience: “I pray that not just you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am,” meaning a Christian, a believer in Jesus. (PGM) Yet we do not read that any of these rich and powerful people repented and became Christians. They mocked the gospel, the very word of God. Paul writes,

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things— and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor. 1:26–29)

All mockers, like Festus and King Agrippa, will face Jesus as their Judge. He is coming again. Again, we read in 2 Peter 3:7: “And by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” This is speaking about all such rich, famous mockers.

Jesus himself said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28–29). And Daniel said the same thing: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2).

There is reserved by God a day of judgment (2 Peter 3:10), a day of the destruction of all who mock the Lord Jesus. He is the only Creator, Savior, Destroyer, and Judge of the whole world. He will also destroy the present heaven and earth, not by flood, but by fire, as he destroyed the wicked Sodom and Gomorrah. This will happen for sure, and it will happen by the infinite power of God’s will and word. All mockers are ungodly; they despise all authority of God.

Peter writes, “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority” (2 Peter 2:9–10). And verse 12: “But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.”

Jude writes, “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 7). Listen, he also says, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’ These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage” (Jude 14–16). The Hebrews writer says, “Our “God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

But the godly fear God and obey him. The ungodly mock and blaspheme God. In hell, the rich man of Luke 16 stopped mocking God. So all mockers of the triune God and his holy word may stop mocking in God’s eternal hell.

Paul writes, “What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:22–23). Let’s say, “Glory! Hallelujah! Glory!” He also says, “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7b-9).

4. By His Powerful Word, He Saves the Elect and Re-creates a Sinless World

God destroyed the old world by a flood. All people perished except Noah and his family (eight people). They were saved by grace (Gen. 6:8), and as we read in 2 Peter 2:9: “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” These eight people lived by the obedience of faith (Rom. 1:5).

God saved only three people—Lot and his two daughters—when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire. Even Lot’s wife, who mocked God and disobeyed his word, was destroyed by fire. Without the obedience of faith, no one can be saved. The vast majority of the people of this world will not be saved because they will not believe the gospel. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt. 7:13–14). Eight people. Three people. Consider how small is the number of people who are going to be saved. And you should rejoice, if you believe in Jesus Christ. God from all eternity loved you and elected you to be saved.

5. The Word Is Mighty to Save and Judge Because It Is God’s Word

In Romans 1:16, Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” And the psalmist says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Ps. 19:7–11).

Peter says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20–21). The word of God never had its origin in the will of small man, but men spoke from God under the Holy Spirit’s complete control. We are talking about the inspiration of the Scripture. God was the primary author. The secondary authors were the prophets and apostles. They wrote down what God willed them to write. So what they wrote was the very word of God, infallible and inerrant, as we read in the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 1: “Of the Holy Scripture.” I urge you to read it. It is God’s word. God’s authority rests in that word.

Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Consider the following:

All Scripture is God-spoken, meaning it is God’s word
Thus, all Scripture is profitable to God’s people. That is why we read the Bible every day.
Scripture is profitable to God’s people for teaching eternal truths about everything: God, angels, man, sin, salvation, judgment, the universe, heaven, hell, the person and work of Jesus Christ, miracles, the devil and demons, and the fall of man.
Scripture is profitable for our reproof, to show us any errors in our belief and behavior.
Scripture is profitable for our correction, in bringing us back to the straight and narrow, as Jesus did with Peter. Though Peter had denied Jesus three times, Jesus found him and corrected him, asking, “Do you love me more than these?” Then Jesus told Peter, “I know that you love me. You are going to be crucified for the faith” (see John 21:15–19). And, in time, Peter was crucified.
Scripture is profitable for training us in righteousness, that is, in obeying the will of God. When the minister preaches the word of God, we are to hear and do it. This is called training in righteousness. We are told, “Children, honor your parents.” The infinite God is saying that to children; they are to obey their parents. Fathers are told that they are, first, to teach the word of God, and, second, to provide for their families. Pastors are to preach the word of God to those under them. The following scriptures speak to us about this training in righteousness:

Ephesians 2:10: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness.”
1 Timothy 6:11: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” We need to be trained in righteousness. It is like any other training, such as training someone to drive or to ride a bicycle.
Titus 2:11-14: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do [good works].”
Ephesians 4:28: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” This is training in righteousness. Before, he stole; now, he radically changed, and he gives to people in need. The proof of our salvation consists in good works, fruit-bearing, in hearing and doing God’s will.

Dr. James M. Boice says that separating justification from sanctification is the prevailing teaching among evangelicals.[2] That is, in most churches, the idea is taught: “Believe in Jesus and sin.” I say that such teaching is destructive heresy because it is not training in righteousness; it is antinomianism, a heresy that we read about in Matthew 7:21–23. Jesus himself said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” What is my translation? Go to hell. If you say you do not believe in hell, consider this: God created hell for everyone who does not believe in hell.

Conclusion

Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Have you confessed by the Holy Spirit the Christian confession:

Jesus is my Lord
Therefore, I am his bondslave
Therefore, I hear and do his will by the power of the Holy Spirit as revealed in the word of God.

If this is true of you, rejoice! You are God’s elect, saved and blessed forever. Of you Paul writes, “What if [God] did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory” (Rom. 9:23). We have nothing to worry about in life because God is with us, God is in us, God is around us as a wall of fire. God is for us, and we are in God.

But if you are a mocker, I urge you to stop mocking God right now, at this moment. Repent and trust in Jesus, and he will save you forever, right now. Be a child in God’s family and an heir of God. Be a citizen of God’s kingdom. Be a vital member of his holy church to hear the word preached, that you may grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and be eternally blessed.

[1] The Greek is adokimon noun, which means a perverted, twisted mind.

[2] James M. Boice, Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 72.