I cannot think of more sobering, chilling words, in all of Scripture, than the chapter of Second Peter 2.
I encourage you, beloved Christian: hear this passage with your heart. I’ll give some commentary on it at the end.
It says:
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
From the onset, you can see, the context relates to false teachers. However, it is not, strictly, about false teachers, but also refers to a broader class of wicked people.
Matthew Poole states:
The apostle foretelleth the appearance of false teachers, the impiety of them and their followers, and the judgments that would overtake them.
So, what we learn is that Peter is expounding on not only false teachers, but on those who follow their teachings, as well as their ways, and on their impending judgment.
And, we should also take notice, that it will not only be false teachings these so-called prophets will teach, and these followers will learn, but it will be their false ways, as well. And it will not only be teachings by theological heretics, but by moral heretics.
Peter says, these teachers will “secretly bring in destructive heresies” and “many will follow their sensuality.”
This makes it evident, that there is such thing as the heresy of immorality.
Do we not see that playing out in the church today?
We know there are many theological heretics, who “even [deny] the Master who bought them,” distorting the gospel, profaning the nature and character of God, and misleading many by their misunderstanding and manipulation of God’s Holy Word.
Yet we also see a disturbing and ever-growing trend of supposedly Christian teachers now championing the most immoral and wicked practices, from abortion to critical race philosophy, homosexuality to trans-deviancy, and even pedophilia.
In both instances, we have teachers teaching “false words” to the people of God in the church. On the one hand, they teach false gospels and false doctrines of God and Christ; on the other hand, they teach false ways that are contrary to the holy and righteous standards of God’s Law.
Now, many professing believers are “following their sensuality,” and “blaspheming” the “WAY of truth.”
We know, from Scripture, the way of truth is more broad than merely our understanding of the gospel, or Christ, but also consists of the “way of righteousness” (as Peter points out in v. 21).
In the eighth Proverb, wisdom is personified—which is, more fully, the wisdom of Christ, even Christ Himself, who is the divine wisdom of God (as Paul says, in 1 Cor 1:24)—and, speaking in the first-person voice, He says:
I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice (Proverbs 8:20).
So, we know from this, Christ’s “way of righteousness” is one of holiness, goodness, truth, and justice. What sweet words these are, to the ears of the righteous.
But Peter’s words are harsh toward false teachers, who are “bringing upon themselves swift destruction,” whose “condemnation” and “destruction” are neither “idle” nor “asleep.”
But his severe judgments are not merely for teachers—they also apply to those who pattern their lives after their ways: namely, the “wicked” and “unrighteous.”
Peter makes several comparisons:
He speaks, first, of the punishment and imminent judgment of rebellious angels. Then he has us consider the “ancient world,” that is, the “ungodly” who were not spared the judgment of the floodwaters.
Then, Peter brings up Sodom and Gomorrah. We know this story well. Peter reflects on God “turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes” and who “condemned [the wicked in those cities] to extinction.” If this imagery isn’t terrifying to you, I don’t know what else would be.
The wicked in this narrative were judged for their “sensual conduct.” Peter makes a correlation between the sensuality and perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, and that of the false teachers and their followers in the first century.
Here is the most chilling statement, to me, about this comparison:
Peter says, God was “making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.”
Did you catch that? The fire of God’s wrath, poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah, was merely a precursor—an example of what future judgment will look like for the ungodly of Peter’s era, and for those in ours. “Especially,” he adds, “those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” is the idea.
And that warning extends to ALL who “indulge in the lust” and “despise authority.”
The perversion and deviancy and utter rebellion of today’s ungodly in the church—be it a teacher or follower—will incur the just and terrible wrath of God Almighty! God, says Peter, knows how to “keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” None shall escape His wrath.
He adds, that teacher and follower alike are “creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed,” who are so depraved, so deranged by their wickedness, so crazed by their lust, and so shameless and brazen in their sinful arrogance, they actually “count it pleasure to revel in the daytime.” They “[revel] … in their deceptions, while they feast with you.” See? They will even sit at table with you, with no regard for you, like false friends, indulging on food without the slightest prickling of conscience whatsoever. “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin.”
But here’s the payoff statement: “They entice unsteady souls.”
Brethren, are your souls steady?
Do you have Christ “as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”?
Could you be enticed by the world? By those with “eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin”?
Peter’s warning is to all of us. He wants to caution you and me, that “they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.”
Are you barely escaping?
Perhaps, things like trans ideology isn’t your particular stumbling block. Perhaps, deviancy of any kind is not an area of weakness for you. But who, or what, have you allowed to tempt you? What fleshly desire has taken root in your heart?
What does an honest self-assessment of your heart yield?
If we let sinful thoughts and desires creep in, do we not remember: “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”
False teachers lie to us. Our own hearts lie to us! They promise us all kinds of pleasure and enjoyment, comfort and contentment, peace and joy—but they make good on NONE OF IT.
Peter speaks to the church—professing Christians—when he issues this stark warning:
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
But there is great news: “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials”! Just as He rescued Lot from Sodom, He will rescue ALL HIS RIGHTEOUS ONES.
All who hear this, who have true faith in the Eternal Son of God, who have put their trust in His saving hands: God will rescue you.
God have mercy upon us! Help us! May we never become “entangled again,” much less, “overcome”!
May God uphold us by His right hand, though we should stumble, that we should never fall.
May the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the righteous life, all-sufficient death, and victorious resurrection of Christ, keep us, until the day of His glorious appearing.
Amen.
P.S. If you are living a life of unrighteousness, you can receive mercy from God and live. Repent and believe in Jesus the Christ.
Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness. (Isaiah 59:1-3)
Nevertheless,
“…a Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 59:20)
Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live. (Ezekiel 33:14-16)
…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)