What Manner of Person

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (2 Peter 3:11)

The impermanence of this world is an oft repeated truth in the pages of Scripture. Jesus cautioned against storing “up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal” (Matthew 6:19). The impermanence of the material things we treasure in this world is clearly demonstrated on a daily basis. Clothes that are stylish one season are “retro” then next. Even the most expensive cars are destroyed in a matter of seconds due to a careless maneuver on the highway. A newly built house can be burned to the ground or decimated by a storm.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world … the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15, 17). “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).

Considering the impermanence of this world, “what manner of persons ought ye to be?” Peter tells us that we need to have a “holy conversation.” To be holy means to be set apart especially for the service of God. “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The King James word “conversation” translates the Greek anastrophe which means behavior or one’s manner of life. Knowing, therefore, that nothing of this world will last, everything in this world will be dissolved by fire, and that our treasure should be stored up in heaven, our lives should be lived in dedication to our Lord.