2 Peter 2:17-22

The emphasis shifts in these verses from the character of false teachers to how they affect others

Empty Promises (v. 17)

Those that heed them are in search of clarity and fulfillment, and they think to find them in false teachers

This very point shows that they are not content with Christ, and therefore they have never trusted Him

They have only come to the Lord seeking something to gain, much as Judas did

They are wells without water -> upon thirsting and seeing a well afar off, they hedge everything on going to it just to find it dry

They are clouds driven by a storm -> desperately wanting clarity in this confusion of life, they are still blind afterwards

Their blindness is an eternal and complete one -> with all the wickedness and confusion it brings

Compelling Speech (vv. 18-19)

As we have discussed at length through various studies, their speech is very compelling

It is bold, but it is vain -> speaking with confidence gets you very far! -> just because someone seems to know what they are talking about does not mean they do

They hide behind all manner of things that mean nothing, as God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Tim. 6:20-21)

It is based on what the flesh already wants -> your flesh lends credibility to fleshly teaching, and this is beyond deceptive!

It is a message that resonates with you, which is the same trick that has been used since Eve

This has been used to commit all manner of sin and atrocities in history -> if your heart is your god, you are in bad shape (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 5:9-12)

They promise freedom -> they think to free you from the conviction of God, but only succeed in freeing you from righteousness

As we discussed last week, anyone separated from God is bound by sin -> they have control over nothing, therefore cannot offer a freedom they do not have

Being controlled by the flesh is not freedom -> even if it is, in the moment, what you “want” to do

The Worse State of Apostasy (vv. 20-22)

Theirs was a shallow accepting of the word -> in other words, it was not immediately rejected (Mk. 4:16-19)

They have been given the knowledge of the truth, yet they have neglected it and chose to abandon it

1 John offers great insight of these never having been among us to begin with

To further this idea, we can see the proverbs mentioned here by Peter -> at the end of the day, a dog is a dog and a pig is a pig

In salvation, the dog and pig become something different entirely

Their lack of change inwardly is reflected by the actions they take outwardly

Their state is worse than before, and this is the case for two main reasons

First, they will be held accountable for the knowledge they rejected, presumably with a worse punishment (Heb. 10:26-39)

Second, they are far more unlikely to be reached, thinking they have “already tried Christianity and it wasn’t for me”

They have hard hearts, likening them to the wayside instead of the good ground

It is not impossible, but is is certainly even more difficult, as the soil of the heart will have to be softened