A Warning and a Promise

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.

2 Peter 2:9

There is a great promise here for the Christian. You love the Lord and you grieve over sins—in you and around you. God knows how to rescue you from trials. And He will rescue you. You can count on that.

We learn something else here: There is a punishment for sin that begins now. Sin brings the misery of its own consequences in this life. The way of the sinner is hard, but it gets worse if you refuse to leave this path: God holds the unrighteous for the day of judgement (2:9).

Can you feel the weight of these words? If you love your sins, and refuse to turn from them, then right now this is what God is doing in your life: He is continuing your punishment, and He is holding you for the day of judgement.

This is not what you want God doing in your life. You want to be with the godly who grieve their sin, repent of their sin, and turn, on account of their sin, in faith to Jesus Christ crucified.

You wonder, How can I change? I try to change and then I go back to what I was before. I am just like the dog that returns to its own vomit. I am unrighteous. How can I be godly?

You cannot change on your own. But you can come to Jesus Christ today, because God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (1:3).

Which did you most need to hear today, the promise or the warning?