[Know This] Promises of False TeachersSample

Consequences for False Teachers

By denying Jesus, false teachers will bring upon themselves swift destruction, because many of those weak in the faith or even without faith will listen to them. There will be many who will follow their destructive ways; because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time, their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” (2 Peter 2:2–3).

The Greek word translated as “exploit” means “a misrepresentation of the merchandise.” For covetous reasons, false teachers will mold and shape the truth like plastic. They will misrepresent Jesus, and many will believe their lies and follow them instead of Christ. Peter says that God does not slumber in His judgment. In 2 Peter 2:4–6, Peter lists three examples of God’s judgment, involving Satan, the world, and the flesh:

A. “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 forjudgment...” The angels rebelled in God’s presence, and He swiftly dealt with them.

B. "...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.” The flood was the judgment of the ancient world, which had ungodly actions. God used Noah, a herald of righteousness for 120 years, to invite everyone to repent and walk righteously, but only eight people were saved.

C. "...and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.” Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities that followed deviant sexual desires, represent the flesh.

Peter says that false teachers’ words give only the promise of this world, death. But God knows how to take care of the just and the unjust.

In Chapter 1, Peter gives us the epignósis, the discernment on how to guard against false teachers. It requires that we pursue a deep, intimate, experiential relationship with Jesus, where He teaches us to know, grow, and go.

With the faith accorded to us, we take on virtue after virtue of Jesus. We begin to know and understand those character traits of Jesus, and then we grow in them. As we practice them, we persevere until we have this godliness, God’s point of view on life. Then we go out, and we love on others. We love people because there is an outpouring of the character of Christ in us.