God’s Word for You
2 Peter 3:14 spotless and blameless
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, August 28, 2022
14 So then, dear friends, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent so that he finds you spotless and blameless, and at peace.
A quick read of this verse and we can quickly lose our footing, slip, and fall into despair. Tell me, Peter, how can I ever be found by the Lord in a blameless and spotless condition? Fearing this, how could there ever be peace? And apart from the sinful state of my life, there are other things that wage war against peace in our hearts.
Regarding our personal sins, the Lord gave to the church the right and authority to forgive sins, which is the Ministry of the Keys. “Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven’” (John 20:22-23). Luther explains: “The use of the keys is that special power and right which Christ gave to his church on earth: to forgive the sins of penitent sinners but refuse forgiveness to the impenitent as long as they do not repent” (Small Catechism).
When people don’t believe that their sins are serious or even that they haven’t sinned, they become comfortable with their lives and no longer see the need for Jesus their Savior. On the other hand, there are other people who are driven to despair over their sins. Jesus gave the church the keys (that is, forgiving or not forgiving) in order to address the spiritual needs of all people. Those who refuse to repent or think that they have not sinned will be subject to the locking key: their sins will be left unforgiven by the church, and Christ says: “Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:23). The law must be preached in its full sternness to such people in order for terror to seize their hearts and the fear of everlasting punishment so that the gospel will have fertile soil in which to be sown.
When anyone is sorry for their sins, the Lord also says: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). This fruit of repentance is a changed heart and a changed behavior. According to one’s spiritual maturity, it will look different on the outside, varying from Christian to Christian. The church may not dictate what the fruits of repentance must be, but may guide a repentant person toward certain obvious fruits (a robber should make restitution, a person with a filthy mouth should strive for more sanctified speech, etc.). But a repentant sinner is to be forgiven.
Only a forgiven sinner is seen as spotless and blameless, and this is on account of Christ, not on account of our own efforts.
With regard to the other things that steal peace away from our hearts, we want to leave everything in the Lord’s hands. We will naturally worry and be concerned about our children’s spiritual lives, as Job was (Job 1:5). We will have anxiety about the future and about our troubles with money, property, family, and even disease, plague, the weather, war, and other things. But Peter teaches us: “Humble yourselves under God’s powerful hand… Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6). Our hearts will still turn toward such problems, but when we leave everything in God’s hands, we show our trust in him. In this way he offers us peace, and gives it to us. He also teaches us about the way he looks after us with the history of his people, such as Joseph who suffered much but was helped by God at every turn, as well as Moses, David, Paul, and many others.
God draws us and invites us to trust in him from infancy (“You made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast,” Psalm 22:9), to trust in him against all our enemies (“Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me,” Psalm 25:2), when we are afraid (Psalm 56:3), when we have nowhere else to turn (Zephaniah 3:12), and in every part of our lives. Trust in his forgiveness, and in all his promises. He keeps you spotless and blameless through his own blood, shed on the cross, and his constant prayers at the Father’s side on your behalf. He watches over you day by day by day.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.