Through the knowledge of God and following the way of God’s truth, Christians escape the world’s corruption. False prophets and teachers try to deceive us and attempt to persuade us to follow their destructive ways rather than God’s purifying ways. But God’s truth prevails … false fails.
“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, 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.” [2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV]
Truly knowing God and the depth of His love, we have access to His precious and very great promises. These promises empower us to become partakers of God’s divine nature. We have become new creations, and the sinful, old nature has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
However, we’re still walking in this sinful world. Although we’ve been cleansed from our sin, our feet sometimes pick up some dust and dirt. We must examine our hearts, thoughts, words, and actions and ask God to reveal any unclean ways in us. Let’s turn to walk in the way of truth (Psalm 139:23-24).
But false prophets and false teachers will try to deceive us. Peter writes of this in the second chapter of Peter.
John Piper says of 2 Peter:
Chapter 1 is mainly an encouragement to avail ourselves of God’s power to lead lives of godliness and love. Chapter 2 is mainly a warning against the destruction that will befall those who don’t avail themselves of this power. If chapter 1 is the carrot, chapter 2 is the crack of the whip over our heads. There are no commands, no admonitions, no imperatives in chapter 2; just pure, terrifying description of what will happen to those who fall prey to the false teachers in the church. [1]
Prophecies Predicted
But … 2 Peter 2:1 begins with a “but.” When we see a “but, therefore,” or some other word that points to what was previously written, we go back to read that portion of Scripture that gives us the context.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (emphasis added) (2 Peter 1:19-21 NKJV)
The prophecies were confirmed by God Himself. What God has spoken to the world is truth. True prophets and teachers communicate what the Holy Spirit has revealed to them. They do not make up prophecies or teachings.
How do we know that we are following the true way and not the way of deceiving prophets and teachers? We must meditate on the Word of God, the Bible, day and night (Joshua 1:8).
Peter’s Warning
Remember Jesus and Peter talking on the shore after Peter and the disciples fished all night and caught nothing? At Jesus’ direction, they cast the net on the other side of the boat and caught 153 fish. Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples. After breakfast, Jesus called Peter aside and told him to shepherd and tend to the flock of believers.
Years have passed since that calling, and Peter has tended and fed the lambs and sheep—the believers. He’s taught them who God is and who they are in Christ.
Peter knows that his death is coming, and he warns fellow believers to hold fast to the truth. He warns them that false teachers will infiltrate the church and, if possible, pull them away from the truth of God.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 NKJV)
Who Are False Prophets and Teachers?
We know that false prophets and teachers are among us in the church as a whole.
They call themselves Christians.
These people secretly bring in destructive heresies that are not according to the Word of God.
False teachers deny the Lord as Master. Masters have sovereign and supreme authority, but they deny the lordship of God and don’t surrender to Him.
John MacArthur said, “They may name Christ, claim Christ, serve in His name, preach His name, cast out demons in His name, do many wonderful works in His name, but they say no to His what? To His lordship.”[2]
What Do False Prophets and Teachers Do?
False prophets and false teachers bring their own destruction. Destruction, or a form of destruction, is mentioned five times in the three chapters of 2 Peter and two times in 2 Peter 2:1. It means the final damnation—eternal hell. It’s used again in verse 3 and then in chapter 3.
Satan is infiltrating the church to take out all he can get. Many will stray from the truth.
False teachers lie about how to live in a God-honoring way. They say that the way Jesus called us to live isn’t necessary or it’s old-fashioned.
Strategies of False Teachers
“By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time [or from long ago] their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” (2 Peter 2:3 NKJV)
False teachers lie to us because of their greed. They’re making money by preaching lies and telling us what they think we want to hear. We want to feel good about ourselves, and false teachers take advantage of that.
They popularized a self-focus (Me-focus) instead of a God-focus.
God’s way of living requires surrender and obedience.
God’s Response
Peter reminds the believers that God has held false prophets, false teachers, and the ungodly accountable for their thoughts and actions. God judges those who follow the world’s ways rather than His ways.
He has condemned false teachers and false prophets. They will be destroyed. Their destruction is sure and set. It’s utter destruction, destruction that is defined as “eternal misery in hell,” agonizing torment that never ends.
False fails.
“He (God) is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.” (2 Peter 2:10 NLT)
False teachers despise authority (lordship, government and rulers) and are proud and arrogant. Self-interest dominates their thinking and actions.
They say “Don’t worry … be happy,” God’s grace covers our immorality.
Friends, people are watching Christians. By our words or actions, we may be teaching others about God.
OR we may be teaching them to follow false teachers or teachings.
The angels who sinned were cast into hell in chains of darkness (2 Peter 2:4).
Rebellion reels in destruction. False Fails.
Verse 5 focuses on the wickedness in Noah’s time, and verse 6 reminds us of Sodom and Gomorrah’s immorality that ended in obliteration.
God destroys the wicked and saves the righteous.
False Fails … Truth Prevails
Truth Prevails
“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations [trials] and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” (2 Peter 2:9 NKJV)
God has demonstrated that he knows how to deliver the godly out of trials. He delivers the godly and judges the unjust. God rescues the righteous.
Vines dictionary defines the godly as “Having a piety that characterizes the soul in its attitude towards God.” In “holy awe of God” we express this attitude through our devotion.
God threw the angels who rebelled into hell with chains of darkness
He flooded the earth and killed the wicked inhabitants.
BUT GOD … saved eight people because Noah found grace in the sight of God.
God rescues the righteous from the wickedness of the world.
Truth Prevails … False Fails
Yes, God reduced Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities to ashes, BUT He brought Lot, his 2 daughters, and wife out before He destroyed them. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.
Truth Prevails … False Fails
We know that God is holy and just. Jesus is our Savior. Our truth lies in the way of God and Jesus. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are God’s sons and daughters, joint heirs with Jesus.
Since there are false teachers, deceptive teachers, how can we recognize them?
Recognizing False Teachers
Jesus warns us about false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:15-20 NKJV)
Like a tumbleweed, with our seedling growth, we can peek through the ground with the promise of goodness in our green leaves.
We can even produce tiny flowers, but then falsehood begins to set in. Our flowers dry up and fall off, the leaves die, and our branches detach from the roots, and we tumble and drift with the other tumbleweeds.
FALSE FAILS
The Way, the Truth, the Life
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 ESV)
Like these branches, we can abide in the Way, the Truth, and the Life, in the True Vine, and our branches will continue to produce beautiful green leaves and delicious fruit that points people back to God Almighty.
TRUTH PREVAILS … FALSE FAILS!
“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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, 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.” (2 Peter 1:2-4 ESV)
How are you prevailing in God’s Truth?
This post was adapted from a teaching I gave several years ago.
[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/destruction-is-not-sleeping
[2] https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/61-17/a-portrait-of-false-teachers-part-2
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