II Peter 2 Notes
For tomorrow morning's adult sunday school class. (passage text)
This chapter centers on one singular theme: the nature and danger of false prophets. Verses 1-3a begin the warning; 3b-10a speak of the judgment on false prophets and simultaneous preservation of the righteous; 10b-16 illuminate the character of these false prophets; 17-19 speak of their fruit; and 20-22 of the particular danger of the false prophets.
Since this chapters is so focused on this particular topic I'll try to highlight some of the themes present in the chapter and then deal with our response, instead of going verse by verse. We'll deal first with the nature, threat, and end of these false prophets.
Question 1: how does Peter describe these people? What does he say they are like?
Peter speaks of (at least) three characteristics of these false prophets. They teach wrongly, they think wrongly, and they live wrongly.
First, they teach wrongly. Peter says in verse 1 that they are bringing in "destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them." In contrast to the "sure prophetic word" just a few verses back, these people are speaking "false words" (v. 3). They are teaching divisive and destructive doctrine, even going so far as to speak wrongly and blaspheme Christ himself.
Second, they are thinking wrongly. They are "like irrational animals, creatures of instinct" who "blaspheme about matters of which they are ignorant" (v. 12). They speak "loud boasts of folly." (18) They think that they are free because they are following whatever their desires tell them, but the reality is that "they themselves are slaves of corruption." Whereas they thought they were throwing off the chains of morality, so to speak, they were merely taking on larger, more destructive chains of slavery: slavery to themselves and their fleshly desires.
And their motivations are all wrong. Instead of seeking the well-being and benefit of those around them, "they have hearts of greed." (v. 14). They are in this to look out for Number One, and only Number One.
Third, they are living wrongly. The recurring word in the Greek for their pursuit is ασελγεια, which is used quite often in the NT and given in different translations as "sensuality", "licentiousness," "lewdness," or just plain wickedness. Instead of pursuing righteousness and godliness, they are pursuing the gratification of the sinful flesh.
And it is not a half-hearted pursuit. "They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin." The word for insatiable (ακαταπαυστους ) can mean "unceasing" or "unable to stop." This is their life's ambition, the guiding and motivating purpose of all that they do.
All this paints a fearful picture indeed; hardly the ideal member of your church. (Question 2) But why is Peter so concerned? Doesn't this seem a little over the top?
One reason is that this threat is very real. Paul confidently says that "many will follow their sensuality." The picture is not of a radical weirdo picking off a few stragglers, but of a serious and formidable movement; an enemy intent on destruction. These people will have an effect ? they will cause "many" to follow them.
Another reason Peter gives is because they will "exploit" the Christians he is writing to. They will cause trials in the form of damage and destruction to even the ones who are faithful.
And, ultimately, the final reason is that they will blaspheme "the way of truth." The sad reality is that even though they are false and not truly of the flock, they will still dishonor God and provide the faithful Christians with a bad name. This can easily be seen today in the cases of priests engaged in pedophilia, or pastors committing adultery. The reputation of even the godly Christians and ultimately the name of God is marred by what they are doing and have done.
Thankfully, Peter does not end there, but goes on to show that God is in control. He compares them with the surrounding peoples of Noah and Lot. God redeemed Noah and Lot from the surrounding sin and judged the unrighteous. "Their destruction is not asleep," Peter says. Rather, God rules and governs even those that blaspheme him and will bring them their just judgment. As the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" says:
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us; The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.
And we all know what that word is
In the midst of all this, Peter starts treading on some ground that Calvinists might feel rather uncomfortable with. What makes this situation particularly bad is that these are people who should have known better. These aren't people who came out of nowhere, they "arose among the people." And it is not just a casual acquaintance with Christianity; they "have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (v. 20) They "have known the way of righteousness." (v. 21) And, to really confuse the issue, they have actually even been "bought" by "the Master." (the imagery in Greek is almost of a slave-owner buying a slave).
Now, I do think there is a way to reconcile this with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. However, I don't think our first inclination when looking at a difficult passage should be to make sure our own system of doctrine, however true it might be, is preserved. God has given this to us for our benefit, not as a mere intellectual puzzle.
So ? and this is where we'll start to move into our response to Peter's warning - (Question 3), what can we learn from this? What does this warning of those who come from the congregation of believers teach us?
Clearly, it teaches us that often the greatest dangers are from within. Throughout history, from Gnosticism, to Arianism, to the particular weaknesses of the Roman church that the Protestants fought against, to 19th century liberalism, the worst heresies have frequently come from people within the church.
I think it also serves as a warning, both to warn us away from people like that, but also to give us pause to realize that we, too, could become like that. The Bible is pretty clear that we are not to presume upon our salvation. It does not tell us "once saved, always saved," as if your eternal destiny is guaranteed because we made a commitment one day. It does tell us to "work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" and then it goes on to tell us that it is "God who works in [us]." (Phil. 2:12f) We should look at this and then turn to Jesus to humbly rely on him for grace to persevere.
Other than Peter's warning, how else can we apply this? One difficulty that must be seen is how strange this is to our own sensibilities. Today, we like to think of everyone as basically good ? with the right dialogue we can work anything out. But Peter is using dramatic language to talk of foolish, wicked people who are out to destroy everything in their path. The "bad people" in our minds are frequently the lovable conmen ? Robin Hood, the characters of Ocean's Eleven, or Nicholas Cage in The Matchstick Men. Peter is talking about deadly evil: Saurons, Gollums, evil witches, and orcs. We just don't want to think in these categories. This is, literally, hellfire and brimstone. I'd much rather talk about God's grace and love. Having to speak on this topic is like having to be that weirdo on the street corner with the sign "The End is Near."
So, if nothing else, perhaps this passage serves to shake us our of our comfort zone, to realize the depth and the seriousness of the struggle we are involved in. And to realize the stakes at hand: there is no middle ground between judgment or deliverance. In Peter's cosmology, God will either redeem you or he will destroy you.
Beyond that, this passage needs to be seen in the larger context of 2 Peter. The first chapter is an encouragement to stand firm, to grow, and to trust in the Scriptures. The last chapter deals with the certainty of God's coming and further commands to be faithful. This chapter is almost like the photographic negative of the other two ? it is showing both what the nature and wages of sin are. "Be holy and know the Scriptures, so that when false prophets come you will be ready."
One of the notable things I found while searching through Scripture to find what the word for "sensuality" (ασελγεια) meant and how it was used, was that it is frequently used to juxtapose the work of the flesh with the work of the Spirit. In Galatians 5, for example, it is listed as a fruit of the flesh before Paul goes on to speak of the fruits of the Spirit. The implicit encouragement is to not be like that. We are to seek to be indwelt and ruled by the desires of Christ, not of our flesh.
And, lastly, this is an encouragement to trust in God's mighty hand. He is the one who is above even those that are blaspheming. Even when times are difficult and fearful, we are to trust his wisdom and grace.
Further discussion topics: modern false prophets, ways to discern, humility in discernment, Peter's warning and assurance of salvation.
May 8, 2004 09:43 PM