Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Monday June 15 2026
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2 Peter 3:14-18-Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Do we have to understand the Bible perfectly in order to go to Heaven?
Some so believe, and live in absolute terror that they will be cast into a devil’s Hell if they misunderstand something in Scripture.
Let’s study.
Peter wrote the words above regarding the promised Second Coming of the Lord. He is adamant that the Lord will come when there are many people in the world who are mocking Christians and the Lord Himself, claiming that Jesus will not return and that the world will continue as it always has (2 Peter 3:1-4). They are wicked and willfully ignorant of the fact that the world has been destroyed before by water (2 Peter 3:5-6), and that same promise ensures that the world will be purified one day by fire (2 Peter 3:7-8). God’s primary reason for waiting to bring about this Day of Judgment is to give people opportunity to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Yet one Day, He will return as a thief in the night and the Earth and the Heavens will be destroyed and purified by fire (2 Peter 3:10-12). As Christians, God assures us that we can eagerly wait for a new Heavens and a new Earth that He will create (2 Peter 3:13).
Peter then reminds us that we are “looking forward” to these things. “Looking forward” has the idea of “anticipating” with excitement and joy. This Day of Judgment is not a time for the children of God to be terrified, but to be excited about! We strive to be found by Him “in peace,” which is further explained by the the fact that we want to be “without spot and blameless.” This echoes back to what Peter had said earlier, that we need to constantly be adding the Christian Graces (as they are often called-2 Peter 1:5-7) unto our lives. God’s delaying of the Day of Judgement is “salvation.” It is giving time for unbelievers to be saved, and for us as His people to continue growing in our knowledge and understanding of God’s will and salvation that He has given unto us (2 Peter 3:18).
It is here that Peter says that the Apostle Paul had discussed these things also. He “has written” to you about these things. The language implies that Paul’s writing had been finished and completed by the time that Peter penned these words. Perhaps Paul was dead by this point in time, or perhaps the Apostle is simply reiterating that Paul’s work in writing these Scriptures was already completed.
To whom was Peter writing?
Peter was writing this “second Epistle” to the same brethren as his first Epistle (2 Peter 3:1). These were written to the Christians who were in Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1). This included the areas of Galatia, Ephesus, and Colossae. So Peter is probably referring to Paul’s Epistles of Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians. He may also be referencing 1 and 2 Timothy, since Timothy had been sent to Ephesus to work with the church in that area (1 Timothy 1:1-3). Indeed, the Second Coming is discussed in great detail in all of these Scriptures.
What is particularly interesting for our present study is that Peter says some of what Paul wrote is “hard to understand.” Consider how that is translated in different translations of the Bible.
“…difficult to understand” (AFV)
“…difficult things” (GNB)
“…some technical details and intricate illustrations and thus can be difficult to understand” (Remedy)
“…some concepts that are overwhelming to our understanding” (TPT)
All of these Bible translations are emphasizing that sometimes there are things in the Bible that are going to be difficult to understand.
Some things are written in the Bible that are difficult for who to understand?
Saved Christians!
Stop, and let that sink in.
Saved Christians will find some things in the Bible difficult to understand.
Does a simple misunderstanding of some teaching in Scripture mean that you are automatically disqualified from Heaven?
Not at all!
Some teach that if you misunderstand some Bible doctrine, you must therefore be wicked and God will not let you into Heaven. So, a lot of people “jump ship” and leave the church in discouragement.
However, Paul is not saying that if you have difficulty understanding some teaching of Scripture that you are thereby Hell-bound!
Instead, you have some who misunderstand God’s Word because there are some things in it that are difficult to understand. Then you have some who are “untaught” and “unstable” who intentionally twist the Scriptures to their own destruction.
According to Sharp’s rule of grammar, the two adjectives denote one group which has both characteristics. “Untaught” comes from amatheis, “without ordinary instruction.”145 We have had the word “unstable” (astēriktoi) at 2:14. It pictures a person without definite convictions, one who has no clear principles of Christian doctrine in mind on which to stand. It is not the Bible writers’ fault their works are distorted. The fault lies with the people handling those sacred writings. The verb translated “distort” (streblousin) is found only here in the New Testament. It means “to twist with a windlass, to torture, to put to the rack, to twist or dislocate the limbs on a rack.” Victims of torture are often forced to say what their torturers want them to say. When applied to Scripture, this very graphic word pictures forcing the Scriptures in order to yield a meaning never intended by Paul or the Holy Spirit.146. (Gareth Reese, New Testament Epistles: 1 & 2 Peter Jude, 9635-9641 (Kindle Edition): Moberly, Missouri: Scripture Exposition Books, LLC).
The Apostle is not saying that if you have difficulty understanding something in the Bible then you are automatically an “untaught” and “unstable” person who is perverting Scripture to your destruction.
Instead, he is telling us that there are definitely some things in the Bible which are difficult to understand: and sadly there are some who are “untaught” and “unstable” who therefore twist the Word of God to justify their lifestyles and teachings. He had been writing them all through his Epistle: it was the false teachers who denied nearly everything about Christ’s Word (carefully read chapter two of this powerful Letter).
Having a difficult time understanding the Bible does not mean that you are automatically an unsaved reprobate: it may simply mean that you need to keep applying yourself to better understanding God’s Word and to keep growing thereby.
Don’t give up!
I love the way that Paul explains this to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:7-Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
The ESV has a fantastic translation here:
2 Timothy 2:7 (ESV)-Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Literally, keep carefully analyzing and pondering what the Word says, and as you keep doing this, the Lord will gradually and continually help you better understand.
My friends, don’t be discouraged when there are things in the Bible that are hard to understand. Be proud of yourself that you are growing in your understanding and not giving up. Most importantly, trust in God’s grace to guide and secure you as you keep studying.
Your perfect knowledge will never get you into Heaven.
Only the perfect righteousness of the Son of God will.
Keep studying, and keep growing!
Lord, please continue giving us deeper understanding of Your Word as we keep meditating on it. Amen.