What Manner of Persons Ought We to Be?

Living in Holy Conduct and Godliness as We Await Christ’s Return

The Apostle Peter asks one of the most important questions any believer could consider:

“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”
—2 Peter 3:11

Peter describes the coming Day of the Lord. He tells us that the present heavens and earth will not continue forever. Everything people presently consider permanent will one day be changed by the judgment and power of God.

Peter writes:

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.”
—2 Peter 3:10

After revealing what will happen, Peter does not encourage his readers to construct a prophetic calendar. He does not tell them to calculate the date of Christ’s return or become consumed with speculation.

Instead, he asks a deeply personal question:

Knowing what is coming, what kind of people should we be right now?

Bible prophecy was not given merely to tell us what will happen in the future. It was given to transform the people we are becoming today.

Nothing in This World Is Permanent

We live as though the world around us will continue indefinitely.

People spend their lives acquiring property, possessions, recognition, influence, and financial security. We build houses, develop careers, accumulate savings, and make plans for many years into the future.

There is nothing inherently wrong with working, planning, saving, or enjoying the blessings God provides. Scripture commends wise stewardship.

The danger comes when temporary things become the foundation of our identity and hope.

Peter reminds us that everything in this present creation is temporary. The possessions we protect, the institutions we admire, the buildings we construct, and the accomplishments we celebrate will not remain forever.

This does not mean our lives are meaningless. It means we must invest our lives in what possesses eternal value.

Jesus expressed the same truth:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”
—Matthew 6:19

When we understand that the present world is passing away, we begin asking better questions.

Instead of asking, “How much can I accumulate?” we ask, “How much can I faithfully steward?”

Instead of asking, “How can I make people remember me?” we ask, “How can my life point people toward Jesus?”

Instead of asking, “How comfortable can I become?” we ask, “How obedient can I become?”

Instead of asking, “What can this world give me?” we ask, “What has Christ entrusted to me?”

What Does “Holy Conduct” Mean?

The word holy means being set apart for God.

Holy conduct is not a performance intended to impress other people. It is not religious pride, legalism, or pretending that we never struggle with sin.

Holy conduct means that because we belong to Christ, our lives should increasingly reflect that relationship.

Our beliefs should affect our behavior.

Our worship should influence our words.

Our hope of Christ’s return should shape our daily choices.

Holiness includes how we treat our families, conduct our business, manage our money, speak about others, respond to mistreatment, use our time, and behave when no one else is watching.

A person cannot sincerely say, “I am waiting for Jesus,” while knowingly living in rebellion against Him and refusing to repent.

The expectation of seeing Christ should create within us a desire for purity.

John wrote:

“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
—1 John 3:3

We do not become holy to earn salvation. We pursue holiness because we have been saved and now belong to the Holy One.

What Is Godliness?

Holy conduct describes how we live. Godliness describes the Christ-centered character from which that life should flow.

Godliness is more than behaving properly in public. It is a growing awareness of God’s presence that affects our attitudes, motives, desires, and decisions.

A godly person increasingly desires to think as Christ thinks, love as Christ loves, forgive as Christ forgives, and serve as Christ serves.

Godliness is not produced by determination alone. It grows as we abide in Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us.

Jesus said:

“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:5

We cannot manufacture genuine godliness through human effort. We must remain close to Christ through prayer, Scripture, obedience, worship, repentance, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Godliness is not simply trying harder to appear religious. It is Christ’s life becoming increasingly visible through us.

Holy Without Becoming Self-Righteous

The call to holiness must never become a reason to consider ourselves superior to other people.

Self-righteousness says, “Look how much better I am than they are.”

True holiness says, “Apart from the grace of God, I would be lost.”

The closer we come to Christ, the more clearly we recognize both His holiness and our continuing need for grace.

A holy person should not become harsh, proud, or eager to condemn. Genuine holiness produces humility, compassion, patience, and love.

Jesus was perfectly holy, yet sinners who sincerely sought Him found mercy in His presence. He never approved of sin, but neither did He use truth to parade His superiority.

If our pursuit of holiness makes us proud, unkind, or dismissive of struggling people, something has gone wrong.

We should stand firmly for biblical truth while remembering that every victory in our lives is the result of God’s grace.

Watchful Without Becoming Fearful

Peter says the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, “as a thief in the night.” That warning should awaken us, but it should not terrify those who belong to Christ.

Believers should be watchful without becoming fearful.

Our confidence does not rest in our ability to predict every prophetic event. It rests in the character and promises of Jesus.

Christ’s return will bring judgment upon evil, but it will also bring the fulfillment of our hope.

Peter writes:

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
—2 Peter 3:13

Imagine a world in which righteousness truly dwells.

There will be no corruption, deception, exploitation, violence, abuse, or hidden wickedness. Everything that presently grieves the heart of God will be gone.

For those who love Christ, the future is not something to dread. It is something to anticipate.

Expectant Without Becoming Idle

Some people become so interested in Christ’s return that they neglect their present responsibilities.

But biblical watchfulness does not mean staring into the sky while ignoring the work God has placed before us.

Jesus said:

“Occupy till I come.”
—Luke 19:13 KJV

We should live expectantly while remaining faithful to today’s assignments.

We should care for our families, serve our neighbors, help those in need, share the Gospel, use our spiritual gifts, and perform our work with integrity.

If we genuinely believe Jesus is returning, we should become more faithful—not less responsible.

Every day presents an opportunity to invest in something eternal.

The question is not merely, “When will Jesus return?”

The more immediate question is:

What does Jesus want me to do until He returns?

Diligent Without Trying to Earn Salvation

Peter continues:

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”
—2 Peter 3:14

The words be diligent describe intentional effort. The Christian life is not passive. We are called to pursue obedience, resist temptation, renew our minds, and faithfully use what God has entrusted to us.

But diligence does not mean earning salvation.

Salvation is entirely God’s gift:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
—Ephesians 2:8

We do not obey so that Jesus might save us. We obey because He has saved us.

Grace does not make faithfulness unnecessary. Grace makes faithfulness possible.

The same grace that forgives us also teaches us to deny ungodliness and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age as we look for Christ’s appearing.

Our good works are not the price of salvation. They are the fruit of a life that belongs to Jesus.

What Does “Without Spot and Blameless” Mean?

Peter’s words may sound impossible. After all, every believer still struggles, stumbles, and needs God’s forgiveness.

Being found “without spot and blameless” does not mean that we achieve sinless perfection through our own effort. It describes a life of sincere devotion to Christ—one that is responsive to His correction and unwilling to make peace with known sin.

A blameless believer is not someone who has never failed. It is someone who refuses to hide from God when failure occurs.

Such a person confesses sin, receives forgiveness, makes necessary changes, and continues walking with Christ.

There is an important difference between struggling against sin and surrendering to it.

The believer who struggles may fall but returns to Jesus in repentance. The person who has surrendered to sin defends it, excuses it, and refuses Christ’s correction.

God is not asking us to pretend we have no weaknesses. He is asking us to bring those weaknesses into His light and allow Him to transform us.

Found by Him in Peace

Peter says we should be diligent to be found by Christ “in peace.”

This is especially beautiful.

A believer who anticipates Christ’s return does not have to live in constant panic, wondering whether one failure has caused God to abandon him.

Our peace rests first in what Jesus has accomplished for us:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Romans 5:1

Because we have peace with God through Christ, we can also pursue a peaceful life—one not dominated by bitterness, unresolved conflict, hidden rebellion, or continual spiritual confusion.

This does not mean every relationship will be peaceful. Other people may reject our efforts at reconciliation. But as much as it depends upon us, we should seek to live peaceably.

Imagine being found by Jesus faithfully doing what He asked you to do—trusting Him, serving others, walking in forgiveness, and resting in His grace.

That is very different from being found spiritually asleep, consumed with earthly distractions, or knowingly resisting His will.

God’s Delay Is an Opportunity for Salvation

Some people ask why Jesus has not returned already.

Peter explains:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
—2 Peter 3:9

What appears to us as delay is an expression of God’s patience.

Every additional day is another opportunity for someone to hear the Gospel, repent, and turn to Jesus Christ.

Peter later adds:

“And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.”
—2 Peter 3:15

This means we should not spend our remaining days merely watching prophetic events. We should help people prepare to meet Christ.

The world’s approaching judgment should produce compassion, not smugness.

We should not look at unbelievers and say, “They will receive what they deserve.” We should remember that we also deserved judgment, but Jesus showed us mercy.

The proper response to prophecy is evangelism.

If time is short and eternity is real, then people matter enormously.

Beware of Being Carried Away

Peter warns believers not to be led away by error:

“Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.”
—2 Peter 3:17

Living in the last days requires discernment.

Not every confident teacher is trustworthy. Not every popular message is biblical. Not every teaching filled with Scripture references explains those Scriptures accurately.

We must examine everything by the Word of God.

But discernment should not become cynicism. We should test teachings carefully without assuming that everyone who disagrees with us is an unbeliever.

Discernment asks, “Is this teaching faithful to Scripture?”

Pride announces, “Anyone who does not interpret everything as I do cannot belong to Christ.”

We need both truth and humility.

Continue Growing in Grace

Peter concludes his letter with this instruction:

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
—2 Peter 3:18

That may be the simplest answer to Peter’s great question.

What manner of persons ought we to be?

We should be people who are continually growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We have not arrived. God is still teaching us.

We should understand Scripture more clearly today than we did yesterday. We should become more gracious, discerning, obedient, humble, and faithful as Christ continues His work within us.

Spiritual growth does not mean we never have questions. Sometimes asking sincere questions is one of the ways God leads us into deeper understanding.

Growth occurs when we bring our questions to Scripture, remain teachable, and allow truth to change us.

Preparing for More Than a Destination

In our previous lesson, we considered what the “Well-Done” saints may be doing during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.

That lesson revealed that believers are not merely being prepared to go somewhere. We are being prepared to serve Someone.

Today’s passage explains the kind of people we should be becoming as we await that future.

Christ is developing within us the faithfulness, humility, holiness, wisdom, and godly character appropriate for servants of His Kingdom.

Present obedience may be preparation for future responsibility.

The trials through which He carries us may be teaching us endurance.

The people He places around us may be teaching us compassion.

The resources He entrusts to us may be teaching us stewardship.

The unnoticed assignments He gives us may be teaching us faithfulness.

God is not wasting any part of the life surrendered to Him.

What Will Jesus Find?

One day Jesus will return, or our earthly lives will end and we will stand before Him.

On that day, our possessions, popularity, social position, and earthly achievements will not be our greatest concern.

The question will not be how successfully we built our own kingdoms.

The question will be whether we faithfully served His.

Peter’s question should therefore become personal:

If Jesus returned today, what kind of person would He find me becoming?

Would He find me growing in grace?

Would He find me abiding in Him?

Would He find me faithfully using what He entrusted to me?

Would He find me holding tightly to temporary possessions—or investing my life in eternal treasure?

Would He find me condemning the lost—or compassionately persuading them to be reconciled to God?

Would He find me spiritually awake—or distracted by the cares and pleasures of this world?

These questions are not intended to drive us into despair. They are meant to awaken us and draw us closer to Christ.

What Manner of Persons Ought We to Be?

Because this present world will not last forever, we should be people of eternal perspective.

Because Christ is returning, we should be watchful.

Because Jesus saved us by grace, we should be grateful.

Because He has called us to serve, we should be faithful.

Because He is holy, we should pursue holy conduct.

Because people are facing eternity, we should be compassionate.

Because false teaching exists, we should be discerning.

Because God is patient, we should help others come to repentance.

Because a New Heaven and New Earth are coming, we should not build our hope upon this present world.

Because we will see Jesus, we should desire to be found abiding in Him.

We do not know the date of Christ’s return, but we know how He wants us to live until He comes.

May we be found in peace—trusting His grace, walking in holy conduct and godliness, faithfully completing our assignments, and looking forward to the world in which righteousness dwells.

Bible prophecy is not merely about determining what will happen someday. It is about deciding what manner of people we ought to be today.