How can we Believe in Election if God is not Wishing that Any should Perish?
If God has predestined some for salvation and not others, how do we make sense of 2 Peter 3:9? In this verse, Peter declares:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The word “wishing” is taken from the Greek verb βούλομαι. According to the definitive New Testament Greek lexicon, βούλομαι has two different meanings:1
1. to “wish, want, or desire”
2. to “intend, plan, or will.”
While the word βούλομαι itself has two different meanings, Scripture speaks of God’s will conceptually in two different ways as well.
The Two Wills of Deuteronomy 29:29
Deuteronomy 29:29 states:
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Notice how Moses speaks of two different wills here. The secret will of God refers to God’s plans that he has not made known to us. It includes significant matters such as: the day Christ will return to earth, who will be saved, or the day we will die. It can also refer to “insignificant matters” such as: what I’ll eat for lunch tomorrow, what grade my daughter will get on her math test next month, and whether the Steelers will ever win another Super Bowl (I sure hope so!). God has not revealed these matters to us. They are the “secret things.”
In short, God’s secret will refers to everything that the has ordained to take place. And as Moses says in Deuteronomy 29:29, these matters belong to the Lord. Meaning, we won’t know what God has willed (in this secret sense) until the events actually happen.
God’s revealed will is different. Unlike his secret will, God has made known what he wants or desires. For example, God has revealed that he wants us to love, obey, and glorify him. He has revealed that he wants us to make disciples, pray for the sick, and love our neighbor as ourselves. He has revealed that he wants his people to no steal, murder, commit adultery.
In short, God’s revealed will is what he has told us he wants or desires in his word. And as Moses indicates, this revealed will belongs to us “that we may do all the words of the law.” In other words, God has revealed his will so that we might know how to glorify him.
As we think about Deuteronomy 29:29 and the definition of the word βούλομαι, we can see that the first definition refers to God’s revealed will while the second definition refers to his secret will.
God’s Secret Will
Beyond Deuteronomy 29:29, Scripture speaks of God’s secret will in several places. Consider the following texts:
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps 139:16).
According to the Psalmist God has determined how long each of us will live. But he hasn’t told us how long our days will be.
Also consider Matthew 10:29:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”
Again, God has decided whether the sparrows will fall to the ground or not. We don’t know if they will, but he does. Or consider James 4:15:
“Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'”
Here is another clear example of God’s secret will. While we may make plans to do something, James says we will only carry out those plans if it’s part of God’s secret will.
Or consider Ephesians 1:11:
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.“
According to Paul, God is working out all details in the world according to his secret plans. That is to say, everything that happens, happens because God has willed it.
One more example should suffice:
“for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27-28).
This text is interesting because it puts both of God’s wills on display. On the one hand, these evil leaders carried out God’s secret will. They did whatever God’s had “predestined to take place.” On the other hand, they acted wickedly in defiance against God’s revealed will. For it’s clear that murder goes against what God desires (Exod 20:13).
God’s Revealed Will
Several texts speak to God’s revealed will. In fact, far more texts speak of God’s revealed will than his secret will. Consider the following:
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Here, doing God’s will only makes sense if we’re talking about the revealed will of God. After all, doing the will of God means that one obeys what God has commanded his people.
Also, consider the Lord’s Prayer:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).
Certainly, this will cannot be referring to God’s secret will as it would be total nonsense. Instead, it makes more sense to see this petition as a request for the people of earth to obey and worship God as the creatures already do in heaven.
Another good example comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Now this text cannot be referring to the secret will of God because we know that people do not always rejoice, pray, or give thanks. Rather, this text makes much more sense if we understand it to be referring to God’s revealed will. That is, it tells us what God desires from his people.
One more example should suffice:
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess 4:3).
As this text makes abundantly clear, God’s revealed will is for the purpose of our obedience. Remember what Moses said: “the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29).
In short, Scripture speaks of God’s will in two different ways. His secret will refers to everything that he has ordained to take place. His revealed will refers to what he desires or commands.
God’s Will in 2 Peter 3:9
As we circle back to 2 Peter 3:9, we quickly see that God’s “wishing” cannot be referring to his secret will because that would mean that all people come to repentance! But sadly, we know that isn’t the case. Scripture teaches that many people reject the Lord’s offer of salvation and will experience his judgment (Matt 25:46; John 3:18).
Clearly, 2 Peter 3:9 is referring to God’s revealed will. That is to say, it pleases the Lord when people repent. And it displeases him when they reject him. We can think of God like a judge who has to sentence his own son to prison. While it grieves him very much to condemn his son, his obligation to uphold the law demands that he carry out justice.
This text is similar to Ezekiel 33:11 where God declares, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Again, we can see that God’s revealed will is that people repent and live. This is his exhortation to all people! But at the same time, we know that according to his secret will, many people do not repent and live.
We also see this secret/revealed will juxtaposition in Matthew’s Gospel. For in Matthew 4:17, Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We can think of this as God’s revealed will. Jesus exhorts all his listeners to repent and believe.
At the same time, Jesus prays in Matthew 11:25-26, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” In other words, God’s secret will was that many of Jesus’s listeners would not repent and believe, even though his revealed will was that they repent and believe.
Should our Doctrine Inform our Interpretation?
Now some may object to this type of interpretation and say that I’m just reading my theology into the text. Certainly, we should always try to let each text speak for itself without superimposing our theology onto it. At the same time, responsible exegesis necessarily includes a theological framework. Allow me to explain what I mean.
If we don’t come to the text with a theological grid—a statement of faith, if you will—then we open ourselves up to all sorts of heresy. Let me give you two examples:
Jehovah Witnesses—who deny the deity of Christ—frequently appeal to texts like Colossians 1:15, which calls Christ “the firstborn of all creation” to justify their beliefs. Now, if Colossians 1:15 was the only text that existed, then we might reach that conclusion. But as faithful Christians, we must read Colossians with our doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ in mind. Otherwise, we might end up in error as well.
Another example comes from Genesis 22:12 when Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac. After the ordeal, God told Abraham, “now I know that you fear God.” Due to texts like this one, some have concluded that God must not know the future choices of free creatures. This heretical view is known as Open Theism. As you can see, then, bringing good theology to the text serves as a guard rail for the exegete.
Therefore, I see no problem in bringing our theology of God’s will to texts like 2 Peter 3:9 to aid in our interpretation. In fact, I think Christians should always read Scripture with sound theology in mind to ensure we read the text “Christianly.” If we come to texts with a “blank slate,” we could end up in heretical places like Jehovah Witnesses or Open Theists.
The Heavenly Gates
God’s election is part of his secret will. Although I will add, we can have a pretty good idea who God’s elect are by looking around faithful churches and seeing who is worshiping Jesus every week. In other words, if people are trusting in Jesus and seeking to follow him, they are most likely the elect!
We can have a good idea of who the elect are because God’s revealed will indicates that whoever repents of their sins and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ will be forgiven of their sins.
Perhaps an illustration told by the late Donald Grey Barnhouse might help us think through how God’s secret will of election relates to his revealed will of repenting and believing unto salvation.
Barnhouse used to ask people to imagine a Christian standing at the gates of heaven after their death. Above the gate is a sign which reads “WHOSOEVER WILL MAY COME.” These words represent that a free offer of salvation exists for anyone who wants it. All they must do is repent and believe.
After entering through the gates, the Christian turns around and sees a sign on the inside of the gate which reads, “CHOSEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” In other words, election is best understood in retrospect. For only after one comes to faith in Christ does it become plain that they are part of God’s elect.
As a church that only admits baptized believers into membership, we believe that God elected every single one of the members before he foundation of the world. And the reason we believe this is because each member—to the best of our knowledge—has repented of their sins and put their saving trust in Jesus Christ. In other words, repentance, faith, and the desire to serve the Lord gives evidence of one’s election (2 Pet 1:10).
