Understanding "Hasten" in 2 Peter 3:12: Exploring Believers' Role and God's Sovereignty

Explore the meanings of "hasten" in 2 Peter 3:12, examining how believers' actions and God's sovereignty intersect in eschatology.

Introduction

The word "hasten" in 2 Peter 3:12 has stirred up a lot of discussions among students of the Bible. People have different ideas about what it really means, how it impacts our understanding of the end times, and how we should live as Christians. In this article, we're going to explore the various possible meanings of "hasten" in this important Bible verse.

Speeding Up the Event

John MacArthur supports the view that believers' holy conduct, prayers, and evangelistic efforts can hasten the day of God. He emphasizes the active role of Christians in bringing about Christ's return sooner.

"If believers are looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, such eager anticipation precludes being worried about it or afraid of it. Instead, as Paul wrote to Titus, they will be joyfully ‘looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus’ (Titus 2:13; cf. 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:20). Looking for expresses an attitude of expectancy, an outlook on life that watchfully waits for the Lord’s arrival. Peter’s use of hastening only strengthens that concept. Rather than fearing the world’s impending demise, Christians long for it, knowing they have everything to hope for and nothing to fear from the Father who loves them (1 John 4:18). Thus, like Paul, they can readily say maranatha, ‘Lord, come!’ (1 Cor. 16:22; cf. 1 John 2:28; Rev. 22:20)." (MacArthur, p. 129)

Kenneth O. Gangel also favors the interpretation that the godly lives of believers and their efforts can speed up the coming of the day of God.

"Holiness and piety (v. 11) not only cause God’s people to look forward to (from prosdokaō, ‘expect and anticipate’; cf. vv. 13–14) the Lord’s return but also to speed its coming. How do believers hasten it? The godly lives of the Lord’s people, their praying, and their witnessing help bring others to repentance. Peter then repeated for emphasis the fact that at the commencement of eternity (here called the day of God) the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt (cf. comments on v. 10). That event concludes ‘the day of the Lord’ (v. 10) and commences ‘the day of God.’" (Gangel, p. 877)

Grant R. Osborne mentions that living godly lives and the faithful suffering of the saints can hasten the day. He acknowledges that God's sovereignty graciously takes human affairs into account.

"Here Peter adds that living godly lives will also hurry it along. As Bauckham (1983:325) asserts, ‘This does not detract from God’s sovereignty in determining the time of the End … but only means that his sovereign determination graciously takes human affairs into account.’" (Osborne, pp. 343–344)

Eager Anticipation

R.C.H. Lenski favors the interpretation that "hasten" means being eager and earnestly desiring the return of Christ. He argues against the idea that believers' actions can speed up the event.

"One may expect and yet not be eager regarding what he expects; also eagerness is to fill the hearts. We need not labor the sense by taking σπεύδω in the sense of ‘hasten,’ speed up the coming of the day of the Lord, so that it will come sooner than it would otherwise come. We question whether the holy conduct of Christians can hasten the day of judgment, whether this is the teaching of the Bible. The decline of faith and the coldness of love would have more of a tendency to hurry the day along. This verb is widely used in the sense of ‘to be eager’ (see Liddell and Scott for illustrations), which fits perfectly here as an intensifying synonym of ‘expecting.’" (Lenski, p. 348)

The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (EDNT) supports the idea that "hasten" connotes eager anticipation and striving for the event.

"More unusual is Peter’s further statement that we are to hurry the Parousia along, which comes from the Greek speudō [TG4692, ZG5067], meaning to ‘hasten’ or ‘speed’ the occurrence of an event. The verb also connotes the idea of ‘striving’ or exercising ‘great effort’ to make something happen, perhaps even ‘eagerly waiting’ for it to take place (as in NIV mg)." (EDNT)

Louw and Nida state that "σπεύδω" means "to be eager to do something, with the implication of readiness to expend energy and effort," which aligns with the idea of eager anticipation.

"To be eager to do something, with the implication of readiness to expend energy and effort—‘to be eager, eagerness, devotion.’" (Louw-Nida 25.74)

Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich (BDAG) indicates that "σπεύδω" can mean "to be eager for the arrival of" or "to cause something to happen soon," emphasizing the eagerness and effort in anticipating the event.

"σπεύδω G5067 (speudō), to cause to happen quickly, urge on, intrans. press on, hasten, hurry, be eager." (BDAG, σπεύδω)

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (MCEDONTW) states that "σπεύδω" can mean to be eager for the arrival of, reflecting an attitude of eager anticipation.

"σπεύδω speudō 6× trans. to urge on, impel, quicken; to quicken in idea, to be eager for the arrival of, 2 Pet. 3:12." (MCEDONTW, σπεύδω)

Human Effort

William MacDonald mentions the view that believers' lives of devoted service might hasten the coming of the day of God but also notes the difficulties in this teaching, indicating some reservation.

"Believers should also be expectant. They should wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. Some use the words ‘hastening the coming of the day of God’ to teach that we can hurry up the coming of the Lord by lives of devoted, unflagging service. But there are two difficulties in this teaching. First of all, the Day of God is not the coming of the Lord. Secondly, even if it were, there is real reason to question whether the time of Christ’s coming can be altered by the zeal of His people." (MacDonald, p. 2303)

Osborne also discusses the aspect of human effort in hastening the day through godly living and mentions Jewish and Christian texts that support this view.

"More unusual is Peter’s further statement that we are to hurry the Parousia along, which comes from the Greek speudō [TG4692, ZG5067], meaning to ‘hasten’ or ‘speed’ the occurrence of an event. The verb also connotes the idea of ‘striving’ or exercising ‘great effort’ to make something happen, perhaps even ‘eagerly waiting’ for it to take place (as in NIV mg)." (Osborne, pp. 343–344)

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (NIDNTTE) indicates that "σπεύδω" implies striving or exercising great effort to make something happen, relating to the active role of believers.

"The word group expresses first of all quick movement in the interests of a person or cause, but hurrying to do something usually reflects eagerness, and so early on the terms suggest what we might call ‘inner movement’ or a strong desire and exertion in carrying out a matter." (NIDNTTE, σπεύδω)

Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ) mentions "σπεύδω" in the sense of promoting or furthering zealously, which can imply human effort in hastening the event.

"σπεύδω, Ep. inf. σπευδέμεν Od.24.324: fut. σπεύσω A.Ag.601, E.Med.153 (lyr.), Ar.Eq.926, etc.; Cret. σπευσίω SIG527.42 (iii B.C.): aor. ἕσπευσα E.Supp.161, Pl.Cri.45c, etc.; Ep. σπεῦσα Od.9.250; subj. σπεύσομεν, for -ωμεν, Il.17.121: pf. ἔσπευκα Annuario 8/9.375 (Perga, ii B.C.), Paus.7.15.11:—Med., A.Ag.151 (lyr.): fut. σπεύσομαι Il.15.402:—Pass., pf. ἔσπευσμαι, Luc.Am.33, Gal.12.895." (LSJ, σπεύδω)

God’s Sovereign Determination

Osborne balances the idea of human effort with God's sovereign determination, indicating that while human actions are significant, they do not detract from God's ultimate control over the timing of the end.

"As Bauckham (1983:325) asserts, ‘This does not detract from God’s sovereignty in determining the time of the End … but only means that his sovereign determination graciously takes human affairs into account.’" (Osborne, pp. 343–344)

Conclusion

The term "hasten" in 2 Peter 3:12 carries rich and varied meanings that influence how we view our role in God's plan. Whether understood as actively speeding up Christ's return, eagerly anticipating the event, or striving through our efforts, each interpretation offers a unique perspective on how believers can live in expectation of the day of God. These insights remind us that our lives of holiness, prayer, and evangelism are significant, and they align with God's sovereign purposes. By examining these views, we gain a deeper appreciation for the dynamic relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, encouraging us to live faithfully and expectantly as we look forward to Christ's return.

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Bibliography

MacArthur, John F., Jr. 2 Peter and Jude. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2005.

Osborne, Grant R. "2 Peter." In Comfort, Philip W. (ed.) Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: James, 1–2 Peter, Jude, Revelation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011, pp. 343–344.

Gangel, Kenneth O. "2 Peter." In Walvoord, John F. and Zuck, Roy B. (eds.) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985, p. 877.

Lenski, R.C.H. The Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1966, p. 348.

MacDonald, William. Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. Edited by Arthur Farstad. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995, p. 2303.

Balz, Horst R., and Gerhard Schneider. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990–.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. 2nd ed. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Mounce, William D. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006.

Silva, Moisés (ed.). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014.

Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, and Henry Stuart Jones. A Greek-English Lexicon. 9th ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.