2 Peter 3:11-12 11Since all these things will thus to be destroyed, what sort of people ought you to be in holy and godly conduct, 12while you await and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
The focus shifts from the ungodly and heretical to the letter’s recipients. Thinking about eschatology should not lead to speculation but to action. Verse 11 begins with a participial clause that sets the condition or reason for the expected response that comes in the second half of the verse. Knowing that Jesus will come again, the earth will be destroyed, and people will be judged ought to be a strong motivation for how we live in the present. In the New Testament, an ethical imperative is usually connected with Jesus’ second coming. Peter indicates this connection with a rhetorical exclamation, expecting the strong ethical response of holiness (hagios) and godliness (eusebeiais). These words return to the opening theme of the letter in 1:3-8. These two qualities reflect the “divine nature” in which we were created and are God’s goal for us to experience in this lifetime. If these are lacking, we will fall short on the day of judgment.
Verse 12 puts this in both a positive and a negative way. Positively, we look forward to the day of God when Jesus returns as the victorious Lord. This moment marks when our battle against sin and death will be over, and God’s plan will be completed. Negatively, it will be a time of suffering and judgment as the heavens and earth are burned up and melted, and the evil deeds of the ungodly will be revealed. Peter wants his readers to wake up and realize the seriousness of following the truth, believing the correct teaching about Jesus, living in expectation of his return, and proving their faith by holy living.
The word hasten (speudontas) can have a causal sense or mean to long for or be zealous for something. These possible nuances raise the question of whether human activity can hasten the return of Jesus or whether Peter is simply encouraging the readers to live a holy life with earnestness, seriousness, and full effort. If the word has the first sense, it puts impetus on believers to live out their witness and spread the gospel. If the stress is on ethical behavior, it fits the context of this verse. With either option, the ethical call to holiness is a strong motivation.