Who? What? How? Huh?

Truly not an easy passage

Not the normal use of the higher-order questions: who, what, when, where, why, how...

More like a Who’s on First comedy....though too tragic to be funny

What group is Peter addressing at which point?

It sounds like salvation can be lost?

Hermeneutics Lesson

Herman who??? may be the first question

…the art or science of Biblical interpretation

Big issue is context; ripping a verse or phrase from a passage and trying to make it stand on its own

...”Judas went out and hanged himself”

…OT case for capital punishment for juvenile delinquents

>linguistic and historical contexts (1st century, Greek-speaking church)

>immediate context (helping identify false teachers)

>chapter (2—all about the false teachers and their teaching)

>book (2nd Peter—things he wanted them to remember)

>author (Peter was a real-time companion of Jesus; truly a man transformed)

>testament (NT, grace, not law, includes words of Jesus Himself)

>totality of Scripture

Who Are the Waterless Springs?

…and mists

Imagine yourself a desert traveller in need of water (readers could do that)

…you see a green spot, expect to find a spring

>>>find only a bit of green vegetation

Or a farmer in great need of rain

…all that comes is some misty, wind-driven squalls

>>>not enough to do any good

Big promises; no delivery

These are the false teachers being condemned throughout the whole chapter

False teachers, bringing in destructive heresies, denying the Master

Teaching unrestrained sexual behavior, exploiting the people

Blaspheming the “glorious ones” (rightful teachers/leaders in the church)

Followers of Balaam’s error

Blots and blemishes on the love-feast of the church

What Is their End?

For whom the doom of utter darkness has been reserved

Previously comments in the chapter

…kept under punishment until the day of judgment

…destroyed in their destruction

…suffer wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing

They are hell-bound; it does not look like they have any hope of redemption at this point

…they have made their decision

Who Are those Barely Escaping?

v. 17 still; this is where we can get off track

This appears to be speaking of immature believers

…truly converted; not yet well-taught; wobbly enough to be swayed from the truth

They need to be reminded of the power given them

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

and of the pattern of behavior to stay strong; to avoid the error of false teaches

2 Peter 1:5–7 ESV

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Keys to the entire epistle !

He made a great point about the need to be reminded of those truths

What Are the Realities of the Error?

Though they promise freedom; they themselves are enslaved to their own sin

…by themselves being overcome by—wrapped up in—sexual sin

>>>they become slaves to sexual immorality

They leave their victims in a worse situation than they were

How Do We Sort this Out?

Here’s the sticky part

This must be taken logically, methodically, and humbly; not dogmatically

It sounds like they had been believers and then walked away; but…

…more on accurate hermeneutics...

That goes against Jesus’ own words in

John 10:28–29 ESV

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

That’s eternal security or perseverance of the saints

Peter would not be writing in contradiction of his Master’s words

Therefore…we conclude these teachers to be those who have heard the truths of Jesus

…who have a full head-knowledge of Him, His works…all of it

…likely a part of vibrant church life

But have chosen to twist it and pervert it into something to use for their own gain

The text could easily lead us to believe that their punishment will be worse than if they’d just ignored it from the beginning

They have returned to their own filth as the proverbs quoted (one is Biblical the other secular)

What Are We Doing With It?

Be assured of your salvation

Starts with putting faith and trust in Him for our salvation

Calvinism v. Arminianism: Believe like a Calvinist; live like an Arminian

…avoiding even the appearance of Evil

…we must get that right

Should be in a continual pursuit of sanctification

Jesus called the disciples by saying “follow me”

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

…a short form of Peter’s continuum from chapter 1

Don’t fall for false teaching—no matter how attractive it may be

…regardless of the sin—though sexual sin surely is/has been in view throughout this chapter

Solid Biblical knowledge is necessary to stay away

Sin will take you farther than you want to go; keep you longer than you intended to stay; cost you more that you planned to pay

Plenty of sins that prove that out—not just sexual ones (just happens to be the type 2 Peter deals with)

…substance abuse

…abuse of power

…abuse of people

…lust of flesh, lust of eyes, pride of life

Confess and repent of your sin

…don’t let it hold you any longer than it has