2 Peter: Preparing for What’s Next - God Has Righted, Is Righting, And Will Right All Wrongs (2 Peter 2:1-10)
Jordan Byrd
Every time I go to Niagara Falls, I’m always amazed how much water constantly pours over. And. It. Never. Stops! Year-round, people from all over the world come to see Niagara Falls. Yet, we can easily take for granted that this wonder of the world is in our backyard here in WNY.
Over 347 years ago, Native American people witnessed the non-stop flow of water over Niagara Falls. And since 1678, when European explorers discovered Niagara Falls, they too experienced vast amounts of water continuing to pour over the falls every second. Today, over 680,000 gallons of water pour over the Horseshoe Falls portion of Niagara falls… every… second.
The flow of water over Niagara Falls is consistent and continuous. When I moved to WNY 10 years ago, water was flowing over the falls. Today, water is still flowing over the falls. And Lord willing, 10 years from now, water will still be flowing over the falls. Because of the long history of water flowing over Niagara Falls, we have confidence that water will still be flowing over the falls the next time we go to see it.
Confidence is simply trust, or assurance in your own abilities, or the abilities of someone or something else. Like, the historic ability for water to constantly flow over Niagara Falls.
What gives you confidence? More specifically: What gives you confidence things will be okay when they don’t seem that way? And who do you usually have confidence in? Yourself, through your own abilities? Someone else, through their abilities or position of power? Or something else: Ingenuity? Creativity? Technology? Science? Astrology? Fate?
In our current cultural context, we can be tempted to believe that confidence in our own abilities will carry us through a tough moment. During a press conference on January 19, 2025, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker while addressing the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff run, attempted to energize the crowd by leading an Eagles chant. But she stumbled, spelling Eagles: “E-L-G-S-E-S! instead of E-"A"-G-L-E-S. After the mistake, she quickly added, “Let’s go birds!” Often, even our confident actions fall short of what's correct, true, and right.
While it may not be spelling a word correctly, our confident attempts can fall short in other ways. Confidently handling a conflict on your own and ending-up in over your head. Confidently tearing someone down with our words and damaging a relationship. Confidently entrusting policies to a politician and feeling betrayed when they vote or craft policy in an undesirable direction. Confidently following advice and it ends-up backfiring on us.
We live in an a cultural context where it’s often difficult to trust what’s correct, true, and right. The audience of 2 Peter was no different. In 2 Peter 2, we encounter an audience surrounded by differing voices, each claiming to be: correct, true, and right. Like us today, the audience of 2 Peter had the word of God revealed most fully in Jesus (highlighted at the ending of 2 Peter 1, as Sean Cronin referenced last Sunday). And like us today, Peter’s audience had the word of prophets and teachers of their day that Peter calls “false.”
These prophets and teachers, were proclaiming a way of life that they announced as good news. They claimed that a life of twisted truth a life of: greed (2:3), despising the authority of the Lord (2:1, 10), distorted lustful desires, or desires of the flesh (2:10), and confident, or bold arrogance (2:10) – was a correct, true, and right life – that the good life, an abundant life is experienced according to our own version of the truth. Does this contrast seem familiar to our day and age at all?
Does this contrast seem familiar to the competing spiritual voices of our day as well? Like: There’s only male and female. No, gender is a human construct. Be understanding and compassionate. No, ruthless arrogance is the only way to get stuff done. Be content. No, strive to get as much as you can, if you can, no matter the cost or sacrifice to you or others. The situation of 2 Peter’s audience is very similar to the situations of our own day and age.
In our cultural context where God’s revealed truth is distorted and disregarded, it can be tempting to shift our confidence. We’re tempted to shift our confidence away from God’s authority and power to deal with falsehood, when it seems like falsehood prevails all – the – time. We’re tempted to shift our confidence to our own abilities to correct falshoold – taking up our own limited attempts to stomp-it-out, and force truth to the surface. We’re tempted to shift our confidence to another’s ability or power – to no let falsehood go unchecked, not wanting people to get-away with distorting the truth.
But 2 Peter 2 paints a different perspective. 2 Peter 2 describes a different reality. 2 Peter 2 describes how the God revealed in Jesus has not let falsehood go unchecked throughout history. How God is actively dealing with falsehood right now. And how God will permanently right all wrongs one day.
In our cultural context of rampant falsehood, it can be very tempting to believe God is not who he says he is. That God is not doing anything about the wrongs of the world. That God is all talk and no action. The good news 2 Peter 2 calls us to lean into is that we can be confident that God is not letting falsehood slide; and that God does not need our limited abilities alone to deal with the wrongs of the world. Rather, God has righted wrongs in the past. God is righting wrongs now. And God will permanently right all wrongs in the future.
Greater than our confidence that water will continue to flow over Niagara Falls – is the confidence we can have in God to continue righting the wrongs of the world. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
2 Peter 2 invites us to respond to this good news of the God revealed in Jesus by having confidence that God is present and active to right the wrongs and falsehood of the world. Rather than be confident in ____ (e.g., our own abilities or the ability of another human) which secretly infiltrates our worldview tempting us to believe those are the only ways to deal with evil – 2 Peter invites us to be confident in what God claims he is doing to right what’s wrong.
Have confidence that God is present and active to right the wrongs and falsehoods of the world.
Rather than confidently giving into a false, distorted view of the world, which secretly infiltrates our worldview tempting us to believe that it leads to life, but actually end up destroying our life and other’s lives – 2 Peter invites us to be confident in the truth of life that has been revealed in the Lord Jesus.
The Lord knows right from wrong. And 2 Peter 2:9 says, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. (2 Peter 2:9)
The Lord knows how to carry you through trials or temptations, as the prayer Jesus taught us says, …lead us not into temptation…. (Matthew 6:13a)
The Lord knows how to hold the unrighteous for punishment; and how to delivery us from evil, as the prayer Jesus taught us also says, …but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13b)
Have confidence that God is present and active to right wrongs and falsehood. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to hear about moral failures in churches. One commonality of many of those stories is that the moral failure: the marital unfaithfulness, the embezzlement, the bullying, the abuse normally weren’t done out in the open, at least not in the beginning. They were likely done privately and behind closed-doors, to where the immorality was subtle and deceptive and eventually and regretfully: normative. The secret introduction of these false ways of living end-up leading to destruction: destroyed marriages, destroyed organizations, destroyed relationships.
This is the same way Peter describes the manner of the false prophets and teachers of his day. Their twisted beliefs are introduced subtly and secretly. In Peter’s day, these twisted beliefs were subtly introduced within the community of Jesus followers – tempting them away from the truth revealed in Jesus. And this false way of living was causing destruction. Division within the church. Confusion about what’s right and wrong. And leading individual’s lives toward the destructive ends of: Greed (2:3). Removal of God’s authority (2:1, 10). Unrestrained lustful desires (2:10). and arrogant attitudes toward each other (2:10).
Throughout 2 Peter 2, Peter reminds his audience that this is not the first time truth has been twisted. Angels have pursued falsehood, and God didn’t let it continue unchecked. The people in Noah’s day pursued falsehood, and God didn’t let it continue unchecked. The people of Sodom, in Lot’s day, pursued falsehood, and God didn’t let it continue unchecked.
When people pursue falsehood, God does not let it slide.
Peter reminds his audience that when people pursue falsehood, God does not let it slide, Peter reminds his audience that God has righted wrongs time and time again – and he won’t stop righting wrongs in their day. God continues to right the wrongs of the world. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
One of the news headlines of this past week was the lake Freighter boat stuck in ice, just beyond Buffalo, on Lake Erie. News of the stuck ship made headlines on Thursday, but as of Friday morning, the boat was still stuck. But, a Coast Guard ship was actively cutting through ice around the freighter to free it. On Friday, the freighter was in the process of actively being rescued.
This is the language that is used by Peter in 2 Peter 2:9, when it says, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials… (2 Peter 2:9a). The grammar of the passage reflects God’s active, ongoing rescue of the godly from trials and temptations – God’s active, ongoing provision of ways out of falsehood, wrong-doing, and evil.
Peter reminds his audience that when the world around them pursues falsehood, or when they, themselves, pursue falsehood – God does not let it slide, Peter reminds his audience that God is actively working to right wrongs in the present. God righted wrongs in the past, time and time again – and he continues to right wrongs today. This was true in Peter’s day, and it’s just as true for our situations today.
God is righting the wrongs of the world as we speak. We may not fully understand how, but we can be confident that he is righting wrongs, because of how God has righted wrongs in the past. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
You likely remember a similar scenario to this in your own life, a time when you did something your parent’s told you not to do, and you got sent to your room, until they came up and settled on what else to do about the disobedience. In this scenario, when a kid is sent to their room, the righting of the wrong has not fully happened. It is still to come. But, the wrong is also not just ignored. It is caught, addressed, and being dealt with.
Now, but not yet.
The scenario reflects a “now, but not yet reality.” The wrong addressed, but not righted yet. It’s actively being addressed, but not fully finished.
This is the language Peter uses at the tail end of 2 Peter 2:9, when it says, the Lord knows how… to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of the judgment (2 Peter 2:9). The grammar of the passage reflects God actively addressing those who – unrepentantly pursue falsehood, wrong-doing, and unrighteousness. From our limited, human perspective, it can often seem like evil-doers are eluding judgment. But Peter is reminding his audience, that God never loses track of evil. God is all knowing and all seeing, and all wise and all powerful to track down evil, and bring it to justice, even when it looks like the perpetrators are getting away with it. In a sense, God has called out the wrong-doing and is holding evil-doers in the state of judgment, until he finally rights all wrongs, when Jesus brings heaven to earth (Revelation 21).
Peter reminds his audience that when the world around them pursues falsehood, or when they, themselves, pursue falsehood – God does not let it slide, Peter reminds his audience that God is actively keeping track of what is false, wrong, and evil – right now; and God will right all wrongs in the future. Peter reminds his audience, God righted wrongs in the past, time and time again – and he continues to right wrongs today, and when it doesn’t seem like it’s being righted in the moment, Through Jesus, we will eventually see the wrong righted by God.
God has promised to right the wrongs of the world, when his kingdom fully comes on earth. We may not fully understand how, but we can be confident that he is righting wrongs, because of how God has righted wrongs in the past. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
Just as we have confidence that water will continue to flow over Niagara Falls – so much so can our confidence be in God – to continue righting the wrongs of the world. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
Be an uncommon presence in the world.
Because of this perspective of life, it frees us to have an uncommon presence in our day and age. We don’t have to be confident in our own abilities, alone – to deal with falsehood and lies. We don’t have to rely on other humans (politicians, leaders, military might) to right all wrongs by human ability and ingenuity alone. We don’t have give into twisted beliefs, as if they are the only reality. We can live faithfully in the truth of God’s word, revealed in Jesus, knowing that that reality is the future – that, that reality is what eternity will be, when God rights all wrongs. We don’t have to strain and do the impossible to deal with falsehood. We can pursue simple faithfulness to Jesus, and allow God to carry and do what we can’t.
Just as we have confidence that water will continue to flow over Niagara Falls – so much so can our confidence be in God – to continue righting the wrongs of the world. God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.
Be confident in Jesus.
If you’ve never surrendered your life to the God revealed in Jesus, I invite you to do so. You don’t have to be confused about truth. You don’t have to go with the wind of whatever belief dominates the culture of our day and age. You don’t have to be destroyed by a false sense of how to live. God is inviting you to find the truth of life in his Son, Jesus. God is inviting you to simply follow the way of his Son, Jesus, and be confident that he can handle the rest – that he can correct the destruction you’ve already allowed with deceptive truth; and that he can handle righting the wrongs surrounding you. I encourage you to find me, or another trusted follower of Jesus, to help you discern taking a step of faith in Jesus – and hopefully visibly embracing his life, under the water of baptism.
In what situation are you still tempted to lack confidence in God’s ability?
If you’ve already entrusted your life to Jesus, in what situation are you still tempted to lack confidence in God’s ability to right what’s wrong or false? Take time right now, to reflect on the many ways in Scripture of how God righted wrongs – of how God did not let evil go unchecked – of how God did the heavy lifting for us to simply be faithful to his guidance.
Be an uncommon presence.
In what situation of falsehood and wrong-doing — right now – is God’s Spirit calling you to be an uncommon presence? How is God calling you to persevere in simple faithfulness to him, and being a witness to his ability to do what humans can’t do alone to right the wrongs of the world?
Have confidence that God will prove himself faithful to right what’s wrong.
God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs. Have confidence that God will prove himself faithful to right what’s wrong, just as he’s continually done time and time and time again.
God has righted, is righting, and will right all wrongs.