Does God Wish that No One Would Perish? (2 Peter 3:9)

The Meaning of 2 Peter 3:9 in Context

2 Peter 3 .9 says, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises. Some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. There are many who believe this means God does not want a single person to go to hell, but that all, by their own free will, would come to a saving relationship with him.

He's even delaying judgment because he wants everyone to reach repentance. After all, is that not a plain reading of this text? No, it's not. This is why context is so important, and that means understanding the author and his audience.

Peter's Audience: The Elect and the Beloved

Peter, an apostle of Christ, is writing to Christians, whom he says in chapter 1 are called and elect. At the start of chapter 3 he addresses them as beloved, warning the church that in the last days there will be scoffers following their own sinful desires, mocking that Christ has not returned.

These are among those who have been judged in the past, and the fires of God's wrath are being stored up for them, kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But God is not being slow to fulfill his promise of judgment.

God's Patience Toward the Beloved

He is patient toward you, Peter says, to the beloved, not wishing that any should perish, meaning any whom God has chosen, but that all of those whom he means to save should reach repentance. God is not waiting for every single person to reach repentance because that day will never come.

The plain reading of this text is contrasting those destined for judgment with those destined for salvation. How can you know you will be saved? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ when we understand the text.