5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
Here Peter points out the flaw in their thinking—that all things in nature continues as it has from the beginning of creation (v.4) by an evolutionary process. He points out two explosive events in world history that were nothing like what they were suggesting.
1. That the world was created instantaneously (and perhaps explosively) by God’s voice in 6 days.
2. That the world was later destroy (because of man’s sin) quickly and destructively by water.
Again, these events came to the earth not by any long evolutionary process, but suddenly by the word of God. And in this same way He will come and bring His judgment.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
In this passage, Peter proceeds to explain the judgment of God “from long ago.” He gives us three examples of His judgment, and in the last two, He also tells how He spared the righteous from His judgment.
1. God casted sinful angels into hell (Gen. 6:1, 2; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19). This place of judgment, apparently, is a temporary holding place (of torment) until they will be cast forever into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
2. The ancient world refers to those who lived before the flood. They all, except for Noah and his family, were thoroughly wicked— “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). God’s judgment on them was a world-wide flood that blotted out all life except for Noah and seven others (his family), and the animals (two of every kind, 6:19), which were saved in the ark.
3. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They all, except Lot and his two daughters, were destroyed by fire because of their extreme sensual ungodliness. Lot was also saved from being constantly oppressed by his unrighteous neighbors.
These examples of God’s judgment were given in order to show how God judged some of the worst sinners and how He saved the innocent. And He is still in the business of bringing the guilty to judgment and rescuing the innocent, godly ones out of judgment. Thus, as Peter wrote, He knows how to rescue the godly and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?
The Christian is certainly judged for all that he does through suffering to make him stronger and pure, but God will not bring condemnation on him; for there is no condemnation on those in Christ (Rom. 8:1). But to those who do not obey the gospel, the “wrath of God abides on him” (Jn. 3:36).
As for verse 18, that the righteous are saved with difficulty, I think this is referring to all of the Christian’s efforts that will never be good enough. Yet he will be saved only by the grace of God through the righteousness of Christ.
Going on in verse 18, if none of the believer’s works are good enough, the godless man will most certainly not be saved; for if he does not believe in Christ, His grace and His blood will not cover his sins.
Stephen Nielsen 