Lesson 16

Second Peter

Warning against dangers facing the Church

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE TEACHERS 2:1-3

Peter reminds them of the past and also is drawing a marked contrast to the true source of the prophetic Word just covered.

That is through the agency of the Holy Spirit, from the ultimate source of God.

But false prophets also arose among the people,

Israel had been given instructions as to how to identify and what to do with false prophets. Deut 13:1-5

just as there will (also) be false teachers among you,

They are false teachers precisely because the content of their message was not from the source of God and therefore not illuminated truth.

Peter also reminds us here that false teachers will be among you just as Paul did in Acts 20:28-30.

This passage tells us that there are 2 sources of false teachers to be on guard for:

#1 Savage wolves (vs:29) unbelieving false teachers – personal gain

#2 those “from among your own selves” – these are believer P/T’s who get sidetracked from the objective

Now Peter begins to layout for us the tactics used by the false teachers:

who will secretly introduce destructive heresies,

The false teachers greatest error is stated next: even denying the Master who bought them,

The next phrase leaves no doubt as to who is in view here! who bought them,

The result of denying the master who bought them!

bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

Lit. bringing upon themselves swift destruction

2:1 But false prophets also came into existence among the people (Israel) as indeed there will be false teachers among you, who will bring in under false pretenses (along side true doctrine) destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves imminent destruction.

Summary 2:1

1. Peter begins this chapter with a prophecy of the rise of false teachers that will occur during the church age.

- Although operative in every generation there are 2 very intense periods of attack by these false teachers:

#1 At the beginning of the CA; Judaizers, legalists and the Gnostics (spirituality comes through knowledge)

#2 The end of the church age, the final generation will see a dramatic increase in false teachers pedaling the counterfeits of Satan, will be an increase in evil.

2. Paul also warned that there would be an increase of false teachers so that believers in any age are to be on guard. 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-9; 4:3-4

- he is concerned that believers who are not taught systematically will not be prepared for the increasing onslaught of false teaching as we approach the end of the age, they will not endure sound teaching.

3. We must remember that Satan’s counterfeiters are liars and their message is false.

- that’s the emphasis of yeudoj to consciously and intentionally lie

- there are other categories of “false” out there that we need to be on guard for

- “false brethren” 2 Cor 11:26; Gal 2:4 describes those who counterfeit and distort truth of Christianity with legalism, some form of works performance

- “false apostles” 2 Cor 11:13 those who through deceit passed themselves off as communicators of truth in Corinth while in reality were agents of Satan

- “false Christ’s” Mk 13:22; Matt 24:24 those who claim to be equal with Him and deny His deity, will deceive through signs and wonders performed,

4. We must remember that in these various groups of false whatever, they may be unbelievers as well as believers who have walked away from truth and bought into the lie.

5. These false teachers (F/T) are very devious and will bring in their heresy and do so under false pretenses mixed with truth.

6. Their heresies will run the gamut from the subtle to the blatant, Paul in 2 Tim 3:5 describes it as having a form of godliness.

7. Denying the deity of Christ, the unique person of the universe, or His saving work on the cross is a dominate characteristic of these false teachers.

- also defines who are antichrists in the C/A 1 John 2:22-23

8. There is only one Master who redeemed us from the slave market of sin, and they deny Him.

9. For those false teachers of the last generation of the church age their temporal judgment, destruction, is imminent.

- really has 2 phases, first in time since they are moving into the tribulation their judgment will intensify after the rapture.

- 2^nd will be their ultimate end in the LOF.

10. We have today many cults that are very active with a very smooth polished and appealing presentation to the unwary, those who have rejected the gospel and are now open to the counterfeits, the false to fill the void left by their negative volition.

- Some examples: Mormons, J.W.’s, Christian Science, Armstrongism, the Way International,

- Eastern mysticism: Hare Krishna; transcendental meditation both of which originate from Hinduism.

- Not normally considered cultic by most yet the message of liberal theology of today really falls into this category since they deny the deity of Christ and espouse a humanist theology, with a rationalization that your not responsible for your actions, its societies fault or the environments fault.

2:2 False teachers lifestyle impacts the truth

Many will follow their sensuality,

- sensuality is aselgeia (ἀσελγεια), “unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence.”

and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

Jesus defined the way, and the truth, in John 14:6.

In f1 it is faith alone in Christ alone that provides salvation.

In f2 the truth is word of God, the mind of Christ taught correctly which gives us the spiritual resources to live life and be truly successful stands in contrast to the message of the false teachers which is destructive.

- Whenever false teachers with their lascivious pattern of life are allowed to be a part of a local assembly which is operating in truth, if they are not quickly dealt with the reputation of that local church and therefore Christianity will be blasphemed.

2:2 Many will follow to the end after their lasciviousness and because of them the way of the truth will be blasphemed.

With verse 3 we discover another characteristic of these false teachers, their motavation

and in their greed evn pleonexi,a| this is not just greed in the sense of monetary lust but an uncontrolled insatiable greed at the expense of others

they will exploit you with false words;

- So the idea here is that false teachers use their teaching as a pretext for leveraging, really fleecing the flock.

So what is Peter saying here?

These false teachers depart from the Spirit-given words of the Bible and manufacture their own words to fit their own doctrines.

They often take familiar Bible words and manufacture new meanings for them.