2 Peter 2:1-22 (CSB)
Last week, we talked about the need for first-hand experiential knowledge of God. We saw how Peter has been saying we need to increase this epignosis knowledge of God. Back in 2 Peter 1:3, he wrote, “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” That knowledge is not just knowing about God, but knowing Him personally, experientially. We are to strive to know God more and add to our faith by supplementing our faith with goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. And he said in verse 10, that if we do this, then we will “confirm” our calling and election and never stumble. And, this is so important, because as he said in verse 11, “For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” We need to do this so we grow and mature in faith, because if we don’t, we will be in danger of stumbling and falling away.
That is why, now in chapter 2, Peter explains the danger that faced the believers at that time. He says the prophets of the past had to deal with false prophets who were trying to deceive the people, and Peter wants to warn the people he’s writing to that false prophets or false teachers will arise among them, too. Let’s read the first three verses. It says, “1 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.”
The situation they were having to deal with is the same situation we face today. There is no question that false prophets and false teachers have arisen within the church and will continue to rise up. They have certainly brought in “destructive heresies.” All one has to do is go on the internet for just a moment, and you’ll be bombarded by untruth about God and His word. The worst heresies are coming from some of the most popular preachers today. There are pastors who are telling Christians to “unhitch” from the Bible. Others promote evolution and do not believe in a literal six days of creation. Others promote the celebration and acceptance of sinful lifestyles or proclaim that Jesus approves of abortion. Other false prophets say that salvation is available only to the elect, and that God chooses to send all others to hell. All of these false teachers are in grave danger. We should pray that they repent and change so they may avoid destruction.
That last heresy I mentioned is actually addressed here in this passage. In Ellicott’s Commentary, he says, “This text is conclusive against Calvinistic doctrines of partial redemption; the Apostle declares that these impious false teachers were redeemed by Jesus Christ.” I don’t wish to get into all the details of the false doctrine of limited atonement, but by Peter’s words, we see that Jesus’ death on the cross purchased salvation for all people who would follow Him. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:18-19, we were redeemed or bought by the precious blood of Christ. Even these false prophets, who are “denying the Master who bought them” are included in that redemption. That means that if they would repent and come to faith in Jesus, then they, too, would be saved. Jesus paid the price and purchased the salvation of the world: that means that all who believe in Him can be saved.
Maybe you are asking, but why is destruction coming for these false prophets and teachers? Isn’t it just a matter of personal preference or interpretation of scripture? No, Peter says they face destruction because their false ideas don’t just affect them. Verse 2 says, “Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them.” Their heresies don’t just affect them personally. They are spreading these lies and the truth is “maligned because of them.” The word translated as maligned, according to the Berean Strong’s Lexicon is blasphémeó, and it means, “To blaspheme, to speak evil of, to slander, to revile.” They are slandering God by spreading lies about Him. In some instances, these heresies are gravely harming people. They are placing stumbling blocks in front of people, and the warning from Jesus about the people who harm the faith of others is most severe. He says, as quoted in Matthew 18:6, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Peter is echoing that warning of judgement. He says the future judgement that these false prophets and teachers will face “does not sleep.” Their destruction will not end. They will be condemned and punished. He details their judgement in the next few verses. And as Ellicott also says, verses 4-8 detail, “three instances of divine vengeance, proving that great wickedness never goes unpunished.” Peter says in verses 4-10, “4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment; 5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) — 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10a especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.”
I really appreciate that this text doesn’t just tell us about the judgment that people faced. It also reminds us of the people whom the Lord sparred and rescued from judgement. Ellicott asks an insightful question about this positive reminder. He says, “Is it fanciful to think that these lights in a dark picture are characteristic of one who had himself ‘denied the Master who bought him,’ and yet had been preserved like Noah and rescued like Lot?”
I agree with Ellicott that it is fitting to assume that Peter is thinking of his past denial of the Lord, but more than that, it is simply characteristic of the Lord. This is exactly why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross. He died so we can be made righteous. When we are converted and come to faith in Him, He declares us righteous. We are protected, through Jesus’ blood, from the judgement that is to come. It has and always will be the Lord’s divine nature to protect and “to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” as verse 9 says. Thanks be to Jesus who rescues us believers from this judgement.
But note what verse 10a says about those who will face the judgement. It’s the unrighteous, but “especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.” Let’s look at that phrase more closely.
Some translations say “government” instead of authority. But this word for authority, according to the Berean Strong’s Lexicon is kuriotés, and it means, “Dominion, Lordship, Authority.” This word would include any and all authority, but we should think first of God’s dominion. He’s saying these people despise the authority and dominion of the Lord, but I think it’s safe to add that they also despise the authority of the church, family, and any form of government which seeks to restrain their evil ways.
We see this same word in Jude 1:8, which says, “In the same way these people—relying on their dreams—defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones.” Which, interestingly enough, is very similar to what Peter continues to talk about in the next few verses.
In verses 10b-12 he says, “10b Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones; 11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—slander what they do not understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed.”
Some translations say in verse 10b, “they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” In the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, it says, “This passage, with the parallel in Jude, suggests the inference that the undue ‘worshipping of angels’ in the Judaizing Gnosticism which had developed out of the teaching of the Essenes (Colossians 2:18) had been met by its more extreme opponents with coarse and railing mockery as to all angels whether good or evil, and that the Apostle felt it necessary to rebuke this license of speech as well as that which paid no respect to human authority.”
I think it’s clear that Peter is referencing the slander of angels, because he says that unlike these people who slander the angels, the “angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord.” Which, if I may add, these people would probably deserve. But of course, to slander is to make a false statement about someone, so angels would not do this.
Peter continues this thought and says in verse 13, that judgement awaits these people. He says, “13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you.”
If these people are feasting with the believers, then that means they have infiltrated their assemblies. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are claiming to be believers, but they are impostors. As verse 14 says, “14 They have eyes full of adultery that never stop looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse!”
Would you agree that this is happening within the Church today? Shockingly, there are many nominal Christians who look no different from the world. They do exactly what Peter is describing. They “follow the polluting desires of the flesh” and embrace immorality.
Then, in verses 15-16, he adds an example of who these people are like. He says, “15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness 16 but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.”
If you know who Balaam is, then you will understand this reference, but let me explain who Balaam is for those who don’t know. Balaam is a reference to the prophet in Numbers, who had a donkey who talked to him. I think that incredible part of Balaam’s story probably overshadows what else we might remember about him. Balak, the king of Moab, wanted Balaam to curse Israel so he could wipe them out. But Balaam could not curse them because, as he said in Numbers 23:8, “How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the Lord has not cursed?” Every time Balaam spoke, it was a word of blessing to the Israelites because God would not let him curse them. So, instead, Balaam found another way to curse them. As Revelation 2:14 summarizes the rest of the story, “But I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.”
This is another example of why we need to read the whole Bible. It isn’t until Revelation, which is the last book of the Bible, that we see the end of the story of Balaam and why Peter and Jude reference him. As Jude 1:11 says, false teachers “have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit.” They were telling believers it was okay to do things that directly contradicted the word of God.
They were acting just like the wicked false prophets of today. All for the sake of money, just like Balaam, there are false prophets today who are teaching people to live immoral lives by wrongly telling believers that it’s okay to do things that directly contradict the word of God. They tell believers that their actions don’t matter. They teach them it is okay to live however they please and they teach this false gospel of cheap grace because it keeps their churches filled and their books selling. They are following Balaam’s plan for popularity. But like Balaam, their end will come, and they will face judgement.
Looking closer at the verse from Jude, we see that this whole section is almost identical to what Peter is writing. Jude 1:8-11 says, “In the same way these people—relying on their dreams—defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones. Yet when Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil in an argument about Moses’s body, he did not dare utter a slanderous condemnation against him but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct—like irrational animals—by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.”
The fact that these letters are so similar has led to a great deal of debate about which book was written first. There is no consensus because we are uncertain when either Jude or 2 Peter was written. I think it’s safe to assume that 2 Peter was written first, though, for it seems like Jude quotes from it. In Jude 1:17-18, he writes, “But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They told you, ‘In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.’”
No matter which was written first, what is clear is that these words of warning are so important that the Lord wanted two different people to write about it. I think we would be wise to pay special attention to these warnings: there are false teachers who are purposely trying to deceive people and misrepresent Christ, therefore we must know who God is, so we are not taken in by their lies. We must have that first-hand, experiential knowledge of God, so when we encounter false doctrines, deceptions and lies, we can spot them and reject them. If we don’t know God and don’t know His word, then we will be in danger of adopting these false prophet’s propaganda. All of us must be on guard and know the word of God so we can recognize and reject false ideas about God. If we don’t, then we are in danger of being led astray.
Back to our text, Peter continues describing these false prophets and teachers. He says in verses 17-19, “17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. 18 For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.”
There is a lie of the devil that tells people that freedom means being free to sin. But this is a lie. Freedom is not a license to sin. If we sin, we are binding ourselves as slaves to sin. True freedom is found in being forgiven and washed clean. Jesus died on the cross in order to set us free from sin. So many false teachers promise people exactly what Peter describes. They tell people they are free to live however they want, because there is “freedom in Christ” so they can “follow their heart” and “live their best life” fulfilling their fleshly desires. This is a trap. It’s a scheme of the devil, designed to bring the curse of sin into peoples’ lives, just like Balaam did.
Fellow Christians, let us not be deceived. If we have come to a knowledge of God, if we have said yes to following Jesus, if we have repented of our sin and accepted Christ, then we have no business participating in the sinful activities of the world. Any pastor or teacher who tells you otherwise is not of God. They are leading you astray.
If we listen to the lies and become enslaved to sin, then we are in danger of becoming the people whom Peter describes next. Verses 20-22 say, “20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, ‘A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.’”
If we repent of sin, but then go back and embrace the sin we were forgiven of again, then we are like dogs going back to our vomit. That’s a really disgusting illustration, but I think that’s the point. Sin should be disgusting to us. We should be repulsed by it. We shouldn’t go back to our old sin. And we certainly shouldn’t listen to anyone who would tell us it’s fine, either. For if we go back, our “last state is worse” than before. Peter says, “it would have been better” if we had never known righteousness than, after knowing it, turn back.
That is a terrifying warning, is it not? It makes me think of what Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 12:43-45, which says, “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”
These people who fall away are worse off than they were before. They came to saving faith in Jesus, were washed clean and forgiven. But then they went back to their sins and became “entangled” in sin again and it defeated them. Some commentators say these people that Peter is describing were never true Christians. But they are wrong. According to the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, “The word for ‘knowledge’ in the Greek is the compound form (ἐπίγνωσις) which had been used by St Peter (in chap. 2 Peter 1:2-3; 2 Peter 1:8), of the highest form of knowledge which is spiritual as well as speculative. The false teachers had not been all along hypocrites and pretenders. They had once in the fullest sense of the words ‘known Christ’ as their Lord and Saviour. There is, perhaps, no single passage in the whole extent of New Testament teaching more crucial than this in its bearing on the Calvinistic dogma of the indefectibility of grace. The fullest clearness of spiritual vision had not protected these heresiarchs from the temptations of their sensuous nature.” In other words, these people who have fallen away had at one time known Christ. They had possessed an experiential knowledge of God. But it obviously wasn’t enough. They stopped following Him. They returned to their life of sin. It is possible to fall away from the Lord. It is possible to lose your faith and lose salvation.
Just as it is not enough to simply know about God, it is also not enough to have first-hand experiential knowledge of God: we must also put our faith into action. We must not become entangled again in the sin that Christ has set us free from. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to study God’s word and hold on to the truth so we can combat all the lies of the enemy. Let us lay off every sin that would entangle us, for if we don’t, we are in danger of falling away. If we listen to the lies of the enemy, and we embrace sin, we could end up just like these former believers whom Peter is describing.
Pray: Heavenly Father, we confess that we are in great need of Your help. Please help us to hold on to the truth in Your word. Help us to be careful to follow all of Your commands. Help us to never return to a life of sin. We want to hold on to the freedom from sin that You have given to us through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Please guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, so we may follow You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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