2 Peter 2:1-3

OK, so last week, we finished up chapter 1. Now we are moving into chapter 2 and we see that Peter is digging into the real problem.

Let’s read the chapter in it’s entirety. We certainly won’t get through it all, but for tonight, let’s get the full context of this section.

2 Peter 2 ESV

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

OK.

There is a whole lot to unpack, so let’s get going.

2 Peter 2:1 ESV

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

OK, before we get too far, let’s see the connection from chapter 2 to chapter 1.

Remember, this was an actual letter written to a congregation.

There were not chapter and verse breakdowns.

In English, we see that Peter starts the verse with “but.”

That is, in this case, a coordinating conjunction.

It ties the following statement to the previous one.

At the end of chapter 1, Peter is talking about the voracity of prophecy as it points to Christ.

Now he is reminding them that some will try to use the idea of “prophecy” in such a way as to draw people away from God. He is tying the truth and stability of true prophecy to the fact that there will be people who will seek to utilize the prominence of “prophet” for their own advantage, spreading lies and deceit.

So, in that context, we see Peter point to Israel’s history.

We know that Peter is writing this to a congregation, and probably (because of 3:1) a congregation that he has already written to. While those churches were in Gentile areas, we have to understand that early Christians did not reject or forget the Hebrew roots of the faith.

In fact, one of the things I hope you see in this chapter as we briefly read through it is the realization that Peter is basically using the Old Testament to prove his point. This section almost serves as a commentary on the Old Testament. We see him talk about Noah, about Lot, about Balaam.

There is an expectation that the people understand the Old Testament. We talked about this in our last couple of weeks, but there was no New Testament at this point. The Bible, for this audience, was the Old Testament. Peter is showing them Christ through that scripture; we saw that last week.

Now he is showing them how false teachers/prophets have run alongside the true message of God to His people since the beginning.

That is what he is saying in verse 1 here.

“But false prophets also arose among the people...”

Who are ‘the people’ here?

Israel!

One commentary notes:

2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary a. Beware of False Teachers (2:1–3)

In describing them in this chapter he oscillates between the present and the future tense, as does Paul in a similar context in 1 Timothy 4:1ff. No doubt this is because he sees them as fulfilling the prophecies both of the Old Testament and of Jesus (Deut. 13:2–6; Matt. 24:24, etc.). There is a similar play between the future and present in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and 7, and 2 Timothy 3:1ff. and 5. There always have been and there always will be false teachers among the people of God.

If we look at Jeremiah 14, we see a bit of what Peter is getting at:

Jeremiah 14:13–14 ESV

13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” 14 And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

See, we have to understand that scripture is given to us to teach us.

Romans 15:4 ESV

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

In particular, when Peter writes here about scripture, and when Paul was speaking about it in Romans and 2 Timothy, we have to realize they are talking about the old testament. The New Testament wasn’t compiled yet. While a decent chunk may have already been written by the time Paul wrote in Romans and 2 Timothy, it wasn’t widely available, and would not have necessarily been widespread enough for Paul (or Peter here in 2 Peter) to refer to it as “Scripture.”

These guys were talking about the Old Testament.

Interestingly, if you guys are listening to a sermon or podcast or Bible study on the Old Testament, and it’s focus isn’t about Jesus, raise your red flags, OK? I’m not saying that you won’t come across studies where the historical context does the heavy lifting, but the main idea of ALL SCRIPTURE is Jesus. We saw this in chapter 1 last week. We see it in Paul’s writings as well.

Scripture - all of it - points to Jesus and leads us toward Him.

OK, so we know that Peter is looking at the Old Testament, and the Children of Israel to start this chapter, noting the false prophets that rose up. We know the history of Israel and we see that played out.

2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary a. Beware of False Teachers (2:1–3)

People translates laos, a word used for the people of God in the LXX as well as in the New Testament. According to the speeches attributed to him in Acts, and to the teaching of 1 Peter as well, Peter claims that the Christians have been incorporated into the true Israel of God; there is no split between the Old Covenant and the New.

Just like the Children of Israel in the Old Testament, Peter is saying that his audience will also have these false teachers among them.

Interestingly, he uses both false prophet and false teacher.

2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary a. Beware of False Teachers (2:1–3)

False prophets may mean that they falsely claimed to be prophets, or that they prophesied false things; probably both. The men were as untrustworthy as the message. But as Peter calls them ‘false teachers’ not ‘false prophets’ it may be that they made no pretensions to prophecy. Nevertheless three prominent characteristics of false prophets in the Old Testament could apply to them. Unlike true prophets they did not speak with divine authority, their message was one of spurious peace, and they were condemned to be punished by God.

2 Peter and Jude: An Introduction and Commentary a. Beware of False Teachers (2:1–3)

Their teaching was flattery; their ambitions were financial; their lives were dissolute; their conscience was dulled, and their aim was deception

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

Fulfillment of Jesus’ promise on the Mount of Olives had already begun (Matt. 24:11). With the advent of the “latter days,” Satan has intensified his efforts to lead God’s people astray through false prophets and teachers (1 Tim. 4:1–5; 1 John 2:18–27).

So, we see the tie from ancient Israel to contemporary (1st century) Christianity, and we can (I hope) see the connections that Peter is making here even in our own time.

How often do we have to weigh the messages of others.

I cannot even tell you how many times I have heard a sermon or a service or a little video and thought, “that’s wrong!”

We see this especially in our modern day between prosperity gospel, liberation theology, and liberal/cultural acquiescence in many churches.

We must be on guard.

Peter gives us a few ways to see this in action.

First, we see that they “secretly bring in destructive heresies...”

The idea here is of bringing in new doctrines to a preexisting set of beliefs.

This is where:

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

The false teachers did not hide what they were teaching but were probably “covering up the degree to which their teaching differs from the accepted apostolic teaching.”

The teachings were contrary to the Old Testament and apostolic tradition through that point. When we say “apostolic tradition,” we are talking about the actions and practical application of the book of Acts, for all intents and purposes.

If you think of the Bible in a linear fashion, what Peter is writing here is happening while other events toward the end of Acts are also happening. Acts ends close to the end of Paul’s life. Paul and Peter died roughly around the same time. Acts covers basically from about AD30 through about AD64ish. Peter and Paul were both martyred around 64-67ish. Peter wrote this maybe around 64-65ish. Basically right before his death.

The bulk of the New Testament - the epistles - were written during the events of Acts. So you have to understand that these things line up together this way.

Knowing that, we understand that the apostolic tradition was how the apostles and first disciples were starting the church. They were teaching Jesus’ teachings to the people. They were teaching the Old Testament in light of - and fulfilled by - Jesus. That is the “apostolic tradition.”

So, these “destructive heresies” were against scripture. They were distorting the gospel. They were leading both teacher and student toward destruction.

Secondly, the were “denying the Master who bought them.”

Master here is Jesus. Through His death, Jesus bought us.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

We are bought by His blood.

Peter, here, is indicating that these false teachers had shown as if they were believers. They had given the appearance of being slaves of righteousness in Christ. But in fact, they denied Him by their immoral lifestyle and false doctrine.

These are the ones who come to Jesus at the last day and say “Lord, I prophesied in Your name!” And Jesus will respond, “Depart from me, I never knew you!”

These false teachers are denying Christ by their destructive, warped teachings.

Finally, they are “bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”

Now, in particular, verses 3-22 of this chapter deals with what that destruction looks like, but the point is pretty clear:

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

these false teachers were inviting the swift and cataclysmic judgment of eternal destruction that God would render to all who disobey the gospel.

Let’s get through these next couple verses quickly so we can at least finish this paragraph.

2 Peter 2:2–3 ESV

2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

In 1:16, we saw this word “follow.”

There, we noted:

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

“follow” (exakoloutheō) means “to accept as authoritative determiner of thought or action.” Peter anticipates his discussion of the false teachers, who follow the error of Balaam (2:15) and entice others to follow their sensuality (2:2). Perhaps the false teachers claimed the apostles were following myths when they taught about the return of Christ and God’s judgment.

Peter says here that many will follow their sensuality. That word refers to:

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

“lack of self-constraint which involves one in conduct that violates all bounds of what is socially acceptable.”

Pretty much exclusively in the New Testament, it is associated with a sexual connotation. The idea being that these false teachers are trading in sexual passions and pleasures. This is further backed up later in specific reference to Lot in verse 7.

Peter goes on that because of these false teachers, the “way of truth” will be blasphemed.

Way of truth reminds us of how early Christians were called “the Way.” Also we see this phrase “way of truth” in Genesis referring to God leading Abraham’s servant to the right woman for Isaac, and in Psalms where the psalmist says “I have chosen the way of truth.” It is that idea of a life lived faithful to God. It is, in essence, the gospel as lived out by faithful believers.

Therefore, it is the Gospel itself that “will be blasphemed.” This has allusions to Isaiah 52:5

Isaiah 52:5 ESV

5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised.

in the LXX:

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

Peter may be echoing Isaiah 52:5 (LXX), in which the prophet laments that God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. Paul quotes this same verse in Romans 2:24 to argue that the sinful disobedience of the Jews has brought about a similar blaspheming of God’s name. Here it is the sinful lives of the false teachers leading people to dismiss the way of truth as just another path to self-indulgence.

These false teachers will “exploit” believers with false words. Exploit, here in this context, has a negative meaning. It is essentially, “to engage with someone in a business transaction,” but with the connotation, it has that sense of “taking advantage of someone in a transaction.”

They will use their greed, their false words. They don’t speak the truth, they manipulate it.

They will slander those who speak truth, and say they are hate-mongers, bigots, chauvinists, ignorant. They will take statements out of context and use them to shame you. They will manipulate you into feeling terrible about “hating the gays or the trans folks.”

We see how this is spun in our day. And we wonder if there will ever be justice.

Well, God tells us that there will be.

The last part of verse 3 shows us that their condemnation is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Hebrews–Revelation Comment

“Condemnation” refers to God’s judgment of eternal damnation on these false teachers who claim to be believers but in fact are not. God decreed this condemnation “long ago,” but the delay should not be misinterpreted to indicate that their condemnation is “idle.” To amplify this point, Peter adds that “their destruction is not asleep.” As the protector of his people, God does not “slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:4). The destructive heresies the false teachers propagate lead to their own eternal destruction, just as the present heavens and earth are preserved for “the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Pet. 3:7). God’s delay in bringing final judgment leads some to scoff (3:1–10), concluding that perhaps such judgment is so “asleep” as to never awaken. Rest assured, Peter asserts, that is not the case.

God will punish those who are false. Justice will happen. Jesus is on the throne.

Let’s pray.