CHARACTERISTICS OF APOSTATES

Peter was not yet finished with the apostates! Unlike some believers

making into the churches. He knew that their approach was subtle, but their teachings were fatal, and he wanted to warn the churches about them.

Remember, however, that Peter opened this letter with positive teaching about salvation, Christian growth, and the dependability of the Word of God. He had a balanced ministry, and we must maintain that balance today. When Charles Spurgeon started his magazine, he named it The Sword and Trowel, alluding to the workers in the book of Nehemiah who kept their swords in one hand and their tools in the other as they were repairing the walls of Jerusalem.

Some people have a purely negative ministry and never build anything.

They are too busy fighting the enemy! Others claim to be "positive," but they never defend what they have built. Peter knew that it was not enough to attack the apostates; he also had to give solid teachings to the church believers.

Peter condemned the apostates for three specific sins in this section of his letter.

1. THEIR REVILING (2:10-12)

The picture here is of proud people who try to build themselves up while they try to tear down everybody else. They show no respect for authority and are unafraid to attack and defame people in high positions.

God has established authority in this world, and when we resist authority, we are resisting God (Rom. 13:1f). Parents are to have authority over their children (Eph. 6:1-4) and employers over their employees (Eph. 6:5-8).

As citizens, we Christians should pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4), show respect to them (1 Peter 2:11-17), and seek to glorify God in our behavior. As members of a local assembly, we should honor those who have spiritual rule over us and seek to encourage them in their ministries (Heb. 13:7, 17; 1 Peter S:l-6).

Human government is, in one sense, God's gift to help maintain order in the world, so that the church may minister the Word and win the lost to Christ (1 Tim. 2:1-8). We should pray daily for those in authority so that they might exercise that authority in the will of God. It is a serious thing for a Christian to oppose the law, and he must be sure he is in the will of God when he does it. He should also do it in a manner that glorifies Christ, so that innocent people (including unsaved government employees) might not be made to suffer.

The reason for their reviling (v. 10).

One word gives the reason: flesh. The depraved nature of man does not want to submit to any authority. "Do your own thing!" is its insistent message, and many people follow it. In recent years, there has been an epidemic of books that encourage people to succeed at any cost, even to the extent of hurting or intimidating others. The important thing, according to these books, is to take care of yourself--number one--and use other people as tools to achieve your own selfish goals.

Man's fallen nature encourages pride. When the ego is at stake, these Their attitude is completely opposite that of our Lord, who willingly emptied Himself to become a servant and then died as a sacrifice for our sins (see Phil. 2). These men Peter described were presumptuous, which means they were "very daring and bold" in the way they spoke about chose in positions of dignity. There is a heroic boldness, but there is also a boldness that is satanic.

These men were also self-willed, which means they "lived to please only themselves." They were arrogant and would even defy God to get what they wanted! Proverbs 21:24 describes them perfectly. While outwardly, they appeared to serve God and minister to the people, inwardly, they fed their own egos and feathered their own nests.

In their arrogance, "they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities (glorious ones):" While the immediate reference is probably to "exalted ones" in places of authority, the angels may also be in view here since in the next verse Peter referred to the angels. These apostates revile even the angels! And they do not even tremble when they do it! They are so secure in their pride that they even dare God to judge them.

The seriousness of their reviling (v. 11). The angels are reviled by the apostates, but the apostates are not reviled by the angels! Even the angels, though greater in strength and power, will not intrude into a sphere that is not theirs. The angels remember the rebellion of Lucifer and know how serious it is to revolt against God's authority. If God judged the rebellious angels, how much more will He judge rebellious men!

The suggestion is that the godly angels do not speak against the fallen angels. They have left all judgment to the Lord. We will learn more about this when we study Jude, for he mentions this matter of the angels in Jude 8-9.

Speaking evil of others is a great sin, and the people of God must avoid it. We may not respect the people in office, but we must respect the office, for all authority is God-given. Those who revile government officials in the name of Christ ought to read and ponder Titus 3:1-2: "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men" (NASB).

When Daniel refused the king's food, he did it graciously, not getting his guard into trouble (Dan. 1). Even when the apostles refused to obey the Sanhedrin's order to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, they acted like gentlemen. They respected the authority, even though they disobeyed the order. When the flesh goes to work, pride enters in, and then we use our tongues as weapons instead of tools. "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good" (Ps. 36:3).

The judgment of their reviling (v. 12). Peter compared these false teachers to "unreasoning animals" (NASB) whose only destiny is to be slaughtered! At the end of this chapter, they are pictured as pigs and dogs!

Animals have life, but they live purely by instinct. They lack the finer sensibilities that humans possess. Jesus warned us not to waste precious things on unappreciative brute beasts (Matt. 7:6).

I once made a pastoral visit at a home where a death had occurred, and even before I made it up the stairs to the door, a huge dog began to bark and carry on as though I were there to rob everybody. I ignored his threats because I knew he was acting purely on instinct. He was making a lot of noise about something he knew nothing about! His master had to take him to the basement before I could enter the home and minister to the bereaved family.

So with these apostates, They make a lot of noise about things they know nothing about! The Phillips translation of 2 Peter 2:12 says they "scoff at things outside their own experience." The New International Version reads, "But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.

Whenever her pupils were noisy in class, one of my teachers used to say,

"Empty barrels make the most noise!" And so they do!

It is sad when the media concentrates on the "big mouths" of the false teachers instead of the "still small voice" of the Lord as He ministers through those who are faithful to Him. It is sadder still when innocent people become fascinated by these "great swelling words of vanity" (2 Peter 2:18) and cannot discern between truth and propaganda. The truth of the Word of God leads to salvation, but the arrogant words of the apostates lead only to condemnation.

These "brute beasts" are destined for destruction, a truth Peter mentioned often in 2 Peter 2 (vv. 3-4, 9, 12, 17, 20). As they seek to destroy the faith, they themselves shall be destroyed. They will be corrupted "in their own corruption." Their very nature will destroy them, just as the pig returns to the mire and the dog to its vomit (2 Peter 2:22).

Unfortunately, before that event occurs, these people can do much moral and spiritual damage.

2. THEIR REVELING (2:13-14A)

The words translated "riot" and "sporting" carry the meaning of "sensual reveling." They also contain the idea of luxury, softness, and extravagance.

The apostates enjoy luxurious living at the expense of those who support them (2 Peter 2:3). In our own society, some plead for funds for their "ministries," yet live in expensive houses, drive luxury cars, and wear costly clothes. When we remember that Jesus became poor in order to make us rich, their garish lifestyle seems out of step with New Testament Christianity.

Not only do they deceive others, but they even deceive themselves!

They can "prove" from the Bible that their lifestyle is right. In ancient times, it was expected that people would revel at night, but these people dared to revel in the daytime, so convinced were they of their practices. A person can become so accustomed to his vices that he sees them as virtues.

If they kept their way of life out of the church, we would not have to be as concerned- but they are a part of the fellowship! They were even sharing the celebration of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:20-34). It was a time when the poorer believers could enjoy a decent meal because of the generosity of the Christians who were better off economically. But the apostates only used the "love feast" to display their wealth and impress ignorant people who lacked discernment.

Instead of bringing blessing to the fellowship, these false teachers were "spots" and "blemishes" that defiled the assembly. Somehow their behavior at the feasts defiled others and brought disgrace to the name of the Lord.

It is the Word of God that helps to remove the spots and blemishes (Eph 5:27), but these teachers do not minister the truth of the Word. They twist

Scripture to make it say what they want it to say (2 Peter 3:16).

This "unconscious defilement" is a deadly thing. The Pharisees were also guilty of it (Matt. 23:25-28). False doctrine inevitably leads to false living, which encourages false doctrine. The apostate must "adjust" God's Word or change his way of life; he is not about to change his lifestyle! So, wherever he goes, he secretly defiles people, making it easier for them to sin. It is possible to go to a church fellowship and be defiled!

Certainly, our churches need to exercise authority and practice discipline. Christian love does not mean that we tolerate every false doctrine and every so-called "lifestyle." The Bible clarifies that some things are right and some are wrong. No Christian whose belief and behavior are contrary to the Word of God should be permitted to share in the Lord's Supper or to have a spiritual ministry in the church. His defiling influence may not be seen immediately, but ultimately it will create serious problems.

Second Peter 2:14 makes it clear that the apostates attend these church meetings for two reasons: first, to satisfy their lusts, second, to capture converts for their cause.

They open their eyes, looking for "loose women" to entice into sin. Paul warned about similar apostates who "creep into houses

and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.”

(2 Tim. 3:6). More than one "minister" has used religion as a cloak to cover his own lusts. Some women, in particular, are vulnerable in "counseling sessions," and these men take advantage of them.

The satisfying of their lusts is the false teachers' main ambition: They cannot cease from sin. The verb suggests "hey are unable to stop." Why?

Because they are in bondage (2 Peter 2:18-19). The apostates consider themselves to be "free," yet they are in the most terrible kind of slavery.

Whatever they touch, they defile; whomever they enlist, they enslave.

"Beguiling unstable souls" presents the picture of a fisherman baiting a hook or a hunter baiting a crap. A similar image is used in James 1:14, where James presents temptation as "the baiting of the trap" that can carry us away in our own sinful desires. Satan knows that he could never trap us unless there is some fine bait to attract us in the first place. Satan promised Eve that she and Adam would become "like gods" if they ate of the forbidden tree (Gen. 3:4-5), and they took the bait and were trapped.

What kind of bait do the apostates use to catch people? For one thing, they offer them "liberty" (2 Peter 2:19). This probably means a perversion of the grace of God, "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness" Jude 4). "Since you are saved by grace," they argued, "then you have the freedom to sin. the more you sily the dose on does glace you will experience!" Paul answered their false arguments in Romans 6, a portion of Scripture every believer should master.

Along with "freedom,” they bait the trap with "fulfillment." This is one of the buzzwords of our generation, and it goes right along with "doing your own thing" and "having it your way." They say, "The church’s Christian life is old-fashioned and outdated. We have a new lifestyle that makes you feel fulfilled and helps you find your true self?" Alas, just as the Prodigal Son did, these unstable souls try to find themselves but end up losing themselves (Luke 15:11-24). In their search for fulfillment, they become very self-centered and lose the growth opportunities from serving others.

There can be no freedom or fulfillment apart from submission to Jesus

Christ. "The purpose of life," said P. T. Forsyth, "is not to find your freedom but to find your master." Just as a gifted musician finds freedom and fulfillment by putting himself or herself under the discipline of a great artist, or an athlete under the discipline of a great coach, so the believer finds true freedom and fulfillment under the authority of Jesus Christ.

Who are the people who take the bait that the apostates put into their subtle traps? Peter called them "unstable souls." Stability is an important factor in a victorious Christian life. Just as a child must learn to stand before he can walk or run, so the Christian must learn to "stand firm in the Lord." Paul and the other apostles sought to establish their converts in the faith (Rom. 1:11; 16:25; 1 Thess. 3:2, 13). Peter was certain that his readers were

"established in the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12), but he still warned them.

3. THEIR REVOLTING (2:14B-16)

Psa 141:4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

Pro 23:3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

"They have abandoned the right road" is how the Phillips translation expresses it. The apostates know the right road, the straight path that God has established, but they deliberately abandon God's way for their own.

No wonder Peter called them "natural brute beasts" (2 Peter 2:12) and compared them to animals (v. 22). "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule!" warned the psalmist (Ps. 32:9). The horse likes to rush ahead and the mule likes to lag behind; both can get you off the right path. Believers are sheep, and sheep need to stay close to the shepherd or they will stray.

We have already learned one reason for the apostates' godless conduct:

They want to satisfy the cravings of their flesh. But there is a second reason:

They are covetous and want to exploit people for personal gain. Peter mentioned this in 2 Peter 2:3 and now develops the thought. Not only is he false teacher's outlook controlled by his passions (2 Peter 2:14a), but his heart is controlled by covetousness. He is in bondage to lust for pleasure and money!

In fact, he has perfected the skill of getting what he wants. "They are experts in greed," says the New International Version, and the Phillips translation is even more graphic: "Their technique of getting what they want is, through long practice, highly developed." They know exactly how to motivate people to give. While the true servant of God trusts the Father to meet his needs and seeks to help people grow through their giving, the apostate trusts his fundraising skills and leaves people in worse shape than he found them. He knows how to exploit the unstable and the innocent.

Nothing is wrong with a ministry sharing its opportunities and needs with its praying friends. My wife and I receive many publications and letters of this kind; quite frankly, some of them we throw away without reading. We have learned that these ministries cannot be trusted, that their dramatic appeals are not always based on fact, and that the funds donated are only sometimes used as they should be. We read the other letters and publications carefully, pray about, discuss, and see if God would have us invest in their work. We know we cannot support every good work that God has raised up, so we try to exercise discernment with God, but the cursed children of the Devi donn they might succeed in building up their bank accounts, but in the end, at the throne of God, they would be declared bankrupt. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). "For what does a man profit, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26).

Covetousness is the insatiable desire for more money, more power, more prestige. The covetous heart is never satisfied. 'This explains why "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10 NIv), for when a person craves more money, he will commit any sin to satisfy that craving. He has already broken the first two of the Ten Commandments because money is already his god and idol. It is then a simple step to break the others--to steal, lie, commit adultery, take God's name in vain, and so on. No wonder Jesus warned, "Take heed and beware of covetousness.”

(Luke 12:15).

As the curious monkeys approach, their keen senses detect the alluring aroma of the ripe fruits. Their eyes widen, and their mouths water in anticipation. The sight of the gourd filled with fruits triggers an overwhelming sense of greed, as each monkey desires to claim the treasure for themselves.

But the opening of the gourd is designed in a way that allows their hands to fit in while holding onto the fruits, but it becomes too narrow for their fists once they're gripping the fruits tightly.

In their fervent attempt to secure the fruits, the monkeys find their fists trapped within the gourd. They are unable to remove their hands without letting go of the fruits, which their greed prevents them from doing. The hunter, lurking nearby, takes advantage of their predicament and captures the trapped monkeys one by one.

The monkeys' insatiable desire for more causes them to overlook the potential danger of the trap. Their inability to let go of their perceived treasure ultimately leads to their capture. Just as these monkeys were ensnared by their own unchecked greed, humans can also fall victim to their desires if they're not mindful of their actions and motivations.

Peter knew his Old Testament Scriptures. He had already used Noah and Lot to illustrate his words, and in 2 Peter 2:15-16, he used the prophet Balaam. The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-24; take time now to read it.

Balaam is a mysterious character, a Gentile prophet who tried to curse the Jews. Balak, the Of the Moabites, was afraid of Israel, so he turned

To Balaam for help. Balaam knew it was wrong to cooperate with Balak, but his heart was covetous and he wanted the money and honor that Balak promised him. Balaam knew the truch of God and the will of God, yet he deliberately abandoned the right way and went astray. He is a perfect Mastration of the apostates in their covetous practices.

From the outset, God told Balaam not to help Balak, and at first, Jalaam obeyed and sent the messengers home. But when Balak sent more princes and promised more money and honor. Balaam decided to "pray about it again" and reconsider the matter. The second time, God tested Balaam and permitted him to go with the princes. 'This was not God's direct will, it was His permissive will, designed to see what the prophet would do.

Balaam jumped at the chance! Bat when he started to go astray; God rebuked the disobedient prophet through the mouth of his donkey How remarkable how the animals obey God, even when their masters do not (read Isa. 13)1 God permitted Balaam to set op his altars and offer his sacrifices, but God did not permit him to curse Israel. Instead, God turned Balaam's curse into a blessing (Deat. 23:4-5; Neh. 13:2).

Balaam could not curse Israel but could tell Balak how to defeat Israel. All the Moabites had to do was invite the Hebrews to be "friendly neighbors" and share in their feasts (Num. 24-25). Instead of maintaining its separated position, Israel compromised and joined the pagan orgies of che Moabites, God had to discipline the people and thousands of them died.

You can see in Balaam the two aspects of apostasy that Peter emphasized in this chapter: sensual last and covetousness. He loved money and he led Israel into lustful sin. He was a man who could get messages from God, yet he led people away from God! When vou read his oracles, vou cannot help but be impressed with his eloquence, yet he deliberately disobeyed74 \ Be Alert

God! Balaam said, "I have sinned" (Num. 22:34), but his confession was not sincere. He even prayed, "Let me die the death of the righteous" (Num. 23:10), yet he did not want to live the life of the righteous.

Because Balaam counseled Balak to seduce Israel, God saw that Balaam was judged. He was slain by the sword when Israel defeated the Midianites (Num. 31:8). We wonder who received all the wealth he had earned by his devious ways. Peter called his hire "the wages of unrighteousness." This phrase reminds us of another pretender, Judas, who received "the reward of iniquity" (Acts 1:18) and also perished in shame.

We will have more to say about Balaam when we study Jude 11, but we must not ignore the main lesson: He was a rebel against the will of God. Like the false teachers Peter described, Balaam knew the right way, but deliberately chose the wrong way because he wanted to make money. He kept "playing with the will of God" by trying to get "a different viewpoint" (Num. 22:41; 23:13, 27). He undoubtedly had a true gift from God because he uttered some beautiful prophecies about Jesus Christ, but he prostituted that gift to base uses to gain honor and wealth.

A bank officer approached a junior clerk and secretly asked, "If I gave you fifty thousand dollars, would you help me alter the books?"

"Yes, I guess I would," the man replied.

Would you do it for a hundred?"

"Of course not!" the man said. "What do you think I am, a common thief?"

"We've already determined that," said the officer. "Now we're talking about price."

The covetous person does have his price, and when it is met, he will do whatever is asked, even revolt against the will of God. Peter called this attitude madness. The word means "to be deranged, out of your mind." But Balaam thought he was doing the wise things after all, he was king advantage of a situation that might never come along again. But any rebellion against God is madness and can only lead to tragedy. When the Prodigal Son "came to himself" chat he realized how stupid he had been (Luke 15:17).

Peter has condemned three sins of the false teachers: their reviling. heir 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 (see the contrast in Phil. 2:20-21). The true servant of God does not think about praise or pay, because he serves God from a loving and obedient heart. He honors God and the authority that God has established in chis world. In short, the true servant of God patterns himself after Jesus Christ.

In these last days there will be many false teachers pleading for support. They are gifted and experienced in deceiving people and getting their money. It is essential that God's people be established in the truth, that they know how to detect when the Scriptures are being twisted and the people exploited. I thank God for agencies that help to expose "religious rackets," but there is still the need for spiritual discernment and a growing knowledge of the Word of God.

Not all religious frauds will be discovered and put out of business. But God will one day deal with all of them! Like animals, they will be "taken and destroyed" (2 Peter 2:12). They will receive "the reward of unrighteousness" (v. 13) to compensate for che wages they have exploited from others. As "cursed children" (v. 14) they will be banished from the presence of the Lord forever.

They are marked men and women; they will not escape.