2 Peter 3:8-15a
“But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” vs. 13
Peter’s vision of the future includes devastating fire and total destruction of the present world, very much like we might expect from a series of atomic explosions or what people have experienced recently in California. But after the fiery disaster he also sees a new beginning, a re-creation so to speak, in which there will be new heavens and a new earth. It’s as though God has a plan to reboot the creation by getting rid of sin and evil and just starting all over again. Whatever we might think of Peter’s vision, he does a great job of describing the desire we have for fresh starts in the kingdom of grace. It’s what we want for ourselves and for our world…and we know that before the newness comes, there’s plenty of old stuff that needs to die. The problem is that we have a hard time letting go of those comfortable habits and desires that have become our identity. Having the impurities and dross of our sinful selves burned away by God’s loving judgment is never easy and usually painful. But beyond the pain, as our new selves emerge, we get a sense of what God intended the first time around, and we actually become the persons we were created to be.
Thought for the Day: What happens after a fire?
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