2 Peter 2
If there was ever any question about how early Christian leaders
felt about false teachers and their doctrines, the answer is found
here. Just as knowledge of the truth is the friend of spiritual life
and growth, error and heresy are the death of the same. God does not call
upon believers to embrace these false teachers as brethren, but to identify and
point them out as dangerous. Peter tells us something about the
punishment, character, and techniques of false teachers and thus he safeguards
true believers from their deceptions. Such false ministers are the worst kind
of predators. Just as a tiger aggressively hunts its prey, these religious
hunters stalk and pursue the souls of the unsuspecting….
First, the false teachers gather among true believers and they
place their erroneous teachings right alongside truth trying to pass them off
as legitimate. This they do secretly to avoid
exposure. One of the principle heresies they pander is a denial of
the Lordship of Jesus Christ who redeemed all men with His own
blood. They are also very successful in their endeavors because
“many shall follow their pernicious ways” and as a result the true way of
righteousness has been and will be scandalized and discredited. Yes, they are
not only effective hunters of men, but they are extremely successful predators
who pollute the souls of those who do not follow them. One consequence is the
unsaved individual rejects real Christianity along with these religious fakes.
They believe the false churches, false teachers, fake preachers and false books
are actual representatives of the real Christian Faith. Beloved, nothing could
be farther from the truth! These are wolves and real Christians are
sheep.
What motivates these religious impostors? Covetousness
manifested by an extreme form of greed for money, and inordinate cravings of
the fallen nature of men. They use their ‘teaching ministries’ to make a
lucrative business of religion. They constantly appeal to saints and
sinners alike for money, offerings, contributions, and support. They are not
ashamed of asking others to sacrifice or ‘sow some seeds’ while they live in
absolute ridiculous wealth. They seem to attract followers by using
high-sounding words filled with no meaning at all. Examine their teachings
closely comparing them carefully to the Scriptures and you will see what I
mean. They are saying nothing of any real consequence! Much like their claims
of spiritual attainment, their messages are without reality—hypocrites.
The judgment of these error panderers is certain as stated
throughout this section of Scripture (2 Peter 2). In fact, God’s
punishment against such liars is “swift destruction.” In addition, God says
their punishment will not be delayed nor is it asleep. He will not
spare, but deal with them mercilessly and thoroughly as He did before with the
angels who sinned and rebelled against Him. They were cast directly down to the
dark dungeons of hell for incarceration until the day they will be belched out
into the lake of fire. While God’s judgment of these fakes may not be
immediate, it is nevertheless certain. Do not desire nor follow their ways.
Another example of how fiercely and pitilessly Jehovah will
penalize the truth offenders can be seen in his total condemnation of the
entire world except Noah and his family. Remember, God did indeed judge the
whole planet with a worldwide flood! This same righteous judgment of God was
echoed in the days of Abraham when Sodom and Gomorrah were roundly condemned in
punitive fires of retribution. In this instance God targeted specific cities
and dealt with them according to their sins. Beloved, God can judge with flood,
fire, and anything else He deems appropriate. God knows how to overthrow the
wicked and these past episodes serve as warnings to the ungodly of all ages.
These examples also assure real believers that a just and righteous God will
deal with these false teachers of our time.
God is equally skilled in delivering the tempted believer and
suffering saint out of the very midst of devastating judgment. He
did so with Noah and with Lot and He will do so for the believer grieved with
the sight and pervasive decadence of sin in the world. Believers
will not have to endure always with the general cultural climate of the world,
nor be vexed with the lies and lifestyles of false teachers. Righteousness will
be vindicated in God’s perfect timing; we do not need to worry about whether He
will do this.
But how can a believer identify a false teacher? What
is typical of their errors? Peter tells us they are carnal, unclean,
rebellious, presumptuous, self-willed, and proud. Fake preachers and deceivers
make much of prosperity and “blessings” in this life and world. They portray
immediate benefits and gratification as the most desirable prospect. They are
enslaved to their passions, corrupt to their core, rejecters of officials and
authorities, arrogant and slanderous. They promote personal advantage and
self-fulfillment as the truly worthwhile endeavors. As such, they are like wild
animals fit for the slaughter—godless predators. They are men and
women who will perish in the corruption they orchestrated. They can rightly
anticipate “the reward of unrighteousness.”
Peter tells us again of these error teachers intimate associations
with the churches of the Lord. They have not only invaded good churches, but
they have started their own religious organizations. Either way they are still
considered “Christian” by the public and non-discerning believers. These living
contradictions appeared at the fellowships and feasts of the
believers. Perhaps even at the communion table of our Lord
Jesus. Yet, they were entrenched habitual sinners whose hearts were
highly trained in the craft of covetousness. These greedy deceivers along with those
who follow them wish to “use” the Christian Faith to advance their businesses,
secure material wealth, achieve fame and success, or sell their poisons and
snake oil to the unsuspecting and naive. They are fit to be cursed
and separated from God forever.
Like Balaam money, fame and sex compelled them in their
madness. This affords us insight into their tricks of the trade or
their techniques for gathering a following. Money, prosperity, wealth,
extravagance, power, and success are terms and ideas they value highly. Sexual
perversions of all kinds tend to characterize these assemblies and
organizations. Anything from multiple wives, adulteries-wife sharing, preying
on children--pedophiles, sex outside of marriage, homosexual behaviors to
forbidding marriage for their priests are practiced, endorsed and encouraged.
Some groups emphasize unharnessed self-indulgence and others on the opposite
end of the spectrum promote extreme asceticism. While they made enticing
promises, they themselves are completely void of any real hope. They take
‘giving people what they want’ to an entirely new level. In other movements
abstinence from certain foods, days, and even marriage are regarded as keys to
devotion or salvation itself. When they appealed to people’s fallen lower
cravings with the guarantee of liberty, they themselves were enslaved in hard
bondage to vices. They were and are altogether overcome with damning
corruptions.
Their followers eventually experienced great disappointment,
frustration, greater bondage, and disillusionment. Even though they use the
Bible to support their teachings and claims, the “promises” they propagate do
not come true. These false teachers seemed to prey on the ‘seekers’—those
inquiring of Christ and beginning to investigate the gospel. Some of
these victims have made some decent reforms under the influence of
Christianity, but have not yet trusted Christ as Lord and
Savior. But, they became entangled and overcome by the lies of the
false teachers. As a result, their end is far worst then their
beginning. They now are aware of the gospel, but have fallen prey to
deceptions. Their guilt before God is compounded. These people who
had ‘cleaned up their acts’ have returned to the same lifestyle the sin nature
dominates. Much like wild dogs and hogs. They simply
follow their natural inclinations—devouring and wallowing in filth and
sin.
As you can see God says nothing good about these religious
predators! I personally believe a special miracle from God is required to
deliver people from these poisons and movements. Beloved, do not be fooled by
these smooth talking tale tellers. What they promise always sounds too good to
be true. This is because their teachings are not true. Just because they are
popular, are selling books, appear on television, and have a spot on the
Christian radio station does not mean they are God’s servants. Do not be fooled
by their ‘success’, the size of their churches, their impressive material
wealth, the number of academic degrees they possess, incredible worship centers, beauty
of their cathedrals, or mega-church status! The size of a church's or a movement's following does not in anyway serve as an indication that God is involved in that movement. The New Testament is still reliable
as the primary source for guidance on the Christian Faith. Also, there are
still very good churches and pastors who seek to honor God, the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Spirit above all else. Typically, they rely on the
Scriptures, preach Christ crucified, buried, risen and coming
again. The Bible is their final authority and their mission is to
take the Gospel of Peace to the entire world. True Bible teachers and preachers
believe that salvation is by grace and through faith without any human efforts
to earn acceptance by God. Like the Lord Jesus, they willingly sacrifice
greatly to share Christ and the Gospel with the world who needs Him. Beloved,
please take this warning to heart to stay away from the worst kind of
predators.
