The created universe is like a canvas upon which God has displayed His power and authority. In the beginning, it was by the word of God that the heavens and the earth came into being. The declaration here in 2 Peter about that creation is in line with everything the Scriptures ever say on the subject: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made … He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:6, 9).

But an interesting distinction is made in this passage between “the world that then existed” and “the heavens and the earth which are now.” The created world of Genesis 1—the world that was, as we could say—perished in the flood of Noah’s day. Now we live in a different world, one we might call the world that is. Changes have evidently come upon the natural world since the flood, and perhaps we cannot even discover them all. Yet something remains the same: God’s declarative word is still the power which actively preserves the heavens and the earth. In one sense it is a silent word, yet it may be loudly heard through the world’s orderly function.

But this world, too, is only temporary. Although the ungodly seem to flourish, God will usher in the world to come (cf. Eph. 1:21; Heb. 2:5). God’s power will again be on display—but then through Christ Himself, the Word of God in person (Rev. 19:13). Ultimately, as Peter writes, an entirely new creation will be formed, as God has promised (2 Pet. 3:13). In that knowledge, what a privilege we already have to give Christ and His word the place of authority in our hearts today.