Bible Study 2Peter 2 False Teachers

This chapter is a warning for believers about

1. the false teachers among us, 
2. their false teachings and 
3. their final outcome. 

This chapter is very similar to the Letter of Jude. Reading them together gives us more details and we can better understand Peter's message.

This chapter applies well to our present context. Many of the teachings we are hearing now, within and without the Christian community, are very similar to the false teachings present there. Can you discern them?

Watch Out - They are among us!
Peter begins with warning of 'False Prophets' among the people (i.e. the public) and the 'false teachers' in our community. False teachers among us is more difficult to identify because they are among us. They secretly introduce their destructive heresies (2:1) and exploit us with deceptive words(2:3). Jude 1:4 summarized well by saying they slipped in unnoticed and turn the grace of God into uncontrollable lust and deny Jesus Christ.

The False Teachers - Living like Animals - by instinct and no control.

1. They are with us and have many followers v2
2. They practice immorality v3 but claimed it as freedom v18.
3. They are greedy v3, and expert in greed 14.
4. They go after money no matter what (doing the wrong things) like Balaam v15
5. They go feed on their lusts like animals v10, 18. They have wild parties in broad daylight v12. There is no control.
6. They despise authority v10
7. They are arrogant and slander and insult glorious beings and things they don't understand.
8. They seduce others to follow them.
9. They promise freedom but are themselves enslaved in sins v18-19.
10. They were once with us v15.
11. They are dirt (stains and blemishes), full of adultery and cannot get enough of sin v13.
12. They are dried up springs v17. They look good on the outside but are actually useless and pitiful.

Their False Teachings - Do what you feel like to do. Be the natural you.

1. Whatever you are born with is right. (Peter describe them as irrational animals v2:12.)
2. Hence, just follow your natural instinct and passions.
3. Cast off any restraint or control. They are artificial and unnatural.
4. Feed the lusts and passions, go to the extreme, that is the way of discovering your natural self. Let your natural self come out!
5. Do whatever you feel you like to do. 
6. You are you own god. You are the authority. You don't have to obey any authority. They are just trying to stop you from growing.
7. There is no judgment, no god or god is asleep, no right or wrong.
8. There is nothing wrong to be the natural you. 

The Truth is
It is good to develop on your strength and do the things that you like and are capable to. Live life to the fullest extent. Sexual pleasure is good within the husband-wife relationship but is bad outside the relationship. We, the created beings, are not the judge of right and wrong.

Let God the creator tell us and let us live by what He tells us is good or bad. Not everything we are born with is good. Some people are unfortunately born blind. That does not make blindness good. If so, Jesus should not heal the blind men.

There are goodness and badness in what we are born with. We need to develop the good and be watchful for the bad tendency. We ask God to help and transform us through Jesus Christ, who set us free from the bondage of sins.

Their Outcome - Enslaved and Condemned

1. They are like animals born to be caught, killed and destroyed v2:12
   (Animal goes by their appetite and there is no restrain or sense for right or wrong)
2. They are suffering and will be punished v2:13
3. They are doomed to a curse v2:14
4. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them v2:17

The Eternal Truth of Condemnation for Sins and Salvation for the Righteous

The truth of judgment and condemnation for the sinners does not change. God is alive and He is the Lord.  2Pet 2:9 clearly state "the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment".

Paul tells us in Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Jude 1:15 says,  He will execute judgment on all people and convict everyone of all the ungodly things that they have done in such an ungodly way, including all the harsh things that these ungodly sinners have said about him.

Peter cited 3 examples of the past sins to show God's judgment for the evils.

1. The angels that sinned were chained and awaiting judgment. v4
2. The ancient world of Noah's time. They were destroyed by flood except Noah and his family were saved. v5
3. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burnt except Lot was saved. Jude 1:7 gave more details of sins.
4. Similarly, the present generation of immoral people will be judged as well.

The Sensitive Issue - Eternal Security of Salvation.
These verses here, especially v2:20-21, tell us that these false teachers were once enlightened with the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ. They have turned their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. These verses are used to tell us that Christians could loose their salvation and hence they need to be watchful.

Those who hold the eternal security view will say that these people are not saved in the first place, they know in the mind but not with the heart, lacking the grace empowerment of God, they find it easier to go back and follow their un-regenerated state of lusts, trapped in sins, they create new false doctrine to justify like sinful living. They distorted the grace of God to become a license for sin.

Which ever view you take, the teaching is for us to be watchful for such teachings and not be misled. Don't go back to our old ways of self-indulgence in lusts, money-seeking and sinful living.

Questions for Discussions and Applications

Q1 What are we, believers to watch out for?

Q2 What are the deceptive teachings? Are we deceived by any particular one of the teaching?

Q3 What are the behavior of such false teachers? How can we discern them? (Watch-out for taking this thing to the extreme. Don't go around suspecting or accusing people to be false teachers.)

Q4 What is the eternal truth that we learned here? What are we going to do about it?