Rescued
Will God rescue us from our sins?
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones. - 2 Peter 2:1-10
If Peter is trying to scare us into believing that God will punish us, he is doing a good job.
He reminds us that God has been selective in His forgiveness, coming down hard on the angels and the ancient world, but saving a few who chose to remain godly, even if they didn't always obey Him.
So, there is compassion and salvation along with the punishment.
How can we tell which He will offer to us?
The good news is He sent His son to offer salvation to all who chose to follow Him, and that should be enough, but I think we shouldn't get too comfortable.
If we want to enjoy this life, and be confident in the one after this, perhaps the best thing to do is follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit who can show us how to live.
As Jesus showed us by His example, we should offer ourselves in service of others through our love.
That will make this life much better for us all.
More to come...