Welcoming the Thief Part III: It's All Greek to Me

In order to truly understand what Peter is saying, and to alleviate the apparent contradictions with the whole counsel of Scripture, we must look at his writing and take into account the language he actually wrote in. Of first consideration, we must look at the reason Peter says why it is so important to know that the mockers and false teachers are wrong: the hope of the promise that he assured his readers God would keep. This hope is found in verse 13. “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” The promise of the new heavens and new earth, a place that is free from the corruption of sin and in which righteousness dwells unhindered. This promise can only be rightly understood if we first look at what Peter actually wrote, not necessarily what we read.

The Greek here tells us what this is. In the original language there are a few words that can be translated as "new", but the word Peter writes here in verse 13 for both "new heaven” and “new earth," is “kainos”. “Kainos” carries the primary meaning that denotes quality; it defines that something is qualitatively new. Spiros Zodhiates also attaches to it the meaning of “novel or strange” (Zodhiates, 1007). This word is directly contrasted with the word "neos" which denotes the aspect of being temporally new, new in time. To solidify the difference, it can be said that while “neos” denotes that the word or idea that it attends to is something that never existed before but now exists in time, that it is newly existing, or newly created, “kainos” tells us that its referent is something that has already been existing, but is now experiencing a new, better quality than it ever had in all its previous existence. As used in other Scriptural texts, the differences between the words can be seen. Consider Mark 2:21 as explained in Spiros Zodhiates' New Testament edition of The Complete Word Study Dictionary:

In Mark 2:21, the word "new" occurs twice, but is two different words in Greek, the first being agnophos, one that has not been washed and properly shrunk. The second "new" is kainos, in the neuter, to kainon, which means another patch but derived from cloth that has been washed and shrunk. Therefore it will not shrink when used as a patch and thus tear the garment.... A new patch is needed, but that patch must be of shrunken cloth. Thus it is qualitatively different from just any new (neos) piece of cloth that has not been shrunk. (804)

“Neos” on the other hand, as mentioned before, refers to temporal newness. Again, according to Zodhiates, "New, recent. New in relation to time, that which has recently come into existence or become present. New in the aspect of quality is kaino´s," and is used in passages such as Matt 9:17, Mark 2:22, and Luke 5:37-39 to speak of newly made, fermenting wine (1007). “Neos” refers to something newly made, newly created. “Kainos” refers to something new or better in quality, something of superior quality, not of new existence, but like new .

From this understanding, it is clear that the "new heaven and new earth," Peter declares to be the promise of God in Christ are not a newly created heaven and earth, but a new in quality heaven and earth. To say it another way, the promise of God in Christ is not that the earth will be destroyed but that it will be renewed; the hope of salvation through Messiah is a renewed heaven and earth, a redeemed heaven and earth. When we start here, with the hope that Peter aims his argument at, it presents obvious, yet undeniable contradictions with our reading of the rest of the text, and tells us that our we must look at the argument as a whole more carefully as well.

Having examined the end of Peter’s argument, let us now turn to the beginning. Peter starts his argument, as was outlined above, by bringing his readers through an abbreviated history of the world, both past and future. In this history, he mentions the creation, the destruction of the past judgment of the flood, and the destruction of the judgment by fire that is to come. In his writing of verse 6, Peter employs the aorist, indicative form of the verb “apollumi”, which carries the meaning to ruin or destroy, to lose (Arndt, 95), to denote the past result of God’s judgment by water: that which was judged was utterly destroyed. “the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water” (2 Pet 3:6, NAS). We are assured by the original language here that the result of the judgment of the flood was a real destruction, the ceasing to be of that which was judged, and that the common reading of the text is appropriate. Similarly, in verse 7 when Peter speaks of the judgment by fire that is to come, he uses a cognate noun “apolaya” to describe that which those being judged will experience (Rogers, 588). “But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Pet 3:7, NAS). This meaning is further supported by Peter’s second use of “apollumi” in 3:9 when he speaks of God not wanting any of his people to “perish”. Again, we find that the use of the original language supports our common understanding that the text tells us that the thing that is judged experiences real destruction. In further examination of the text, we must ask the question that seems to naturally flow out our new discoveries: If destruction surely comes to that which is judged, both past and future, what does the text, what does Peter himself, tells us has and will be judged?

To be Continued...