Oftentimes I wonder when I was actually saved. I don't have a particular "conversion experience" as some have. I don't know the day, the year, or even the decade in which I first expressed saving faith. But does it matter?
In one particular oft-debated verse, Peter states "The Lord is…not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9 ESV). There are a few particularly difficult words in this verse, mainly 'wishing' and 'any'. The first can be especially difficult as some translations (such as the KJV) render the word as 'will'. But the ultimate difficulty of this passage lies not with God's wishing or willing, but rather with the scope of the word 'any'. Some insist on a universal scope, an idea leading to universalism, the doctrine that all human beings eventually escape judgment. But we know this to be false - only those who express true saving faith in Christ are saved (Romans 10:9). We instead must look to the context of the passage - who is this 'any'? Immediately before the quoted phrase, Peter writes that the Lord "is patient toward you." This narrows our scope of 'any' down to 'you.' It is you whom with the Lord is patient, He does not wish that any of you should perish. Okay, who is you? You is precisely the recipients of the letter in which Peter writes! These are "those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1: 2 ESV). In Peter's first epistle he refers to this group as elect (1 Peter 1:1-2). We can now clarify 2 Peter 3:9 as to say that "The Lord is…not wishing that any of the elect should perish, but that all of the elect should reach repentance".
This is great news for answering the question I posed earlier. I don't know the hour in which I first expressed saving faith, but I do know that today my name is written in the book of life. More than that, as I am now numbered among the elect, I have always been numbered among the elect - even before I first confessed with my mouth and believed in my heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead. Even further still, God preserved me and guided me from the moment I was born until the day that faith became my own, as it was his wish and will to save me. Because of his sovereign hand alone - I did not, will not, perish - but instead reached repentance. And I continue today living within the guarantee of his Holy Spirit until I receive the inheritance which I have obtained from him. (Ephesians 1:11-14).
Thanks Brian! I don't think I've heard it explained that way before, but that makes a lot of sense. Unless "any" means "any of you", as the context would seem to indicate, then we would have God's plans being thwarted, which is impossible given an omnipotent God.
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