2 Pet. 3:16. as he speaks about this also in all his epistles, in which there are some things hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
2 Pet. 3:17. Therefore you, beloved, having been forewarned of this, be on guard, lest you be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your own steadfastness,
2 Pet. 3:18. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Paul wrote about this when he said: "the goodness of God leads you to repentance" (Rom. 2:4). If the longsuffering of God leads to repentance, and repentance is salvific for us, then it is evident that the longsuffering of God serves for our own benefit and salvation. He says "hard to understand," which the ungodly preach in a distorted sense, for this means "they twist." Let us present one example from all their false interpretations. The Apostle Paul said: "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:20). The distorters gave the words of the Apostle Paul this meaning: let us sin more so that we may receive greater forgiveness. They do this to their own destruction. For just as those who killed the prophets and apostles, so also those who perversely interpret their words are subject to one and the same condemnation. As those who did not desire the benefit and salvation of their disciples killed them, so also those who do not desire that anyone should receive salvation through them twist their words. By "your own steadfastness" he means faith in the Lord. Finally, just as he ends the first epistle with a prayer, so also in the second he asks for their growth in the faith of the Lord.