Lesson 28
Second Peter
Warning against dangers
facing the Church
The focus in
These (F/T’s) are springs without water and mists driven
by a storm,
What we have here is an idiom for great
disappointment. The followers of the
F/T’s are looking for what will satisfy the need of their soul and will face
great disappointment because what they need and crave is not provided.
and
mists driven by a storm,
- the
word for mists emphasizes a fog or a mist, both of which present the idea of
something that obscures reality as these F/T’s are doing.
- What Peter does here is to
remind them and us that F/T’s are like a violent storm or squall line
accompanied by much wind, they are full of hot air and when in the midst or
under the influence of them we will have a blurred perspective.
Then Peter reminds us that they
will be judged, count on it!
for
whom (F/T’s) the black darkness has been reserved.
- has been reserved = thre,w (virp--3s) perf. points
to the reality of the keeping, the guarding, reserving for the purpose of
judgment in LOF, not just for Satan and
his fallen angels, for whom it was originally created but also of these
Unbeliever F/T's.
Observations:
1. Many of these
F/T’s represent themselves as teachers of Christian truth but they are a big
disappointment being devoid of BD and therefore minus any spiritual
refreshment.
- true whether they are unbeliever or believer
F/T’s
2. They always promise great things but have nothing to
give since they are minus the reality of BD.
3. Peter depicts
them as mists a fog being driven by a violent storm which indicates their
instability and transient nature.
4. Peter is
warning us to be on guard for these false teachers and we can by having the
discernment from knowing their characteristics and pattern of operation.
5. He reminds us
again that they indeed will face judgment in the black darkness of the LOF.
For speaking out arrogant words
of vanity
-
idea is they
bragged about themselves with great arrogance, using bombastic language
to express their knowledge of God or of spiritual things.
-
This overflow of arrogant words, high sounding words, impresses the “unstable
soul” (vs:14) and is used as part of the bait to
ensnare them, bringing them under their influence.
Peter
next says their communication although impressive is of vanity. (mataio,thj)
- vanity brings into focus
the emptiness that accompanies a false message, or as we noted with Solomon the
under the sun viewpoint of life.
they
entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, (same thrust as vs:14)
- they entice or seduce the
unthinking, the unstable by means of desires or cravings of the flesh; classic
synonym for the sin nature,
evpiqumi,a sa,rx
Next we find the objects of the appeal, those
who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
What Peter is doing is addressing those he’s
writing to especially warning those in the churches who are new believers to be
on guard for the seductive arguments of these false teachers who will always be
out there.
What had
they recently escaped from? from
the ones who live in error,
the
ones who live (avnastre,fw) (Pres. Ptc.) speaks of the conduct or pattern of life;
As new believers they would not have been long from living this same
lifestyle and the issue for them at this time is to advance in the knowledge of
the word so that they are prepared to deal with not only the false teachers
with their seductive message but also the other pressures and tests that will
be a reality in life.
Summary:
1. The focus that Peter is concerned about here
is the relatively new believers, “the ones who recently escaped” who having believed
in Christ have turned from and separated from the pagan lifestyle they had
previous lived.
2. For them salvation was a totally new
beginning, as it is for every new believer.
3. The F/T’s had concluded that at this stage
they were highly susceptible to their high sounding words which were
characterized by emptiness, yet very seductive and enticing to them.
4. Making their appeal to the lusts of the sin
nature is saying to these new believers look you can indulge those desires of
the sin nature and still function properly as a Christian.
5. The bait or lure of these false teachers are
the cravings of one’s sin nature.
- seduce by
means of the desires of the flesh
6. These false
teachers primarily will come from one of 2 categories:
- Totally pagan cults which deny Christianity, eastern
mysticism; Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintosim, Sikhism and
today especially Islam.
- The other are the pseudo
Christian cults, (claim to be Christian but are anything but).
- They all have an outward veneer, use much of Christian
terms but with different meanings/definitions. J.W.’s;
Mormons, Christian Science, Theosophy
(all deny the Christ and His work on the Cross)
-
Christian Science might
be considered as a form of theistic monistic idealism: there
is but one substance which is God and in Whom
we are all embraced in love.
Christian Science, like Buddhism,
believes in the illusory nature of the world of the senses, but unlike Buddhism
it does not believe that aging and death are inevitable - according to
Christian Science they can be overcome with the defeat of sin or "mortal
mind": (John
8:51).
- Theosophy originated
with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in the 1870s. Theosophy holds that all religions are
attempts by the "Spiritual Hierarchy" to help humanity in
evolving to greater perfection, and that each religion therefore has a portion
of the truth. Along with several others, Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in 1875.
7. Associated
with these 2 categories is modern liberal theology with its total absence of
divine viewpoint absolutes and a focus on the text of Scripture.
8. Once anyone
rejects inerrancy of the Word of God then the so called “scholars” are free to
interpret the BD’s relating to the person and work of Christ any way they
choose.
9. They’ve even
redefined sin, as a lack of social action not a violation of the expressed
stated will of God.
10. All of their
errors, distortions and deceptions of the truth used to seduce others are tied to arrogance which
results from persistent negative volition to God and the Word.