False teachers will be ultimately judged as sure as God’s judgment of fallen angels, the wicked of the Antediluvian period of Noah’s day, and the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The false teachers were a constant plague to the church in the first century, however, Peter informs us that they will be ultimately judged. II Peter 2:10-22 may be outlined as follows:
I. A Depiction of the True Nature of False Teachers – II Peter 2:10-16
II. The Destruction of False Teachers – II Peter 2:17-22
I. A Depiction of the True Nature of False Teachers – II Peter 2:10-16
First of all, Peter informs us that false teachers indulge in the flesh, that is, sexual perversion. Liberal teaching will lead to loose living! The false teachers also disregard or despise authority, even God’s authority! They were really Antinomians. The Antinomians hold that under the Gospel dispensation of grace, the moral law is of no effect because faith alone is necessary to salvation. However, grace does not teach that we should live disgraceful lives! Not only do the false teachers indulge in the flesh, despise authority, these reckless false teachers were even presumptuous or daring and obstinate in their conduct and actions.
In verse 11, false teachers even speak in disdain of angels, unfallen angels; however, unfallen angels do not denounce them but leave all judgment unto God.
In verse 12, like ferocious animals, they acted from their instinct with a natural desire to catch and destroy! Peter considered the false teachers to be extremely dangerous, although they will come to a corrupt end; that is, the false teachers will be eternally punished. They proclaim evil on things they do not understand.
In verses 13-14, God will inflict punishment on the wrong the false teachers have done as they revel in their dissolute behavior. They reveled in their pleasures in daylight. They turned the love feast of the church into a drinking party. Peter harshly denounced the habitual behavior of these false teachers. They were adulteress, seeking to commit adultery with everyone they saw (v. 14). They seduced those who were not steadfast. In their greed, they were never satisfied, therefore they are an accursed brood.
In verses 15-16, the false teachers were guilty of religious fraud as Balaam, the son Beor. Balaam urged the Moabites to seduce the Israelite men into illicit relationship with the Moabite women, bringing immorality into Israel’s camp. Balaam, greed for wages was hired by Balak, King of Moab, to curse God’s people. Enroute to cursing God’s people, Balaam was riding on an ass; however, when the ass saw the Angel of the Lord along the way, the ass refused to go in the desired path. In anger, Balaam smote the ass three times. It took a donkey to stop the prophet in his madness (Numbers 25:1-3, 31:16). The donkey was smarter than Balaam!
Having discussed I. A Depiction of the True Nature of False Teachers – II Peter 2:10-16, let us observe II. The Destruction of False Teachers – II Peter 2:17-22.
II. The Destruction of False Teachers – II Peter 2:17-22
Peter assured that judgment awaits false teachers, continue to inform believers of the destructive nature of false teachers. These false teachers continued to wreak havoc on the church through their underhanded and cunning ability to capitalize on the weakness of the unstable. The unstable are those who are not equipped in the word! Peter informs us in verse 17 that we should not expect to receive a blessing from these apostate for they are: “springs without water, and mists driven by a tempest or storm.”
Instead of receiving a refreshing drink from a spring or welcoming shower from clouds, there will be no benefit at all, and one would be disappointed! Peter states again that judgment awaits these apostates: eternal punishment (v.17; Matthew 8:12). These apostates propagate or spread propaganda that is worthless, designed to deceive those who are vulnerable or unstable. They use cunning words to allure the unstable into licentious (sinful) behavior (v. 18).
According to verse 19, the false teachers promise liberty, but lead people into bondage. Peter advances this thought: “How can people who are slaves of sin themselves ever set anybody free!
In verses 20-22, Peter writes about those apostates who professed to know the truth but did not embrace the new life of Christ. They were rejectors of the truth; thus, they were professors but not possessors!
It would have been better off for them never to have known the truth of the gospel than to have known the truth and totally reject it!
In verse 22, Peter gives a graphic picture of those who knew the truth but turned away from it. The first proverb mentioned by Peter is quoted from Proverbs 26:11, and the second proverb relates to a sow that is washed but goes back to wallowing in the mud. The essence of what Peter is saying is the same: “the false teachers were never what they seemed to be, and they returned to what they had been all along.
The principle is inherently true: Reformation without regeneration means damnation! Dogs and pigs who can be scrubbed but not totally cleaned will return to their former way of living!
In closing, the death of Christ is sufficient for all (I Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 2:9; I John 2:2) but efficient only for who believe. The first half of the statement is a solid argument for unlimited atonement – the view that Christ died for everyone. The latter half is a strong argument for limited atonement. The view that He died for those who would appropriate salvation.
Thank God, as believers that we have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, for I Corinthians 6:11 says: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Yes, as believers we have been justified, positionally, we have been sanctified, but one glorious day, we shall be glorified.
May God Bless!
Dr. Johnny Calvin Smith
