1This is now, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by reminding you 2that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts 4and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 5For they willfully forget that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water by the word of God, 6by which means the world that existed then, being overflowed with water, perished. 7But the heavens that exist now and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8But don’t forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat; and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11Therefore, since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness, 12looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight. 15Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you, 16as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
2 Peter 2 is an extended defense and polemic against false teachers and their teaching. At first, the false teachers of Peter’s day presented themselves as genuine followers of Jesus Christ and seemed to give credible evidence of genuine faith. In reality, however, they were secretly posing as believers in order to deceive the flock of God (2:1, cf. 1 John 2:18, 19, Jude 4). So Peter wrote 2 Peter in part to expose their deception and to warn true believers in the church. Unfortunately, their destructive influence had already enticed some recent converts away from the way of righteousness, promising them freedom from moral restraints and future judgment (2:18, 19).
In verse 20 Peter pronounces that the final state of those who get entangled with this false teaching is worse than their first state (a probable quote from Jesus, cf. Matthew 12:45, Luke 11:26). Although this could be a reference to the recent converts mentioned in 2 Pet 2:18 (the closest antecedent), Peter is most likely referring to the false teachers who predominate the context. Either way, Peter’s point is clear: individuals who embrace Christianity and then reject it for the world will face a more severe judgment than if they never knew the way of righteousness in the first place (2 Pet 2:21; cf. Luke 10:10-14).
Controversy surrounds this verse. Is Peter asserting that genuine believers can lose their salvation? Three possible interpretations exist. First, some advocate that the false teachers and their followers were genuine believers who apostatized and will face eternal damnation (i.e., loss of salvation view). This understanding seems straightforward enough but contradicts other clear teachings in Scripture concerning eternal security (e.g., Romans 8:28-39, John 10:28, 29). Second, a few suggest that Peter referred to genuine believers who will not suffer eternal damnation but loss of eternal rewards. While this view harmonizes Peter’s statement with more clear passages on eternal security, it fails to deal adequately with the severe judgment language in 2 Peter (e.g., 2:1, 9, 12, 17, 3:6-12, 16) and to explain how their final state is worse than being unsaved. Third, others understand that Peter wrote of individuals who merely appeared to be saved but actually never genuinely believed. They had a superficial knowledge of Christ and only temporarily escaped the shameful defilements of the world through their association with Christians. Therefore, the ultimate end of these unbelievers is eternal damnation (cf. 2:17). This final opinion, also known as the “phenomenological view,” is the preferred view. This understanding works best with Peter’s concluding proverbs about the true nature of dogs and pigs (2:22). Just as these animals naturally engage in defiling activities, the false teachers revealed their true spiritual condition when they returned to their depraved lifestyle.