A common misinterpretation twists the phrase 'not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance' to support universalism, claiming God desires and will ensure everyone's salvation regardless of personal faith or response to the gospel, ignoring the broader biblical context of human responsibility, divine sovereignty in election, and the reality of judgment for the unrepentant, as well as the epistle's focus on scoffers and false teachers who face condemnation.
II Peter 3:9
King James Version (1769)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
This passage reveals God's patient character, emphasizing that He is not slow or negligent in fulfilling His promise of Christ's return, as some perceive, but rather demonstrates longsuffering mercy toward humanity, desiring that all people repent and avoid eternal destruction rather than perish immediately in judgment, providing ample time for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.