Answer
Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” In this verse, Peter explains that the seeming delay of Christ’s second coming is not because God is slow or unable to fulfill His promise. Rather, God is giving sinners an opportunity to turn to Him in faith.
In the preceding verse, Peter writes, “Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, ESV). This analogy illustrates that God operates outside the constraints of time. What may seem like a long delay to us is but a moment from God’s perspective. God transcends our temporal expectations, viewing redemptive history from an eternal standpoint.
God’s patience is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing His everlasting mercy toward sinners. In Romans 2:3–4, Paul rhetorically asks, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (ESV). Here, as in 2 Peter 3:9, God’s patience is linked to His desire for mankind’s repentance and salvation. God is not indifferent to sin, nor is He “slow in keeping his promise.”
God’s patience was also evident in the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 18:23, God declares, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (ESV). God desires for sinners to repent and live rather than die and face judgment. The prophet Jonah expressed the same conviction that God desires to save sinners: “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2, ESV).
There is nothing “slow” about how God works. The “delay” in the second coming of Christ should not be seen as a failure of God to keep His promise but as an extension of His grace and mercy. He is giving sinners more opportunity to positively respond to the gospel, and believers should rejoice in God’s grace as well as His faithfulness. As 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (ESV).
Hebrews 10:23 encourages believers to “hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT). Despite apparent delays in the fulfillment of God’s promises, He is not being “slow.” Believers are called to trust in God’s perfect faithfulness and timing. The second coming of Christ will happen. Until then, God is patiently waiting for sinners to repent.
Second Peter 3:9 provides an understanding of God’s patience and why Christ has not yet returned. God’s “slowness,” then, allows more time for repentance and salvation, and this reflects His desire that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. Rather than grow impatient and demand God act on our timetable, we should actively participate in sharing the gospel with a world in need.
