Lesson 5 – 2 Peter Chapter 2:1-2
As we move ahead to chapter 2 of 2 Peter, let’s remember the pearls of wisdom we gained from chapter 1. Peter has a genuine concern for each believer’s personal growth, as should any pastor or teacher.
Peter’s mind-set toward the believers reminds me of the same compassion Jesus had in His heart for all of Israel.
Luke 13:34
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” (NLT)
Just as Jesus longed to protect His chosen ones, Peter has the same feelings for the believers under his care, wanting them to have a desire for the deep things of God and for them to continually grow in Christlikeness.
To guide us on this path, Peter gives us eight virtues to grow in: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, brotherly kindness, and agape love.
2 Pet. 1:10b
“…for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”
Peter also made the case that he was an eyewitness to Jesus and His ministry… he saw Jesus glorified on Mt. Hermon.
Finally in chapter 1, Peter reaffirms for us that God’s Word is reliable, that all Scripture is inspired by God, and all that was written down for us was not the personal thoughts of men, but words given from the Holy Spirit. The Bible can be trusted.
2 Peter 1:1
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
The best way to defeat your enemy is to know your enemy. With this in mind, we’re going to take a close looker at false teachers with the help of the apostle Peter.
Sun Tzu (Sun Zoo) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived from 771 to 256 BC. He said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
As Christians, we not only need to battle our own flesh, we also need to battle against false teachers, who, whether they realize it or not, are waging war against God and His Word.
Remember in 1 Peter (5:8) Peter warned us that satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. One of the ways to devour Christians is to give them wrong teaching.
Here are eight bullet points about false teachers:
• False teaching preys on the spiritually immature.
• False teaching can be the product of distorted interpretations of Scripture by those not firmly established in the truth.
• False teaching grows out of ungodly ambition, ignorance, and conceit.
• False teaching sometimes stems from a desire for material gain.
• False teaching can result from and lead to inappropriate sensuality and sexual immorality.
• False teaching is sometimes attributed to demonic deception.
• False teachers seek to divide the body of Christ.
• False teaching can come from apostates and deviant teachers within the church.
In verse 1, we see another big “but” in the Bible. When Peter uses the word but, he is putting forward a “contrasting transition,” meaning, he just got done telling us how Scripture is reliable and inspired by God, and now we come across satan’s counterfeit, the false prophets and false teachers.
Peter says, But false prophets also arose among the people…
This should come as no surprise to us that satan would attack Jesus’ church with counterfeit teaching and doctrines. As usual, he’s doing what he can “to throw a stick in the spokes” which is an idiomatic expression. It means to disrupt, foil, or cause problems for someone’s plan, activity, or project.
When Jesus was crucified on the cross, satan was dancing in the streets, he thought he had finally won his battle against God. That all changed on the third day when Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus not only defeated sin and death, but He crushed satan’s head as well.
One thing is sure, satan will never stop doing all that he can to stop people from giving their lives to Christ, and to derail Christians from having a vibrant relationship with God. Satan’s goal is to make sure false truth is being spread, making its way into the church and throughout the world.
Jesus gives us a warning;
Matt. 7:15-20
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
What do false teachers or prophets do? They spread misinformation. It can have varying degrees of impact, but one significant consequence is that it can lead to decreased trust. Many times it gives people the perfect excuse not to trust God or belong to a Bible believing church.
How many times have you read where Jesus said to the Pharisees, “But woe to you Pharisees.” The Pharisees were giving the people man-made doctrines, while making themselves rich at the same time… surely satan had a grip on them.
2 Tim. 4:2-4 [Paul preached against false teachers]
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
Tickling ears is what false teachers do best. A false teacher also stays away from preaching about sin and how to avoid it.
Another warning from Jesus; he predicted that in the last days the church would have to endure a variety of false teachers.
Matt. 24:4-5
“And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”
There will also be false teachers among you…
The door is wide open for false teachers when churches begin to embrace worldly cultures around them. We’ve seen a big up-tick in this with the covid virus, and the “woke” culture, weaving its way into weak churches, the ones who are more concerned about weekly income rather than teaching the truth of God’s Word.
Satan’s counterfeits with their insidious activities are ever present. God-centered worship and preaching is replaced by man-centered antics and entertainment.
From “The Christian Post Reporter”
A church in upstate New York marked LGBT pride month by hosting a pair of drag queens at a worship service. The Park Church in Elmira hosted a “Worship is a Drag” event Sunday, the first Sunday of the month recognized by LGBT activists as “pride month.” The church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, described the event as a “special communion worship service with guest presenters in drag. Led by the church’s pastor, Rev. J. Gary Brinn, the service was held to “celebrate Pentecost, kick-off LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and come to Christ’s Table of Love.”
I guess they were entertained… I know satan was.
John MacArthur, “The warning from Scripture is clear: false teachers will arise in the church. In fact, the church is one of satan’s primary spheres of operation. For that reason, the true shepherd must continually be on guard… constantly studying, proclaiming, and defending the truth… Titus 1:9b “So that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
Who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…
False teachers have their own agenda, and they’re never honest about what they’re doing. If they were straightforward in their actions, the church would never accept them.
They do these things secretly Peter says… it means to introduce or bring in secretly or to do it craftily.
Jude 1:4a
“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed,”
These false teachers “creep” into churches… it means “to slip in without being seen,” or “to sneak in under false pretenses.” I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this has intergraded easily within our society as well.
“It’s on the internet so it must be true” …NOT.
Introduce destructive heresies… what an ominous phrase. This literally says, “heresies of destruction.”
The term “heresies” refers to teachings or beliefs that deviate from orthodox Christian doctrine, we can call it a self-willed opinion. These heresies can lead people away from the truth and endanger their spiritual well-being. This accurate translation of “heresies of destruction,” is emphasizing their harmful impact on the soul.
This is destructive… the context of this term indicates that the exploits of these people have disastrous eternal consequences, for them and their followers. The Greek word is apōleia, which means the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell. This is the damnation that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”
How can we defend ourselves against this?
1 John 4:1-6
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
So we must test everything, as Paul teaches… be a Berean. The Bereans examined what they heard by comparing it to the Old Testament Scriptures, but for us, we have the whole counsel of God, we have the New and Old Testaments.
Peter was feeding the sheep just as Jesus asked him to do. The moment God’s truth and salvation were introduced, then came false doctrine… these false teachers we’re talking about, and smuggled in false doctrines.
Even denying the Master who bought them…
The way Peter uses the word “even” suggests that what the false teachers were doing was unthinkable, having the arrogance and pride to deny the Master… these guys were rejecting God’s authority. Dangerous to say the least!
Back to Jude 4 (NLT)
“I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
To deny Jesus is indeed the ultimate sacrilege. These false teachers might not come right out and say they deny Jesus’ deity, atonement, resurrection, or His second coming, but deep down in their hearts they never truly surrendered to Christ… and that has eternal consequences.
Psalm 14:1
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”
The word used for “fool” is the Hebrew word “nabal”, which means fading, dying, or falling away. This verse suggests that everyone who denies the existence of God is in such a state. This verse also suggests that those who deny the existence of God are corrupt and have done abominable works.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when you take the true work of the Holy Spirit and you speak evil of it, attributing His work to the devil. Denying God can also mean not accepting Jesus Christ as the only way into Heaven, living a sinful or worldly lifestyle, being ashamed of the Gospel, or saying the Bible is fake… this describes the false teacher perfectly.
To go even further into the phrase the Master who bought them… we must consider the word “bought.” Many take the Master who bought them to mean that Christ actually has purchased redemption in full for all people, even the false teachers. This school of thought says that Jesus died to pay the full penalty for “everyone’s sins,” whether they believe in Him or not. This popular line of thinking is that God loves everyone, wants everyone saved, so Christ died for everyone. Do you see the problem here?
Bible commentary says, “This perspective says that the Lord Jesus Christ died to make salvation possible, not actual. He did not absolutely purchase salvation for anyone. He only removed a barrier for everyone, which merely makes salvation potential. The sinner ultimately determines the nature of the atonement and its application by what “he” does. According to this perspective, when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” it really should be rendered, “It is stated.”
Salvation is solely from God, it’s important we understand this.
Psalm 3:8
“Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”
Who did Jesus die for? Jesus died for all who would believe because they were chosen, called, justified, and granted repentance and faith by the Father. We’re saved by God’s grace, not by our goodness or performance.
Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works.”
We didn’t do anything to deserve or earn God’s grace, yet He still chose to save us.
The point is, the idea of unlimited atonement gives all power to man, when in fact, only God can set the atonement’s limits, which extend to every believing sinner without discrepancy.
Lamentations 3:26
“So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”
The application of this… our Lord’s atonement is limited to those who believe, but when it comes to effectiveness, Jesus’ death is sufficient for the whole world.
1 Tim. 2:5-6
“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity… the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.” (NLT)
Jesus purchased even those who reject Him and deny Him! This makes their condemnation even greater.
The false teacher’s actions have consequences. They are better known for what they deny than what they affirm. It must be made clear that these false teachers are unsaved.
In Scripture they’re compared to dogs and pigs, and not to sheep.
Bringing swift destruction upon themselves…
Everyone who rejects the Lordship of Jesus Christ will fall into swift destruction if they do not repent of their rebellion. Swift obviously means “quick” or “imminent.” Destruction refers to “inferno” or “eternal damnation.”
Hebrews 10:29
“Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.” (NLT)
Swift destruction is coming when they die, or at Christ’s return… ether way, it’s coming for them.
2 Peter 2:2
“Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”
“Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.” (NLT)
Let’s go back to Matt. 7:13b:
“For the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”
Many more people follow the wide road that leads to destruction, than those who don’t. It’s a sad state of affairs to be sure. When we think of destruction in terms of an “eternal inferno,” it gives us an increased urgency to spread the gospel to those around us. Jesus said that many are on this path.
The fact that “few” find God’s narrow path that leads to His heavenly kingdom, implies that it should be sought after diligently.
Jermiah 29:12-14a:
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord,”
Listen, no one has ever stumbled into the kingdom or wandered through the narrow gate by accident, it takes a conscious, purposeful, and intense effort.
Luke 13:23-30:
“And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; Depart from Me, all you evil doers.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
It’s the false teachers who will be crying out; ‘Lord, open up to us!’
We see by Jesus’ teaching at “the Sermon on the Mount,” God’s kingdom is for those who come to Him in poverty of spirit, mourning over their sin, and hungering and thirsting for His righteousness.
The many on the wide path want a cheap and easy way (following their sensuality) to get into heaven while continuing to live their own selfish and worldly lives on earth.
Sensuality… is a strong word it means habitual unbridled lust, excess, recklessness, carnality, depravity, outrageousness, shamelessness, and disrespect.
Peter characterizes these false teachers with descriptive language, pointing out their sexual lewdness came in many forms and went to extremes.
Matt. 23:28:
“So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
When it came to their fleshly desires, it was “no holds barred,” meaning without any restrictions or limitations. It describes situations where there are no rules or constraints… all for their pleasures. Their decadent behavior can be seen in Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
We can simply say, these teachers who claim to be God’s spokesman, but insist on living a life characterized by corruption, lust, and immorality, prove that they are nothing but a fraud.
And because of them the way of the truth will be maligned…
The way of the truth refers to the teaching of right doctrine, and giving an accurate proclamation of the gospel. False teachers do just the opposite.
Acts 18:24-28:
“Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”
We would do well to follow the example of Apollos, but because of these false teachers and the destruction they were leaving in their path, the way of the truth has often been criticized in the eyes of the world.
Richard Charles Henry Lenski was a German-born American-naturalized Lutheran pastor, scholar, and author. He writes: “True Christianity is blasphemed, reviled, cursed, condemned by outsiders who see professed Christians running to all manner of excesses. “If that is Christianity,” they will say, “curse it!” When many follow such excesses, outsiders are unable to distinguish and so blaspheme the whole “way.” These false exponents seem true products of the “way” to them.”
When Lenski refers to “professed Christians,” they can be identified as those who received false teaching, or make-believers… Many will follow their sensuality. This serves as a good reminder to all believers, to always be a good witness for Christ wherever they might find themselves.
Maligned… literally means “blasphemed,” “slandered,” or has “defamed” the gospel.
Bible commentary says: “Of course, false teachers’ method of operation is consistent with satan’s mission. On one hand, he seeks to undermine the church from the inside, by introducing deceptive heresies and false doctrines. On the other hand, he seeks to tarnish the church’s reputation from the outside, by periodically unmasking false teachers before a watching world. When unbelievers associate the conduct of false teachers with the practice of the true church, the name of Christ is inevitably defamed.”
Practically speaking, if we as believers are going to counter what satan is doing, it is up to us to live out our Christian life in a genuine way. We do this by living righteously, showing that the transforming power of Jesus Christ is indeed believable to an unbelieving world.
Paul understood this and he preached it…
Phil 2:15-16
“So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”
Tonight, we’ve effectively uncovered the hidden dangers when it comes to false teachers. We know that they are satan’s tools he uses and easily tosses away. It’s all evil, and it’s all geared toward destroying the church and God’s kingdom… but we know who wins in the end!
Our responsibility is to walk the walk, and to make sure our focus is on the narrow gate… stay the course, and continue to run the race set before us.