The Preservation Of God

2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

Two main points we need to focus on here; (1.) “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” and (2.) “…and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” Please notice that God does both, He delivers the godly and He also reserves the unjust, this is the same God that the average Religionist Pastor will tell you God cannot change mans will. The godly spoken of here is those who have been saved by God’s wonderful grace and the unjust is all that did not receive His wonderful grace and is lost and will die lost. Some will say these “unjust” are the very evil ones among us and chances are great they will never decide to choose Jesus as their Saviour and there is nothing that God can do to change their minds, but doesn’t that theory contradict what the actual verse says? If God delivers the “godly” and reserves the unjust then can’t God deliver evil men as He chooses, i.e. Saul of Tarsus also know as the Apostle Paul. If God says that all are ungodly and that none seek Him (Romans 3:10 - 11 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11.) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.") then how else is it that man seems to imagine it is not God that changes mans will?

First, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…” God not only knows how to deliver His beloved elect (the chosen ones) to salvation but He also knows how to preserve them from sin. The Lord does not save us and than allow us to walk alone in this evil world but rather walks with us everyday of our Christian life. Satan is not one who only enjoys to tempt the lost to do evil but he gets a greater satisfactory in causing the godly to sin. It is only by the work of God that we do not fall into Satan’s temptations. Please remember he also tempted the man Christ Jesus. God cannot be tempted and Satan is no fool as to even think that tempting God would advantage him, therefore he tempted the Son of Man in hopes there was a weak point but as we all have read there was not one. But just as He did not fall into temptation we also do not have too. God kept the Son of Man from sin and He can also keep us from sinning. Christians sometimes want to think of themselves as strong enough to overcome Satan’s temptations but it is God keeping us from sinning. God preserves those that He has chosen to do certain works i.e. Pastors, Deacons, church members, and etc. other wise how else can His will be an absolute.

Secondly, “…and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” This a much harder fact for most to swallow than the teaching of election and preservation, because while the godly are kept in most part pure by God the non-elect are kept in their evil state also by the power of God. Please notice what the scripture says; “to reserve the unjust unto” the word “reserve” means - to guard by keeping the eye upon – That is God keeps them evil and therefore they will never change their evil ways. Please understand God does not cause them to be evil, that credit goes to Satan but without God’s grace they will never change their ways, and they will be evil until the day of judgment and they are cast into the lake of fire. God has no pity on them and never will, they reject God here today and will always reject God until the day in which they all bow before Him and give Him the credit due His name.