By Pastor Rich Paradis
2 Peter 2:10b-22
After
establishing that God has and will continue being able to know the difference
between the true and the false, Peter now continues his thoughts related to the
dangers of false teaching. He has established that that they will utilize
cleverly disguised tales to begin making an inroad into the hearts of their
hearers. And they will have a level of success with those that are not diligent
in the virtues of the Christian life. In this passage, we will hear not only
the sadness of the description of these false teachers, but also the maddening
damage that they attempt to do.
I.
The
Profile Of This False Teacher 2 Peter 2:10b-16
a.
Peter’s
letters to these struggling and suffering saints have been careful to give us
insight into the marvelous provision of God Himself through the gift of
salvation. He has shared the strength of the truth in combatting the
discouragement and dangers of persecution, whether inflicted from the outside
or from the inside.
b.
In
the final few verses of chapter 1 and the first few verses of chapter 2, Peter
has reminded the readers of the fact that there are both teachers of truth and
lies lurking around them. He has also reminded the readers of a God that can
and does have the ability to see and judge rightly the teachers from both
camps.
c.
Now
Peter will take some time to describe these teachers in more detail. Some of us
may wonder if the false teacher knows that he or she is “false”. What we will
see in these verses is a premeditated attack on truth and the undecided or less
mature around them. They do know that they are false teachers. In fact, they
are committed to their own schemes instead of the truths given by God. While it
is an awful picture to consider, the reader will through this description be
offered another prompting toward Christian growth and virtue. Verses 10b-11 waste no time in
revealing some of the overarching characteristics of these false teachers.
These that are under examination are “daring and self-willed”. Other
translations offer the words “bold and arrogant”. This “I’m right and all
others are wrong” attitude is demonstrated by these characteristics. Their
daring and self-willed plans even include the reviling, or mocking of the
fallen angels. In these verses, we see that in fact the “good angels” are
greater than the “fallen angels” in both might and power, but still do not bring
judgment or verbal attack against these “angelic majesties”. Why? Because they
understand well that ultimate judgment belongs to none other than God Himself.
But the false teacher, in his or her desire to appear more than they are, goes
beyond the scope of the Christian virtues to anything that will draw attention
to themselves.
d.
Verses 12-13a continue the
description by telling us that these false teachers are “unreasoning animals”.
They are driven by the own instincts and desires. At the end of this paragraph,
we will see these false teachers being compared to dogs and pigs, two of the
most looked down upon of the animal kingdom in the mind of the Jewish reader.
These animals have a destiny; to be captured and killed. The false teacher will
also have a destiny; exposure and destruction! These verses also offers a weird
irony in that as these false teachers desire to look so smart and refined, they
are really only ignorant and unknowing animals destined for slaughter. And as
they bring destruction on others they are also going to “suffer wrong as the
wages of doing wrong”. God will ultimately, because of His ability to discern
between truth and falsehood, exact righteous judgment on them.
e.
In
Verse 13b, we see the word
“carouse”. When we think of this word, we are usually led to think of things
that are done primarily in the dark so that they will not be seen. But remember
the “daring and self-willed”, bold and arrogant false teacher? He has no plans
to hide his sin. In fact, he is not only “not hiding them”, he is celebrating
his sensualities loudly and in broad daylight! They are “blots, stains and
blemishes”, affecting those that they “get on”.
f.
Additionally,
Verse 14 tells us that these false
teachers have “eyes full of adultery”. Remember, the local situation was a
teaching of “freedom” that included sexual wrongness and lusts under the
heading of religion. Think of this “teacher”; masquerading as a teacher of
truth, while desiring regularly and wrongly every woman that he sees! And at
the same time that this is occurring, this “teacher” is having an effect on
those that are around him that are less stable or mature in the faith. And if that’s not enough, the text
shares that this false teacher has “trained his heart, the center of human
personality, for greed”. He not only lives this way; he continues to “train” to
build up stronger and more defined muscles for this kind of activity. Peter can
offer nothing else at this point except to say that these are “accursed
children”. God’s curse is on them!
g.
The
false teacher not only is doing wrong, he is forsaking right! The most offended
one when it comes to sin is God Himself. An example of this is given for us in Verses 15-16 as the “way of Balaam” is
mentioned. For a much fuller description of this idea, we must read Numbers
22-24. Balaam, in the name of monetary gain, cursed Israel before an enemy king
even though God had forbidden it. How would the errant prophet be corrected? By
a donkey! A once mute donkey would be used by God to initially address Balaam.
Similarly, the false teacher is willing to pursue money instead of obeying God.
II.
The
Desired Damage From This False Teacher
2 Peter 2:17-22
a.
With
this brief but powerful and revealing description of the false prophet before
us, Peter now continues his examination of the false teacher by looking at his
desired results. Peter will share some of these desired results, but not before
offering a short moment of clarity regarding the truth of this false teacher’s
actual destiny.
b.
He
begins in Verse 17 with an inventory
of the false teacher’s eternal impact. It is NOTHING! The teaching and impact
of the false teacher is compared to an empty spring or a mist driven by a
storm. They give nothing because they have nothing… And what is their destiny?
A reservation in the blackest darkness – hell itself! If there had been any
idea as to whether these false teachers were saved; it is demolished here.
c.
The
plan of the false teacher, according to Verse
18, is to prey on those that are young in the faith, new converts that do
not yet have their legs underneath them. This is the favorite target because
the false teacher’s arrogance, fleshly desires, and sensuality will not readily
be discerned by the new believer. But this “lamb” can be derailed and ruined by
the false teacher’s schemes.
d.
In
Verse 19, we have the plan of the
false teacher further revealed. In addition to that plan being revealed, we
again see a weird, corrupt, and heart-breaking irony in the same verse. The
false teacher’s plan is to deliver freedom. But what does he ultimately
deliver? The slavery of corruption! Romans 6:16 is a good reminder of the last
portion of this verse. “Freedom in Christ” is not freedom to do as one would
wish. It is the freedom to be a slave; to be a slave with a new master: Jesus
Christ Himself. The false teacher was offering a freedom that enslaved to the
master of corruption. The true teacher offers a freedom that is slavery under a
new master; the greatest master of all: Jesus!
e.
Verses 20-22 are sometimes
used as a proof that one could lose their salvation. An important part of
understanding a difficult passage is to consider it alongside one that is
easier to understand. Remember, the Bible does not and cannot contradict
itself. Why? Because it is God-breathed, inspired and offered for our growth by
a Perfect Author, God Himself. Romans 8:38-39 helps us to understand that “if
saved, always saved”. So what does this passage mean? The idea here is that the
one who knew, escaped, became entangled again, and overcome was never saved in
the first place. The clue is given to us in Verse 22 when it shares the proverb
of the dog from Proverbs 26:11, and the proverb of the pig from Jewish
antiquity. In both cases, the nature of the animal is not changed, only the
appearance. The change, while somewhat convincing, was only cosmetic. Have you
ever heard the saying, “you can put lipstick on a pig and it remains a pig”? I
think that this is the one who would appear to be changed, but in reality is
only masquerading as one changed by the life-changing message of the gospel.
III.
An
Application For All Of Us
a.
The
False Teacher is:
i. Daring and
self-willed
ii. Bold and
arrogant
iii. Dishonoring of
given authorities
iv. Unreasoning
animals
v. Destined to
destruction
vi. Exhibitionists
of sin
vii. Stains and
blemishes
viii.
Enticers
of the unstable
ix. Springs without
water
x. Mists driven by
the storms
xi. Promisers of
freedom
xii. Deliverers of
slavery to corruption
xiii.
Were
never really changed, only appearing to be different
