1But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. 3In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
4For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; 5and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, 6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, 7and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked 8(for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), 9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, don’t bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed, 13receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and defects, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you; 14having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin, enticing unsettled souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children! 15Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing; 16but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
17These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. 18For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error; 19promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.
20For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”
1But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2 Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. (1 Peter 2:1-2 WEB)
A whole chapter is devoted to those who teach a fake gospel. This is a difficult chapter, but it is important. Distinguishing a counterfeit from a true piece of currency is done by learning what the real currency looks like. Then the fake is easier to point out. Learn God’s word so you can spot a fake. Counterfeiting fake luxury products is a big deal. I’m talking about purses, shoes, fake Rolex watches, etc. These fakes look like the real thing, but if you open them up, you can see them for the fakes that they are. Fake people are the same way. You might be fooled looking at them from the outside, but as you open them up, you see the real thing. You can measure what they say against the word of God. It is good as well to remember that sincerity and emotion aren’t the measure of whether a teacher is false or not. The test is whether they teach the truth and whether their lives have reflected it. Do they have fruit in their life and what does that fruit look like?
Sadly, Peter is writing this passage to warn us that false teachers will always be around the Church. God loves you and me enough to warn us and give us tools of discernment to distinguish the truth from falsehood. There are at least six characteristics of a false teacher. 1) They’re always around. 2) They distort the truth. 3) They point towards themselves instead of Jesus because they have a spirit of arrogance and pride about them. 4) They often water down man’s responsibility to accept or reject God’s love and salvation. 5) They cover their motives. They often promote themselves as knowledgeable and exceptional teachers to gain status and recognition. 6) However, they often are loners, despising authority and accountability. They perceive themselves to be more knowledgeable and intellectually superior to their peers. They know they are fakes, and they don’t want to be outed.
False teachers often deny that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. They sometimes deny sin and the need for shed blood. They deny a true bodily resurrection, eternal punishment, and salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They deny miracles. You get the idea. When Sandy and I were newlyweds, we visited a large Baptist church in Houston for a Christmas Eve service. The pastor got up and preached a sermon explaining that there aren’t really any miracles in the Bible, but it is a positive text that gives us directives on how to live our lives. THIS IS HERESY. We went home and discussed it because neither of us could believe what we had heard. The pastor had kind words about Jesus. He referred to His “divinity,” His lofty ethics, His superb example, but there was no talk of Jesus as being God incarnate or confessing Him as Savior and Lord. Reader, there is no way to heaven without Jesus as the One sufficient divine sacrifice for you and me! Be on guard for false teachers! They’re always around. Don’t be deceived.