Peter’s final words before martyrdom hold a powerful truth about salvation today.

The apostle Paul was uniquely given the full counsel of God—and that’s why he could teach it (Acts 20:27; Ephesians 3:1–11). Unlike Peter, the Eleven, or any Jewish writer before him, it was Paul alone who received the complete revelation of God’s grace, particularly concerning salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ apart from the Law. All mankind will be judged by “Paul’s Gospel”:

‘in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.’ Romans 2:16

In fact, the apostle Peter—just before his martyrdom—urged his fellow Jews and all mankind that when it comes to matters of salvation, they must turn to our beloved brother, the apostle Paul.  These final Holy Spirit-inspired words are incredibly revealing:

“…Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things [What things? Salvation!], in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”
—2 Peter 3:15–16

🔥 Let This Sink In

Peter—writing his final words before being martyred—does not point people to:

• The Sermon on the Mount
• His own messages from Pentecost
• Christ’s earthly ministry
• The temple in Jerusalem
• Any Jewish law or tradition or ritual

He points them directly to Paul.

Why? Because Paul alone had been entrusted with the gospel of salvation for this age—revealed to him by the risen, glorified Christ (Galatians 1:11–12; Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:1–9; 1 Timothy 1:11).

🧱 Not an Attack on the Rest of the Bible

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about “Paul vs. the rest of the Bible.” Every word from Genesis to Revelation is inspired and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). We are to study all of Scripture (Romans 15:4).

But Peter’s words are crystal clear and most of Christendom ignores it: if you want to understand salvation today, you must go to Paul’s epistles. And if you twist Paul’s gospel—if you try to blend it with the Law or kingdom doctrine—it leads to destruction.

“…Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things [What things? Salvation!], in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”
—2 Peter 3:15–16

📜 What Happened at the Jerusalem Council?

To understand why Peter lifted up Paul, we must go back to Acts 15. Seventeen years before Peter wrote his final epistle, the early church faced a crisis: Could Gentiles be saved apart from the Law?

Paul, by the ascended Lord Jesus instructions, went to Jerusalem and laid it all out: Justification is by grace through faith, not works of the Law. Scripture makes it clear that Paul had new revelations that Peter, James and John knew nothing about, yet 95% deny this Scriptural fact. 

‘But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.’

—Galatians 2:6

‘But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),’

—Galatians 2:7-8

‘and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ‘

—Galatians 2:9

Peter remembering what happened many years earlier stood up and agreed:

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
—Acts 15:11

No arguments. No debate. Just affirmation. But that wasn’t the end of the struggle…

 📢Paul Confronts Peter

Not long after the council, Peter began to distance himself from Gentile believers—fearing criticism from the Judaizers. So Paul, led by the Spirit, publicly rebuked him:

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all…”
—Galatians 2:14

This wasn’t about personalities—it was about preserving the purity of the gospel of grace.

🕊 Peter’s Final Clarity

Fast forward nearly two decades.

Peter, filled with the Spirit, writes his final letter. He knows his time is short. And what does he leave believers with?

“…as also in all [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things…” (2 Peter 3:16)

He doesn’t tell his readers to go back to the his 2 great sermons in Acts 2 and 3. He doesn’t point them to the Law or Christ’s earthly ministry.

He says: read Paul. Understand Paul. Don’t twist Paul.

Because Paul received something entirely new from the ascended Lord Jesus—the mystery of the gospel of grace, the calling out of the Body of Christ, and the eternal purpose of God now revealed to all mankind Jew and Gentile.

So yes, read the whole Bible. Study it diligently. Treasure every word (Romans 15:4). 

But when it comes to things concerning salvation, follow Peter’s own Spirit-inspired advice:

👉 Go to Paul.