2 Peter: Jesus Is the One Who Guards Us from The False Teaching
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2 Peter: Jesus Is the One Who Guards Us from The False Teaching
2 Peter Chapter 2:1-3 (ESV)
1 But, false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Let me show you some pictures and tell me which one of these are Real and Fake? You will never know which one is fake or real unless you see it closer or probably if you owned one. This is the most successful scheme in our world today, selling fake stuff and now we have fake news. Counterfeits are nothing new even in the church. Satan is the great imitator and masters of lies. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Our study today is 2nd letter of Peter to the Jews and the gentiles. This was written 1 or 2 years after his 1st letter. There are 3 chapters within this book and a very short book.
Recipients of the letters were believers from Asia Minor and elsewhere. Peter wrote this letter in Rome about AD 65-67 and chapter 2 of 2nd Peter is the dominant theme of the book according to several commentators.
Peter talks about “False Teachers” and “False Prophets”, and Chapters 1 & 3 are Peter’s teaching on knowledge and growing and how we can guard ourselves from being deceived and be equipped to deal with the false teachers through the knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
This book contains the final exhortations and warnings of an aging and approaching death of Peter. In chapter 1:13 he said, “I know that putting off my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me”. He wanted to leave by helping the suffering Christians and reminding them of the great hope they received from Jesus Christ and to expose the false teachers.
There are two parts of this study first part is the Portrait of a False Teachers and the second part is Growing in knowledge of the Truth. Let’s start with Part 1.
Part 1. The Portrait/Picture of a False Teachers.
Peter has 22 verses within the 2nd chapter of his letter to expose the false teachers. Let’s go to verse 1 of chapter 2. It said “But,” Let’s stop there for a bit and I think this is an important transition from the previous chapter 1 of v. 21. It should be just a continuation from this verse the same chapter:
V.21 He says no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will. That's not how God's Word was written. But men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
He says God's sure and true word was written by eyewitnesses inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Word of God, so that Scripture is not an invention of men but the true and sure word of God. These are God’s anointed prophets/apostles, and they wrote His Word.
Then there is a warning in next chapter. Verse 1 of Chapter 2, Peter said: “But false prophets also arose among the people.”
What does it mean? He is also saying that Satan has his own prophets and teachers just as God. It’s a continuation of his thought. But Peter emphasized the importance of the next topic. I think he doesn’t want the reader to missed it which False prophets and teachers. Let’s continue.
“among the people” He was referring to the nation of Israel and the Gentiles general population.
It is not just in the NT but also in the OT that the false prophets existed, and they were effective in their schemes and lies. Let see in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 23:14, it says: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, `Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord.”
In 2 Peter 2:1, it says “just as there will be false teachers among you.” This is really a challenging time for the apostles and believers despite the persecutions, there are also false teachers and prophets among them and maybe Peter recognized this and right away warned and reminded the believers. Now, he was talking about the church, and professing Christians whom the objective was to misled believers from the apostles teaching.
Their methods are deceptive, and they will teach heresies and deny Christ. Let’s enumerate, summarize, and identify the methods of deceptions and heresies of the False Teachers as Peter noted in Chapter 2, verses 1-3:
A) “They will secretly bring in destructive heresies”
Do you know a person telling you that he is a spy? These false teachers appear among believers as members, leaders, or even as Pastors of the church pretending to be what they are not that leads to division of churches. They work under cover. They bring in false teaching and maligning the truth. In the Old Testament and New Testament time and all through the History of Israel they are very busy and effective.
I think Peter’s reminder is not just in his time but also appropriate in our time that there are false teachers among us that will lead us to destruction (condemn).
(Picture) In New Zealand a goat is being used to lead the sheep to a slaughterhouse and they call the goat “Judas Goat”. It’s sad and tragic that some churches made a virtue out of tolerance of unscriptural teachings and ideas. (Love & Unity)
B) “Even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon them swift destruction”
It is about heresies that denying the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. These are Christians who claim Christ and speak of Christ but denied Lordship in their lives. They don’t want to be under the authority of Jesus and want to live in their own terms and ways.
Do you the know scariest verse in the Bible? Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus followed up in Matthew 7:23 “Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you, away from me, you evildoers”. The next words are “Swift destruction” that mean physical death or judgement at the return of Christ.
C) “And many people will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
Many will follow their lust of the flesh and refuse to live an obedient servant to Christ and His word. They will claim to be a believer but destructively infect other people and discredits the gospel. Their lives deny what their teaching. In other words, “heresy” is not simply false doctrine; it is false living based on false doctrine. Blasphemed - They will mock the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus reminds the apostle about this false teacher in Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets who come to you in a sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” This is the way our Lord Jesus Christ described them. These are shepherds disguising as a sheep but there are dangerous wolves that will lead the believers to condemnation.
D) “And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words”
Peter observed what they want or motives. It is not the love of truth but the love of money. They exploit people through their lies. V.14 They want to be rich and be popular. A quote from Joel Osteen “God wants us to prosper financially to have plenty of money to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.”
E) Their condemnation from long ago is not idle and their destruction is not asleep. Based on these words, God will not hold or stop the false teacher’s condemnation but will remain active until the last days.
Unfortunately, the false teaching will be more popular than the true way as mentioned in v. 2) but then, Jesus said that the leaven of false doctrine would permeate the whole lump (Matt. 13:33). Leaven (yeast) means with the small amount of yeast will make a whole loaf of bread rise. It will influence and permeate means spread throughout. People will choose to follow the false teachers because they exalt themselves rather than Christ, and many people love to worship popular and successful people. Also, the false way makes it easy to live in sin while pretending to practice a religious life.
Here people want to hear the good things and positive teachings. They don’t want the rebuke, the correction, and they don’t want to hear the truth. They only want to hear what pleases them.
These false teachers depart from the Spirit-given words of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:9–16) and manufacture their own words to fit their own doctrines and desires. They take familiar Bible words and bring out a new meaning for them. In each of these cases, the persons involved had a form of religion but not the true faith that empowers the life (2 Tim. 3:5).
Before Christ comes back, there will be a great deal of “religion” in the world, but it will not be true faith in Him.
Peter also mentioned that God can preserve and deliver His true saints. God did it in the time of Noah, in the time of Lot and many other characters in the bible.
These false teachers may seem to be successful and protected, but one of these days God will destroy them. v.4 “For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains”
Part 2. Knowledge of Truth and Growing in Grace.
Now let’s go to the Second part. The key word for this chapter is “Knowledge” or “Know” it is used at least 13 times in this short book.
Peter explains on this letter that knowledge, not just knowledge, but “knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ” is an important element for us because this knowledge of truth will protect us from the enemies. The word does not mean a mere intellectual understanding of some truth, though it is included, but it means a living participation of the truth, means our knowledge of the truth should show in our lives or living it. The truth that our salvation is only from God and Jesus whom God has sent.
Here are the components that Jesus will guard us from false prophets. We will go back to the 1st chapter of 2 Peter.
A. Knowledge of your Salvation. (Gift/not of our own works)
v.1 To those who have obtained the faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. v2. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:.
Knowledge of your salvation is an essential defense against false teaching. If you have the hope of Salvation you are protected from the lies against false teaching. That is only if you have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Satan will come to doubt your salvation and the work of God will be thwarted. Salvation is a personal experience, through knowing Jesus Christ through faith.
In John 17:3, salvation in Christ was defined as “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. That our salvation is not based on your ability and good works it is a gift from God as noted in Ephesians 2:8-9. It is not enough simply to know about Christ, but we must also know Him personally (Phil. 3:10).
When we put our faith in Him, He gives us His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and He becomes our Savior. The right relationship with Jesus will protect us from the lies of Satan.
There will also be false Gospel and false Christ. Prosperity Gospel is a good example, and it is about getting rich, and it teaches about Jesus is a means to health, wealth, and prosperity as opposed to a Savior who reconciles us to God. Another false gospel is “Personal Gospel” or “Self-Help” Gospel which is about self-centeredness. It is also commonly known as “Me Movement” where personal feeling has become more important as well as thoughts and actions. The common focus is about own self and not about the redeeming Jesus as the Savior.
However, if self-centeredness will become the primary focus and not Jesus, we will no longer be making disciples as Jesus commanded. The pure Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus that satisfied our greatest need: to be forgiven from all of our sins and be reconciled with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Anything added to the cross is undermining the grace of God.
Galatians 1:6-9 says, “6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one, we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
We have all that what we need for life and godliness through the divine power we received in this life v. 4 “as a partaker of the divine nature.” This divine power will help us in our journey as Christians. Why? because, true Christian has been born into God’s family and has God’s nature within. The problem is people live “like Christ” on the outside but lack this divine nature on the inside. They are deceived and defeated. Contrast 2 Peter 2:20–22.
What does this mean? There should be a transformation in our lives and that will bring us to our 2nd point knowledge of Sanctification.
B. Knowledge of your Sanctification. (Growing/maturing)
v.5 “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue.”
There is something beyond the new birth; there is growth or maturity. It is not enough to be born into God’s family. Peter had listed spiritual characteristics or virtues that should be seen in the believer’s life and I know that each virtue will helps us. Phils. 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Don’t just relax and waste your time but serve Christ who sacrificed His life for us so we can be separated from this fallen world.
With our faith with God’s (saving faith) and God’s virtue. We have been saved so we need to work out on our salvation (1 Peter 2:9). The only way to prove our faith is by living a life of virtue. What virtue?
Faith with virtue, we add the
a) “Virtue with knowledge or moral discernment.” - Christians must be able to discern what is right from what is wrong.
b) “Knowledge with Self-control” - disciplines or self-restrained like an athlete
c) “Self-control with steadfastness” - patience, or endurance especially in times of trials.
d) “Steadfastness with godliness” - to be Godly is to live reverently, loyally, and obediently to Christ. This also means right worship and dependence on God and having a devoted life to Christ.
e) “Brotherly affection with love” – this is the last virtue which means a love for the people of God. It is about charity, or love, which wraps all the virtues into one.
There are three characteristics of Christians that are not growing:
(1) They are stagnant or idle – they don’t want to do anything for Christ.
(2) They are unfruitful – lacking knowledge of Christ that resulted to unproductive life.
(3) They are blind, lacking spiritual insight, spiritually “near-sighted.”
Behind this lack of spiritual development is a poor memory, forgetting what God has done for them through Christ that’s why for 2nd time, Peter says, “Be diligent!”. Christian does not save himself or keep himself saved; but it is his responsibility to be sure he has the marks of a true believer (1 Thes. 1:4–5). We must ask and evaluate ourselves? John Macarthur said, “Any theology that divorce faith from conduct is heresy.” - Faith + knowledge + divine nature = maturity.
C. Knowledge of your Scriptures. (Foundation/Ground)
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,[a] with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
But how can we be sure that this message is the true Word of God?” Peter answers this question by referring to his experience as they witness Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–13; Luke 9:27–36).
The Gospel message is not a short story that men invented to deceive others. It is based on the historical truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Peter refers to the return of Christ in glory, an event that was foreshadowed, Christ revealed His glory, as He will when He returns to earth.
Peter is saying, “We have Christ’s Transfiguration to assure us that the kingdom will come; but we also have the sure Word of prophecy that has been verified by the Transfiguration.” Meaning a change of form of appearance of Jesus Christ as He ascended to heaven, and they heard a voice from heaven “This is my beloved Son with whom I am pleased.” This affirms the deity of Christ.
Bros. and Sis, we are living in a dark world, and the Word of God is the only dependable light we have in this world. We must continue to pay attention meditate on God’s Word and not lean on the ideas of men.
I know and I believe that one day, Christ will return and take His people home and we will be with Him forever. What a glorious day that would be. Amen!
Remember, the Spirit gave the Word, and the Spirit must teach us the Word (1 Cor. 2:9–16; John 14:26; 16:13–14). We thank God that our Bible is sure! We can trust it because God gave it to us.
If we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, if we are diligently pursuing moral excellence through the divine nature God gave us and if we have the knowledge of a true foundation of God’s word, with all these things, we will be fruitful and effective in this life and Jesus Christ will protect and guard us from the false teachers. Amen!
Let’s pray.
2 Peter Chapter 1: 2-11; 21
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
-Rev. Roldan Manlapig