(Chapter 2)
In the latter part of the epistle, Peter sounds a warning against two forms of evil that would characterize the Christian profession in the days when the apostles would no longer be on earth; one is false teaching (chap. 2) and the other is unbelief (chap. 3). The purpose of Peter’s exhortations in these last two chapters is to make the saints aware of these dangers, to the end that they would avoid this drift away from the truth.
The Danger of False Teachers Leading People Astray
Vs. 1—Having set forth, in chapter 1, God’s way of being kept in times when confusion and corruption come into the Christian testimony, in chapter 2, Peter explains how this deplorable state of things would come to exist. He says: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable [destructive] heresies, even denying the Lord [Master] that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” Thus, evil would come into the Christian profession through leaders going awry and teaching “perverse things” that would lead “disciples” away after themselves (Acts 20:30; Rom. 16:18; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; 1 John 2:19).
At the end of the first chapter, Peter made reference to holy men of God in Old Testament times being moved by the Spirit to communicate the truth, but in this chapter, he tells us that not all who spoke as a prophet in those days were moved by the Holy Spirit. Some were “false prophets” who masqueraded as God’s messengers and did the enemy’s work “among the people” (1 Kings 18:19; 22:6; 2 Kings 10:19; Jer. 28:10-17; 29:30-32, etc.). Peter says that it would be just the same in Christianity; corruption would come in through evil men working their way into positions of influence, and then using their influence to bring in evil. Thus, the wholesale departure from God that would characterize the mass of people in the Christian profession, in the latter days, would come in through defective leaders.
The fact that he says that these “false teachers” would rise up “among you” shows that this corruption would not come from those outside the Christian profession who reject the gospel, but from those within the Christian testimony who have professedly received the gospel! He says that these men would do their work “privily”—or “secretly,” as many translations render it. This means that they would use stealth and deception to accomplish their objectives. Peter does not occupy us with the details of their evil doctrines—such an occupation would be profitless and defiling—but he warns the saints that it was coming. In retrospect, we know that this is exactly what has happened.
Peter says that these evil workers would lead their followers into “destructive heresies.” Heresy is an outward division in the Christian testimony, wherein a party separates itself as a distinct company. These groups usually take a religious name to distinguish themselves and will have their own rules and regulations to govern the people involved in them. Thus, “heresy” is the making of a “sect” among Christians, and is translated as such in 1 Corinthians 11:19 in the J. N. Darby Translation. It is an evil that emanates from the flesh—the fallen sin-nature (Gal. 5:20). In Scripture, it is applied to divisions that developed in the Jew’s religion (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5; 26:5), and also to the divisions that would develop in Christianity (1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20; 2 Peter 2:1). A person who engineers an outward split of this kind among Christians is a “heretic” (Titus 3:10).
Heresy is commonly thought to be defined as bad doctrine and has been popularized as such by the Roman Catholic Church. Historically, that system has labeled everyone who would not uphold its doctrines as heretics. Bible teachers sometimes use the term in that way in reference to doctrinal error, but they are speaking conventionally. Heresy, as to its Scriptural meaning and usage, does not necessarily involve bad doctrine at all. G. V. Wigram tells us that the worst and most difficult kind of heresy to deal with is that which doesn’t involve bad doctrine, yet the spirit of party-making and division are there (Memorials of the Ministry of G. V. Wigram, vol. 2, p. 91). Heresy has become synonymous with bad doctrine in the minds of most Christians because heretics usually form their sect around bad doctrine.
Peter says that these heretical men would “deny the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” Some think that this means that these men were saved at one time, but because they denied the Lord they lost their soul-salvation, and as such, they will be judged along with all the rest of the world who reject the gospel. However, this is not what Peter is saying; such a notion denies the eternal security of the believer—a doctrine which Scripture clearly teaches (Luke 15:3-6; John 6:37-40; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:30-39; 1 Cor. 1:7-8; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 13:5; 1 Peter 1:5, etc.). He was saying that even though these men will assume a leading role among God’s people as teachers, they will not be real believers at all (Matt. 7:21-23). Being shams, Christ is said to be their “Master” but He is not their Lord and Saviour. (See also Jude 4.) Such a class of men are the most responsible persons on earth because they know the gospel and profess to have believed it but are not real. Since these men pose as teachers and traffic in Christian truth (the greatest light that God ever gave to man) with a design to further their own fleshly ambitions, their judgment will be the greatest of all (Luke 12:47-48).
Thinking that this verse is teaching that these men lost their soul-salvation betrays an ignorance of the Scriptural difference between the terms “bought” and “redeemed.” Bought refers to what Christ did on the cross to purchase all persons and all things in the world. He tasted death for “every thing,” and thus, has paid the price to be the Master of all (Heb. 2:9). As the Lord indicated in a parable in Matthew 13, He bought “the field,” which, as He explains, is the whole world and all who are in it (Matt. 13:38, 44). This does not mean that all men are saved, but that they all belong to Him. Bought, indicates that there has been a change of ownership (a change of masters), but not necessarily a change in a person’s condition of being lost: Redeemed goes further than being bought, to include being set free. This is a blessing that is entered upon “through faith in His blood” (Rom. 3:24-25). That is, all who in faith own Christ’s purchase on the cross are consequently redeemed, and as such, they are set free from the penalty and judgment of their sins (Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19). These false teachers that Peter speaks of here were “bought,” but it doesn’t say that they were “redeemed,” because they denied Him who made the purchase.
Their Evil Ways
Vss. 2-3—Peter then informs us of their evil ways. He says: “And many shall follow their pernicious [dissolute] ways; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned [well-turned] words make merchandise of you.” The fact that “many” will follow these false teachers shows that these heretical movements would not be small-scale endeavours; they will attract large followings. In saying that “covetousness” will play a part in these religious movements, he shows that these teachers will be in “the ministry” for personal gain, even though they will cleverly hide their motives. They will use “well-turned words” to undermine the truth and to put forth their error. Their favourite ploy is to redefine Biblical terms and expressions by putting their own false interpretations to them. These false teachers will “make merchandise” of the poor people who join their destructive heresies. This shows that money will have a large part in it. Peter assures us that “judgment” is waiting for them, and that it is well deserved.
Their Condemnation
Vss. 4-9—The Apostle then produces three examples from history that prove that this kind of wickedness will be justly recompensed with an intervention of divine judgment.
Firstly, there are the “angels” who sinned at the time of the flood. They tried to co-habit with the daughters of men and to create a sort of super race (Gen. 6:2-4), but God intervened and cast them into “the deepest pit of gloom” (Tartarus) in the abyss where they await the great day of judgment (Jude 6). At that time, they—along with the devil and all the other fallen angels—will be cast into “the lake of fire,” which is Hell (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). This 4th verse is not referring to the fall of Satan and his angels when they were cast out of the abode of God (Ezek. 28:11-19). It is referring to certain ones among those fallen angels who engaged themselves in this great wickedness at the time of the flood, and consequently, were taken and confined in the abyss. The rest of the fallen angels are still at liberty and are doing their evil work. They, too, will be captured and cast into the abyss when Christ appears (Isa. 24:21-22; Rev. 20:1-3). They will remain there through the Millennium until the great day of judgment at the end of time, when they will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
Secondly, there are the unbelievers who lived at the time of the flood who were judged by God when the waters overflowed “the world that then was” (chap. 3:6). Judgment came upon them because they refused the message of Noah, “a preacher [herald] of righteousness.” When the judgment came, Noah and his family were delivered by God’s mercy in the shelter of the ark (vs. 5).
Thirdly, there are the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who were judged by God raining down fire and brimstone upon them (vss. 6-8). As Noah’s family was spared, so also was “Lot.” He escaped the city before the judgment fell (Gen. 19). Peter does not call Lot godly, but he does say that he was “righteous,” because he was a man who had faith in God. He had a saved soul, but sadly, a lost life, because he chose to live for the things of the world rather than for the things of God. Consequently, he lost everything that he lived for! Verse 8, tells us that Lot lived an unhappy life in Sodom; his soul was “vexed” on a daily basis by the corruption that surrounded him. His life stands as a warning to all Christians who seek the world and who live for it (1 Cor. 3:15), and his wife stands as a warning to all merely-professing believers (Luke 17:32).
Vs. 9—Peter comforts our hearts by reminding us that “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of trial, and to keep the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished.” This shows that the Lord will sort out the mess and confusion present in the Christian testimony, for He knows who is real and who is not (2 Tim. 2:19). If we are truly exercised about being preserved in an evil day, regardless of how dark and difficult the times may be, we can count on God to do it.
Their Character
Vss. 10-17—In this next series of verses, Peter shows that bad doctrine leads to bad practice. It is a fact that bad doctrine affects one’s moral ways (2 Tim. 2:16). Peter divests these false teachers of their cloak, showing us their true moral condition as it is before God. The purpose of his expose` is not to occupy the saints with failure and evil—for those who are occupied with failure become a failure themselves—but to simply show us the seriousness of holding erroneous doctrine and what it leads to.
Being characterized by insubjection, these men vaunt themselves against all authority—whether human, angelic, or divine (vss. 10-11). They attack the “truth” (vs. 2) and “speak evil of the things that they understand not” (vs. 12). Consequently, they will receive “the reward of unrighteousness” in a coming day of judgment (vs. 13). Having hearts “full of adultery” and “covetous practices,” they are “children of curse” (vs. 14). Having “forsaken the right way,” they have “gone astray” after “the way of Balaam,” which is to seek riches and honour in this world (vs. 15). Balaam was rebuked, and these false teachers will be rebuked too, by way of God’s judgment (vs. 16). They are “wells without water,” promising their audiences great things, when they really have nothing to offer spiritually (vs. 17).
In saying that these evil teachers would be “among you” (vs. 1) and “with you” (vs. 13), we might wonder why Peter wouldn’t have instructed the saints to “judge” their ministry for what it was and to excommunicate them (1 Cor. 10:15; 14:29), for surely, no assembly that is Scripturally gathered should allow such wickedness to exist in its midst (1 Cor. 5:11-13; Gal. 5:7-12). However, Peter was not using the words “among” and “with,” to indicate the fellowship of the saints at the Lord’s Table, but to indicate the saints’ outward association with all that exists under the Christian banner. These men would not be in fellowship at the Lord’s Table; being heretics, they would go out from the fellowship of the saints and start their own sects in Christendom.
Their Converts
Vss. 18-22—A change in the use of the pronouns occurring in the latter verses of the chapter indicates that Peter has turned to speaking of the victims of these false teachers. He has been using the words “these” and “they” to denote the teachers, but now, in these verses, he speaks of “those” and “them” who swallow their evil teachings. He says, “While speaking great highflown words of vanity, they allure with the lusts of the flesh, by dissoluteness, those who have just fled those who walk in error, promising them liberty, while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a man is subdued, by him is he also brought into slavery [bondage].” This shows that there is a certain kind of people who fall for these evil teachings. These are “unstable [unestablished] souls” (vs. 14) who are characterized by “the lusts of the flesh” and “wantonness” (vs. 18). Being dissatisfied with the things they have pursued in the world, they turn to religion, and being of such a character as Peter describes, they will be attracted to what these men teach (2 Tim. 4:3-4). The false teachers will encourage these poor souls to indulge in the “liberty” that they themselves indulge in—which is not true Christian liberty (Gal. 5:1), but liberty for the flesh (Gal. 5:13). In doing so, they are brought into the same bondage that the teachers are in (vs. 19).
Vss. 20-21—Peter goes on to show us how responsible these people are. They come into the Christian profession, and thus, momentarily “escape the pollutions of the world.” In taking such a stand, they will be enlightened with “the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” This does not mean that they will be saved, for knowledge of Christ and faith in Christ are two different things: knowledge brings enlightenment (Heb. 6:4), but faith brings salvation (Eph. 2:8). Not being satisfied with this knowledge of Christ, and having no faith, they will turn from it and apostatize. As a result, they will become “entangled” in the errors of these false teachers and be “overcome.”
Peter says that “the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” This is because in their “beginning”—before they identified themselves with Christianity—they were less responsible. But having assumed a place in the Christian testimony wherein are great privileges and much spiritual light, they have made themselves more responsible, for the greater the light that one has received, the greater his responsibility becomes (Luke 12:47-48). To turn away from the light that one has professed to have received only brings greater judgment in their “end.” Peter, therefore, reasons that it would be: “Better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment.”
Vs. 22—He points to two unclean animals, according to the Levitical order, that illustrate the true condition of these merely professing Christians. Being enlightened with the knowledge of Christ did not change them. Like a “dog” that has “turned back to his own vomit, and the washed sow to her own rolling in mud,” these people prove by their turning back to their old ways of sin that nothing has changed in them (Prov. 26:11). The washing that Peter speaks of here is a superficial thing—the cleaning up of one’s life outwardly—it is not an inward cleansing of the soul resulting from new birth (John 3:5; 13:10; 1 Cor. 6:11) and salvation (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5). Thus, these people will undergo an outward reformation of sorts, but it won’t last long, because there has not been an inward work of God in their souls in conversion (Luke 8:13).
Summarizing chapter 2, Peter has foretold of the rise of false teachers within the Christian testimony who will teach perverse things, and as a result, will bring in destructive heresies whereby the mass of professing Christians would fall into worldliness, lawlessness, and corruption. Living in our day, we see that this is exactly what has happened in Christendom.