The Day of God is at hand. As such, Peter probes us with a provoking question: what kind of people are we going to be? We are given three charges as saints awaiting the day of God. First, cultivate Christian character. Second, engage in patient action. Third, eagerly await the new heavens and the new earth. This passage serves as a summary of what Peter has been driving at in the book. It flies in the face of false teachers on a number of levels, promoting a proper Christian attitude toward holiness, judgment, and hope.