2 Peter 2:1-10
In chapter 2 of this letter, Peter addresses the third of his four points: the danger of false teachers and immoral behavior. This topic will be addressed over the next two weeks. False prophets, or false teachers, are a danger to believers because they can lead people away from God’s truth. Many times this is done in very subtle ways that look right but are actually wrong. It takes great discernment to be able to spot when someone is teaching something contrary to the truth.
Peter begins by reminding the readers that there have always been false prophets among the people; therefore, there should be no surprise to learn that there are false teachers in the present as well. If we look back throughout Scripture, we find that there were indeed many false prophets, and they did not always work in the same ways.
Sometimes the false prophecy was motivated by greed. They said something knowingly false so they could get some benefit. Others were motivated by power. Their goal was to gain power and influence over someone. Some false prophecy is motivated by selfish desires. There is at least one instance of the false prophecy being a result of demonic deception.
The way you know that a prophet was a false prophet was that their prophecy didn’t come true. Have you ever heard of Joshua Mhlakela? He is a preacher from South Africa who prophesied that the “Rapture” was going to happen either yesterday or today. This is an example of a false prophet or false teacher today. The list could go on and on.
Another way to identify a false teacher is when they teach something that is contrary to God’s revealed truth. God is not coming and giving someone a new revelation that undoes what God has said previously.
There are more ways to identify false prophets and teachers, but what they all have in common is that they bring destructive heresies. What is a heresy? It is a teaching that is not true. With that definition, we all commit heresy every day. Nobody is right about everything in the Bible. That doesn’t mean everyone is a false teacher that Peter is talking about.
Peter is focused here on those who promote destructive heresies. A destructive heresy is one in which the nature of Christ is denied. That is why he says, “even denying the Master who bought them.” The “Master” who bought them is Jesus Christ, and the purchasing was done on the cross. Does this mean these false prophets and teachers are saved? Not necessarily.
If they are denying the Master who bought them, then we must be cautious about their salvation. That does not mean we get to decide if they are saved, but neither does it mean we must accept whatever they say because they claim to be saved. If they are denying the revealed truth of who Jesus is, then that is a destructive heresy. It is destructive because it can lead others away from salvation found only in Jesus Christ. A big one today, that is taught in some Southern Baptist Seminaries, is the inferiority of the Son to the Father. Jesus is in some way inferior, or subordinate, to the Father. What this does is take away the full, equal divinity of the Son, which denies the truth of the Trinity. This is a destructive heresy.
Teaching destructive heresies will bring swift destruction to themselves. The word swift does not mean quick. Instead, it means that the destruction is near them. God’s definition of soon and ours are not always the same. What Peter means by swift is that their fall can happen at any moment because they are walking on the edge of a cliff.
Peter’s point in verses 2 and 3 is that many will be deceived by these destructive heresies because they are believable. For many people, it is something they want to be true. As a result, these false teachers exploit you for their greed. They are more interested in their own wealth and prestige than in bringing glory to Jesus.
Notice that their condemnation has been pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. This is important. We don’t have to do anything except tell people that what they say is heresy and point people back to the truth. God has already worked out their downfall.
Peter is going to go on and give a few examples here. The angels who sinned in verse 4 are not those who rebelled in some distant past when Lucifer decided to challenge God. What Peter has in mind here is Genesis 6. The angels are the sons of God who fathered children with the daughters of Eve. This great sin is what led God to send the flood; He did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah.
The next example is Sodom and Gomorrah, and we know what happened there. Peter says this is an example of what happens to the ungodly. But then he mentions the rescue of righteous Lot. Was Lot really righteous? This is a man who lived among the depravity, who offered his own daughters to the men, and then fled in fear. How is Lot considered righteous?
Righteousness is not about the absence of sin but rather faith in God. Lot had faith in God, and while he did some ungodly things, the faith in God outweighs the sin. This is not a license for Christians to sin. The things Lot did are not justifiable, but neither are any of our sins. Yet, we find forgiveness and righteousness in Christ.
What set Lot apart from others in Sodom and Gomorrah is that he was deeply tormented by the lawless deeds he heard and saw. It was not just the sexual immorality that condemned these cities. Look at what Ezekiel has to say.
Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy. (Ezekiel 16:49)
Lot witnessed all of this and was tormented, but notice he did not take it upon himself to lash out and punish those around him. Neither did Noah. Instead, they allowed the Lord to pass judgment and to rescue the righteous.
One of the many false teachings present today is that, as Christians, we must fight back, even with violence, against the evils of our age. That is a destructive heresy. God declares vengeance is his, and we are to be a witness to His truth and to His love. That doesn’t mean we don’t speak out against things; that is what Peter is doing and encouraging believers to do, but we must not cross the line into destructive heresy by promoting violence and hatred.
To do that is to follow the polluting desires of the flesh and to despise authority. God commands us to be holy because He is holy. Any call to anything else is heresy. We need to be righteous like Lot and allow God to rescue His chosen in His way and in His time.