2 Peter 2:3-22

Remember that the subject of 2 Peter chapter 2 is false teachers within the church who turn the teaching of grace into lewdness or a license to sin.  In chapter 3, Peter describes these scoffers or false teachers as walking according to their own lusts and saying "Where is the promise of His coming?"  They say that Christ is not returning, so you should enjoy the pleasures and lusts of the flesh, since all sins are paid for anyway.  Christians who had previously received teaching in holiness will be deceived by these false teachers.  These Christians will start living according to the lusts of their flesh instead of walking in holiness.  This will cause the teaching of grace to be evil spoken of.  Peter says that these false teachers who have denied our Lord, not born again believers who are deceived by their teachings, will receive everlasting punishment. This is the context of 2 Peter chapter 2.

2 Peter 2:3-11  "By covetousness they (false teachers) will exploit you (believers) with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.  For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward should live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)--then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly (Christians) out of temptations and to reserve the unjust (unbelievers, in this context the false teachers) under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those (unjust) who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.  They (the false teachers) are presumptuous, self-willed.  They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord."

The whole context of this passage is the deliverance of believers from the wickedness of the world and the error that has spread from these false teachers.  The grace of God teaches us to turn from ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age.  Titus 2:11-12.  These false teachers are spreading lies, saying that we should fulfill the lusts of our flesh, since all sins are paid for anyway. Peter says that these false teachers will utterly perish in their own corruption. He gives the two examples of Noah and Lot, who were righteous people that were delivered from ungodliness around them.  The ungodly people, representing these false teachers, perished in their own sin and were destroyed.  These examples represent what will happen to these false teachers.

2 Peter 2:12-17 "But these (false teachers), like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own destruction, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.  They (false teachers) are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you (believers), having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls (immature believers).  They (false teachers) have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children (they are not born again and are going to hell).  They (false teachers) have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These (false teachers) are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever."

Christians hear and read that their sins are forgiven.  Then they read passages like this that bring fear and condemnation.  Until these passages are clearly understood, they will continue to be a source of fear for believers.  As you can see, this passage is talking about false teachers who entice unstable Christians with a message of error.  These false teachers are not born again.  They are deceived and deceiving others.  These false teachers are taking the message of grace and twisting it into an excuse for lewd behavior.  The only way they could do this is because these Christians had heard that the sins of their entire lifetime were paid for.  If the early Christians were taught that past sins were paid for, but present and future sins were new offenses to God that might send us to hell, then these false teachers would have never been able to perpetuate these false ideas. Even unstable believers would have rejected these ideas out of fear of losing their salvation. Balaam was a prophet in the Old Testament who was tempted to prophesy against the children of Israel by his own greed or covetousness.  These false teachers are motivated by covetousness and the lusts of their flesh.  They are described as wells without water.  At first glance, they look like a source of refreshment.  But they are empty.

2 Peter 2:18 "For when they (false teachers) speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones (Christians) who have actually escaped from those who live in error."
What great swelling words of emptiness were these false teachers saying?  Your sins are paid for, so it doesn't matter if you sin.  You might as well fulfill the lusts of your flesh.  Do whatever you feel like.  It doesn't matter. 

2 Peter 2:19-22 "While they (false teachers) promise them (unstable Christians) liberty, they themselves (the false teachers) are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.  For if after they (these unstable Christians) have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them (unstable Christians) not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment (commandment of holiness) delivered to them.  But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his own vomit," and "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."  

These immature Christians had been born again and had received the commandment of holiness from their pastors and teachers.  Their lives had become peaceful and orderly and joyful from holy living.  These false teachers deceived them, telling them that they could go ahead and sin because all sins are already forgiven anyway.  The Christians fell for these lies.  They ended up in bondage again to sin and corruption.  They suffered pain and the loss of joy and peace from sinning.  So did God send these unstable Christians to hell?  No.  But they suffered the pain and instability that comes from sin.  Also, outsiders spoke evil of the message of grace because of these Christians.  Outsiders said they were just using grace as a cloak for sin. 1 Peter 2:16.  God's love was not expressed through these unstable believers.      

Remember, the sins of our entire lifetime are forgiven.  We are also to express the divine nature of God through us by walking in love and holiness.  How else will people see His life in us? God did not forgive our sins so that we coud keep on sinning and hurting ourselves and others.

Keith Oliver