2 PETER – Chapter Two

Part FOUR

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

CHAPTER 2 – Beware of False Teachers

 

In the second chapter of 2 Peter we have seen so far that  Peter is wishing to protect fellow followers of Christ from false teachers who are in their midst. We learned in the last segment of this series that Christians at this time were not only living in a corrupt society, they were also surrounded by numerous false religions. The pagan Roman government ruled over them and not only demanded worship of Caesar but also other false deities. The corrupt Roman empire was filled with decadence and debauchery and the culture of the nations they ruled were as well. In order to encourage Christians to be diligent in their faith, Peter instructed them to avoid false teachers and to not be led astray by their false beliefs and teachings. He gave warnings and reminders for them to take to heart so that they could avoid being taken in by devilish doctrines. He also gave them encouragements to remember, that God is faithful and would protect them because of the promises He had made to rescue them from temptation. While chapter one spoke of moral corruption as a pressure on their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter two speaks of false deceptive teachings as a threat to the foundation of their faith.

 

As we progress through this second chapter, Peter continues in his righteous evaluation of these false teachers. He provides a vivid description of their corrupt nature, behavior and thinking so that these deceivers can be identified and avoided (2:10-19). Finally Peter condemns the false teachers and gives a vivid description of how their apostasy from truth has polluted their lives and led them back to their past sinful lives (2:20-22). We need these warnings of Peter for us today as the numbers and variety of false teachers has proliferated greatly. In verse 12 we see that Peter does not hold back any descriptive adjectives as he paints a picture of their unrighteous origins.

 

“12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,”

 

Peter describes the false teachers as “unreasoning animals” who are simple-minded “creatures of instinct.” He infers their fate is no better than that of wild animals who are captured and killed because of their wild unruly nature. They also criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner things they have no knowledge of, in other words, they have a disdain and disrespect for the ways of God and the lifestyle of His spiritual children, of which they have no personal knowledge or understanding. Rebelling against God, rejecting His Son’s sacrifice, having no relationship with the Holy Spirit and interpreting the Holy Word according to their sinful nature, they are hopelessly headed for judgment and destruction just as are the demonic angels and Satan.

 

“13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,”

 

Verse 13 tells us that while these sinful rebellious false teachers suffer consequences of their sins, they still count it an enjoyment and pleasure to commit willful sin in the daytime when most would choose the darkness of an alley or secluded hideaway. It infers that they are so corrupted by sin and pride that they have no reserve concerning where they practice their sinful acts. It illustrates and establishes that those who dedicate themselves to false doctrine and display a prideful and presumptuous approach to spiritual things, will eventually and eternally be punished for their transgressions.

 

Peter  goes on to describe these false teachers as stain and blemishes. Such illustrative descriptions reflect the obvious errors that mark their life. Their sinful minds and lustful hearts are not hidden from external view for their thoughts and desires are reflected in how they speak and behave outwardly as well as in the manner they treat others. They not only enjoy their deceptive talk, they revel in it and flaunt it as they seek conversation with followers of Christ. The picture one gets from these last few words of Peter is of a false teacher relaxing on a couch sharing their false doctrine with Christians in their home. Because they are so comfortable in the errors of their ways it can tempt such Christians to think, “Surely what they say must be true for they are so convinced that it is, and they sound so eloquent and intelligent as they share it.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We must always evaluate what is said by people and see if it aligns with the truth of God’s Word. We must also notice what is not said or left out. Those who promote falsehood serve their evil stew of doctrine with a dash of truth in their pot of lies as it is heated by their lust for pleasure and self promotion.

 

Jesus described such false prophets in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

 

Peter continues with his descriptive evaluation of these false teachers who are self-serving vagrants of life.

 

“14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;”

 

Peter describes these sinful individuals as having eyes full of adultery. In other words, every woman is a potential sexual conquest for them. They view women as objects to be used rather than human beings to be loved and respected. A good example of such a false teacher was David Berg, also known as Moses David who in the late 1970’s through the late 1980’s proposed an unprecedented corollary to the Law of Love: He contended that, in certain circumstances, it would be acceptable for a Christian to have sexual relations with someone in an effort to demonstrate a tangible manifestation of God’s Love, thereby helping them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This doctrine became known as “Flirty Fishing,” a term that David adapted from Jesus’ admonition to His disciples to “follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In other words this false teacher was asking men and women who followed him to become “religious prostitutes” in order to bring more people into his religious cult. This single example would very accurately illustrate the perverted motivations that can at times manifest itself in the lives of false teachers. It also demonstrates that the perversions and distorted doctrines of false teachers still remains and it will continue until Christ returns.

 

In summary Peter denounces the behavior and actions of these deceivers using five descriptive phrases;

 

1. “eyes full of adultery”…………………….. their corruption.

    

2. “that never cease from sin”……………. their addiction.

    

3. “enticing unstable souls”………………. their seduction.

    

4. “having a heart trained in greed”…… their sophistication.

    

5. “accursed children”……………………….. their damnation.

 

Peter goes on to describe that these false teachers seek to entice those weak in the faith to follow a path leading to sin in order that they become dedicated to the evil desires of the false teachers. These evil individuals possess hearts which are trained and disciplined in greed for selfish gain. They are a horrible unsightly, accursed blights and blemishes on the face of humanity as well as the local church for they have led people astray from the truth.

 

“15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”

 

Peter suggests in verse 15 that to some degree theses false teachers knew the “way of truth” at some point for they have forsaken it. This means they were at least aware of the truth of the gospel but did not want anything of it, or that they wished to twist its content to their own advantage and profit. Rather than walk the narrow path of God’s truth, they preferred to run off into the weeds of sin promoting themselves for profit and indulging themselves in all sorts of fleshy pursuits. Peter states they “followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor.” Balaam (Numbers 22-24, 31:1-16) was a prophet for hire who used his gifts to get rich. His greed for wealth was his undoing. If you remember God stopped his actions against the nation of Israel by using a simple donkey to speak words of warning to him. Here Peter is using this Old Testament character to describe the false teachers that are preaching lies and heresy for profit and selfish motives. The analogy is an excellent one, for these New Testament men are in their teaching ministry for the money as well as other sinful rewards much like Balaam was in his day. The “wages of unrighteousness” are the money, material possession, fame, influence, sexual experiences that these false teachers received as a result of their deceptive ministry of untruths. But these transient earthly rewards for deception and treachery are temporary. Balaam was eventually killed by the sons of Israel (Joshua 13:22). Thus we know the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

 

Warren Wiersbe says of verses 10 through 16 of chapter 2, “Peter has condemned three sins of the false teachers: their reviling, their reveling, and their revolting. All of these sins spring from pride and selfish desire. A true servant of God is humble and seeks to serve others. The true servant of God does not think about praise or pay, because he serves God from a loving and obedient heart…In short, the true servant of God patterns himself after Jesus Christ.”

 

Peter continues his descriptive criticism of the false teachers in the following verses.

 

“17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.”

 

Peter describes the false teachers as “springs without water.” A fresh spring should be pure, clear healthy water to satisfy a thirsty soul. Peter is telling us that these deceptive teachers appear at first to offer refreshing sustenance for a weary soul, but when you get close and examine their life and teaching it is nothing but a polluted well. When it comes to listening to a false teacher, in a sense, you can be spiritually mislead much like a traveler is by a mirage in the desert.

 

He also compares them to “mists driven by a storm.” Usually when storms come they bring torrents of rain to nourish crops, trees and plants and provide hydration of thirsty animals and people. But in the case of these selfish sinful teachers, they are all talk and no substance. When their rainstorm of knowledge and wisdom comes all you get is a slight mist you can barely notice. It evaporates in essence because it is worthless because there is no truth contained in it!

 

Lastly and most horribly, Peter tells us that though these shifty characters claim to be teachers of the Jesus and wish to lead others in the light of God’s Truth, they are in actuality destined for the black darkness of burning hell. Those who follow their lies will end up in the same place, “black darkness,” and separated from God! Peter continues his accurate depiction of the false teachers and the sinful methods they use to mislead any who listen to their lies and deceptions.

 

“18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,”

 

Here we see Peter describe more of the techniques and skills of the false teachers. They speak with boastful words that appear to have a ring of truth to them, but in essence are way off tune from the truth. Often such skilled speakers are so smooth with their speech they could charm the stripes off a Zebra. They are so vane and full of pride their confidence is overwhelming and causes a person listening to them to say to themselves, “Surely what they say must be true for they explain it so well and in such detail, with so much confidence.” This is the weapon of deceivers, to overwhelm the innocent with their slick words and confident attitude. It can be intimidating to challenge such people, but God’s Word stands against such dressed up lies. Attached to their arrogant words are fleshly desires full of sensuality. Do you see the two-prong approach of this deceitful attack? Like the forked tongue of a serpent they use their skilled verbal abilities to appeal to the intellect of their prey while also appealing to the lusts of the flesh of their victim. Their slick deceptive words seduce the hearts of those who innocently listen, while the content of their message tempts the sinful flesh that their prey is trying to resist. Once the mind is deceived and the fleshly lust is given a chance to grow in influence, a person finally gives their heart to the false teacher and his lies.

 

Bible Commentator John Phillips states regarding the “empty preaching” of these false teachers the following,

 

“…when they speak great swelling words of vanity…In reality, what they have to say is ‘high-sounding nonsense.’ But what imposing words they use! They are people ‘intoxicated by the exuberance of their own verbosity!’ But all they are doing is blowing verbal bubbles. What they say is sound without substance; their words are worthless because they are devoid of truth. Much of the world’s philosophy is like that. The propositions may be logically arranged and clothed in an eloquent style, but if they discount the Bible, then they are worthless.”

 

Peter goes on to mention that these poor souls who have fallen hook, line and sinker for the false teaching have no idea that the false teachers they listen to are trapped in sin and debauchery themselves.

 

“19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

 

Peter continues to expose the sinful and twisted character of the false teachers. He states they proclaim to offer freedom in their teaching, but they themselves are enslaved to sin. Very likely these false teachers were promoting a lifestyle the Apostle Paul was speaking against in Romans. Men were teaching that since God’s grace is greater than any sin we might commit, why not sin as much as you can to show how great the grace of God is. Paul responds to this heresy in Romans 6:1-2 where he says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Paul is saying that the twisted sinful reasoning of false teachers is demonic and evil. We should never even consider such a perverted logic as this! It spits in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ and degrades His sacrifice on the cross. We are called as followers of Christ to live holy and pure and live by the grace granted to us through the death of Christ for our sins.

 

Peter adds the wise and truthful statement “by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” We all battle sinful temptations, but when we begin to compromise what we know is true and allow our Christian ethics to erode we step into a precarious position. We are placing ourselves in danger of being overwhelmed by the fleshly nature we are called to deny by the power of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of God’s Word. Peter does not tell us exactly whether these false teachers are pagans who have no real interest in God or whether they are weak Christians who have fallen for the lies of Satan. It is very likely it is the former. Whatever the case, they have become overwhelmed by their own sinful tendencies and are thus totally enslaved by them. Now they desire to pull others into their pit of sin. You’ve heard it said, “Misery loves company.” Well sin loves company as well. Satan and his demons desire to breed sin in the lives of people. They know that sin, like a virus, can spread from person to person as it feeds the sin nature in people.

 

“20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”

 

We see in this verse that these false teachers have some knowledge of the Truth of the Bible and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they have ultimately rejected the truth and have returned to their life of sin. They have tasted the truth, but have not digested it. They have sipped the communion cup, but have not accepted its true symbolism of the salvation offered by Christ. They have entertained the grace and mercy offered by God but in the last analysis they have rejected it veracity and have failed to apply it to their lives. They have escaped the pollution of the world on the outside in behavior, but their internal spiritual condition is still corrupt. Corruption internally is much deeper than defilement on the outside.

 

H. Jowett describes “defilements of the world” as “an infection, and propagates itself like a foul contagion. It is a significant and suggestive thing that the word which our version translates by “defilements” is our English word “miasma.” And what is a miasma? Medical science has a synonym for the word which gives us much enlightenment. “Aerial poison!” A miasma is an aerial poison, an emanation or effluvia rising from the ground and floating in the air. “The miasma of the world.” It is a pervasive as an aerial poison, it distributes itself like a destructive contagion. Let an unclean miasma, some foul immorality, infest one lad in a public school, and the school will seek its own security by his immediate expulsion. One infected lad can infect a thousand.”

 

It is very likely that some of those who became false teachers were once very close to actually accepting Christ as their personal Savior. People who are attracted to the Gospel of Christ and drawing close to making a commitment are especially vulnerable to the deceptive doctrines that are so attractive to the sin nature within all of us. Such twisted false teaching if they are contemplated and entertained for consideration can cause a decay on the inside of one’s heart, mind and soul. This can cause a potential convert of the gospel to turn away from making a commitment for Christ. Thus those who listen to twisted false truths return to the life of sin they were attempting to leave. Once they are completely overcome with polluted truth they are worse off than they were before. Their hearts become callous and hardened to the Truth contained in scripture and they turn a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Paul’s statement in Ephesians 4:17-24 covers this issue well as he instructs followers of Christ to remain faithful to the Holy Word;

 

“So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

 

Peter is saying in verse 20 that it is better to be ignorant of the truth, than to know the truth and rebel. God has mercy and grace available for those who are ignorant in their sin. But for those who know the truth and purposely reject it, the only course left for them is to come under the wrath and judgment of God. Peter guides us to some horrible truths here. When someone is ignorant of the Truth it is easier for them to come to the Lord, but when they know about the truth and have rejected it, it is almost impossible they will change their mind. It is also true that those who have some knowledge of the Truth of God and have rejected it can have a strong influence over others through their deceptive and distorted mindset. We see that the judgment and degree of punishment for those have known the Truth and rejected it will be more harsh and comprehensive that for those who are ignorant of the Truth. Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 41-48 discusses this as well.

 

In the next few verses Peter uses very graphic terms to describe the behavior of these false teachers.

 

“21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

 

Here Peter is referencing a passage in Proverbs 26:11, “Like a dog that returns to its vomit, is a fool who repeats his folly.” He is also calling us to remember verse 12 in this chapter where he calls the false teachers “unreasoning animals.” The analogy, though graphic’ is very appropriate. Dogs who have an upset stomach from eating something putrid will vomit up this refuse to remove it from their body. But often, due to their animal nature will return to eat it again. This shows their ignorance and animalistic nature. Such is someone, who having become mentally aware of their sin renounce it, but actually never really accepting the Truth of God fully, return to their life of sin and are now in a worse situation. Apostate false teachers will feed upon filth and strive to tempt others with such putrid doctrines and beliefs. The same applies to Peter’s analogy of the sow or pig. You can clean a sow outwardly, but they will always do what they wish by their nature. They will return to the pig pen and wallow in the mud. A piggish heretic has no regard for the ordinary restraints of society. He or she wallows in the muck and the mire of the evil life because they love to do so. Such is the case with those who outwardly appear to accept Christ, but inwardly remain a sinner and rebellious to the precepts of God in His Word and who reject the salvation His Son provides. Warren Wiersbe states regarding this behavior of these false teachers; “They have an “experience” and perhaps look better (like the sow) and feel better (like the dog), but they have not been made better as ‘partakers of the divine nature.’”

 

When you hear the description Peter paints of these false teachers, you might ask; How can we know whom to ignore, whom to shun, whom to believe and whom to trust?

 

Charles Swindoll suggests we develop Godly discernment.

 

“Discernment according to Charles Swindoll is, “the skill and accuracy in reading character and the ability to detect and identify the real truth, to see beneath the surface, to read between the lines, and to sense by intuition that something is not right. Hebrews 5:14 calls discernment a mark of maturity. It gives a person the proper frame of reference, a definite line of separating good and evil. It acts as an umpire in life and blows the whistle on the spurious. It’s as particular as a pathologist peering into a microscope. Discernment doesn’t fall for fakes, flirt with phonies, dance with deceivers, or kiss counterfeits goodnight. In fact, discernment would rather relax alone at night with the Good Book than mess around with the gullible gang. The reason? Because it’s from that Book that discernment learns to distinguish the fools from the children…and the sleeping from the wise.”

 

When in doubt;

 

Pray

(James 1:5)

 

Study the Word

(Psalms 119:98-100)

 

Go to those who are wise and receive encouragement

(1 Thessalonians 5:11-14, Hebrews 3:13-14)