¹⁴Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, ¹⁵and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation . . .

In light of the coming cataclysmic judgment on the earth, believers might be tempted to gloat. Our prophetic certainty that God will judge unbelievers should not produce a spiritual swagger or a revengeful glee. No, our attitude should be one of appreciation for God’s patience. If the Lord would have brought things to an end before you or I came to faith, then we would have been counted among those who would suffer the terminal judgment along with all whom God will condemn for their unrighteousness.

God’s patience meant my opportunity for salvation, and in this, how could I ever rejoice more? He accepted me as forgiven and righteous because of what He accomplished through Jesus on the cross. This is all of grace entirely undeserved; I should stand before Him humbly, desiring others to receive this same opportunity of grace. Therefore, I rejoice that God’s judgment has not yet come because it means there is still an opportunity for others to turn from their sin and to His grace.

So, when Peter writes that we look for these things, he does not refer to wanting the end time judgment to come quickly; he is talking about looking for God’s patience. We join in with God and regard His delay in bringing judgment as providing hope for the salvation of lost souls. Remember, He is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

So, what qualities of character should we develop in light of these things? Peter circles back to his original challenge in 2 Peter 1:5–8 with a bit different spin. There he delineated seven pursuits that we should add as we pursue a life of faith. Here he focuses on three character traits for which we should conscientiously, diligently seek to be known. Notice, he doesn’t say we should be known for correct doctrine. He already covered that, in that we are to add knowledge to our faith and moral excellence. But knowledge by itself is not enough. So now, Peter focuses our attention on three particular aspects of moral excellence.

When we stand before God, He should find in us the fruit of the Spirit, namely, peace. This is a challenge, particularly in light of false teachers who deny the final judgment. In the sense of being unstained by the immorality we condemn in the false teachers, we must be spotless. And finally, we need to be blameless in avoiding all that is false or misrepresenting God and His truth.

Lord, because Your final judgment could come at any time, I am now committed to being more diligent in my pursuit of the character You desire in me.