His Word Today

“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.” (2 Peter 2:18)

False teachers are rarely silent. I would submit their favorite Bible verse would not be Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” They’re rarely, if ever, silent. They also would rather be exalted among the nations and in the earth.

When false teachers talk, according to the Apostle Peter, they are speaking loud boasts of folly. The word speaking (φθέγγομαι; phthengomai) is a present middle participle. This means that the false teachers are continually and personally speaking. What they say reflects their thinking, feelings and decisions.

What are they speaking? Peter called it loud boasts of folly. Loud boasts (ὑπέρογκος; hyperonkos) means to speak in such a way that makes no sense. In other words, to speak nonsense. The nonsense false teachers speak is folly (ματαιότης; mataiotes) or useless and futile words, empty of content.

False teachers not only speak empty nonsense, but they also entice. To entice (δελεάζω; deleaso) means to lead astray or to lure someone into sin. The enticement in question is the sensual passions of the flesh. This phrase refers to extreme immorality and sinful desires found in the fallen nature of man.

The individuals who false teachers endeavor to entice are those “who are barely escaping from those who live in error.”

Dr. John MacArthur writes that, “The false teachers deceive the weak with high-sounding words that masquerade as scholarship or profound spiritual insight, and even as direct revelation from God. They may contradict the plain historic teachings of Scripture, which in some cases they are not able to explain properly because of their lack of adequate training and divine wisdom (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). In reality, they say nothing genuinely scholarly, or spiritual, or divine. Nevertheless, in spite of all the empty talk, false teachers entice others to their philosophies by appealing to people on the baser level. Seduction, rather than the winsomeness of truth, is their ploy. They offer people a kind of religion that they can embrace and yet still hold on to their fleshly desires and sensuality. Peter may also be implying that false teachers particularly aim to seduce women through sensual methods. The phrase “barely escaping” is a description not of saved people, but of people who are vulnerable because they have high levels of guilt and anxieties—people with broken marriages, people who are lonely and tired of the consequences of sin and are looking for a new start, even for religion or help from God. The false teachers exploit these kinds of people.”

Once again we witness from the apostle that no good thing comes from a false teacher. Make sure you expend every effort to remove and stay clear of false teachers and false teaching in your life.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.” (2 Peter 2:17)

As we continue to study the Epistle of 2 Peter, and chapter two in particular, it is not lost on me that Peter continues to attack the character and behavior of false teachers. Some might conclude he is being neither gracious nor kind. Perhaps. Peter, however, is taking no chances that false teacher may become influential within the church. He is sounding a dire warning of which the church should take heed.

One of my favorite authors is Louis L’Amour. He has been called America’s foremost storyteller of the authentic west. He wrote dozens of books, many of which have been made into movies, chronicling the adventures of the brave men and women who settled the American frontier. Several of his stories, e.g. Hondo and The Burning Hills, are set in the desert of the American southwest.

In his novel The Burning Hills L’Amour writes, “In the moonlight even more than by day, the desert is a place of weird and strange beauty. One can live in the desert. There are plants that provide food; there are plants and places that provide water. But if one does not conform to the desert’s pattern, one can die in the desert.”

Peter identified false teachers as being waterless springs. He uses a figure of speech called an oxymoron. It is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. In the case today’s text, the oxymoron is “waterless springs.” The apparent contradiction here is that a spring is usually not waterless. However, the word for spring (πηγή; pege) can also be defined as a well of water.

Peter was saying that false teachers are like a dry well. There is the promise and hope of refreshment and life sustaining nutrients from their teaching, but unfortunately they are like a dry hole in the ground. One commentary says that, “Barren wells were worse than useless; they promised water in the arid East yet did not deliver on their promise.”

  Peter also called false teachers “mists driven by a storm.” The anticipated refreshment of an early morning or evening mist or fog is unrealized because a whirlwind has driven away the weather pattern of moisture.

What false teachers do have is a reservation from the Lord. Their reservation is the gloom of utter darkness. In other words, hell.

Dr. John Walvoord writes that, “In both cases one would look for some benefit or blessing (a cool drink from the spring; a refreshing shower from the clouds) but in each case he is disappointed. The very nature of hypocrisy is that one does not have what he pretends to have. Once again (cf. 2 Peter 2:1, 3, 9, 12–13) Peter wrote of their coming judgment. The blackest darkness (lit., “blackness” or “gloominess” [zophos; cf. “gloomy” in v. 4] of darkness) is reserved for them (cf. Jude 13). This blackness is presumably hell.”

 Dr. R. C. Sproul explains that, “Just as water sustains physical life, so true spiritual teaching nourishes spiritual life (Proverbs 13:14; John 4:13-15). This is a vivid image in a culture where water was a treasured resource. Like the dry well that only disappoints the thirsty (Jeremiah 14:1-3), the false teachers can only deceived and disappoint.

Take time today to guard your heart against the influence of false teachers and their instruction.

Soli deo Gloria!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

^15” Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, ¹⁶ but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” (2 Peter 2:15-16)  

What does it mean to go astray? The Prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 53:6 that, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The Hebrew word for astray is “tainu” meaning to wander, to err and to literally and/or spiritually stagger. It is a condition which the sinner brings upon themselves.

Within today’s text from 2 Peter, the apostle also used the word astray (πλανάω; planao) meaning to lead astray, to deceive, to cause someone to stray from the truth. Within the context of 2 Peter, the word astray takes on a darker and more ominous tone. False teachers are not only individuals who lead themselves astray from the Word of God but also lead others down the broad road which leads to destruction. These are they who are forsaking (καταλείπω; kataleipo) or abandoning the right way or the correct manner of life before God.

Having forsaken the truth of God’s Word, who, or what, are they following instead? Peter says they have followed the way of life demonstrated by the Prophet Balaam. Who exactly was Balamm? The following information is taken from the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

Balaam was Beor’s son, a prophet or soothsayer from northern Mesopotamia who was hired by a Moabite king, Balak, to curse the Israelites who had arrived at the Jordan Valley opposite Jericho after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Israel’s defeat of the Amorites (Num. 21:21–25) had instilled fear in the heart of the Moabite king (22:3). Because curses and blessings were considered irrevocable (Gen. 27:34–38), Balak reasoned that if he could hire a prophet to curse the Israelites in the name of their own God, Yahweh, he could easily defeat them in battle and drive them away from his borders. Balak sent messengers to Pethor, where Balaam lived. The town is believed to be located near Haran along the Habur River, a tributary of the Euphrates. Balak offered Balaam an impressive sum to come down and curse the Israelites.

Balaam, however, was warned by the Lord that he should not go to Moab. The king of Moab would not accept Balaam’s refusal and sent his royal messengers back with offers of greater wealth and honor. Balaam revealed an inner lust for wealth and position by returning to the Lord to ask whether he should go. His words to the messengers, however, were very pious: “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God, to do less or more” (Num. 22:18, rsv). Although Balaam would do only what the Lord allowed, he became a prime example of someone who does the right thing for the wrong reason.

 Balak had sent along with his messengers “the fees for divination” (Nm 22:7, rsv), which shows that he considered Balaam a diviner of the type pagan nations commonly used. The Israelites were forbidden by the Lord to consult diviners or practice divination (Deut. 18:10–11). A true prophet would not have even considered the possibility that serving Balak might be right. God’s final permission to let Balaam go, with the stipulation that he say only what God told him, was the Lord’s way of frustrating Balak’s cause and showing God’s care for his chosen people.

 Dr. John MacArthur writes, “Balaam served as an illustration and example of such false prophets. He was an OT compromising prophet for sale to whomever paid him, who preferred wealth and popularity over faithfulness and obedience to God (Num. 22–24). Through a talking donkey, God kept him from cursing Israel (2 Pet. 2:16; cf. Num. 22:21–35).

 Peter’s text parallels Jude 10-11 when it says, “¹⁰ But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.”

In a recent interview in the September 2019 issue of Tabletalk Magazine, Coti W. Hinn, the nephew of prosperity preacher and televangelist Benny Hinn, explains why he left the prosperity gospel movement. In the interview, Hinn explains what he believes are the most significant errors of the prosperity gospel movement.

There are numerous errors, but let me break down four. First, it’s an assault on the sovereignty of God because it teaches people that they can control God with an offering or positive confession. People think they are the puppet master and God is the puppet. Growing up, I viewed Him as a magic genie, thinking that if I asked Him right, I would get whatever I wanted.

Second, it’s an assault on the atonement. Prosperity theology teaches that health, wealth, and happiness are earthly guarantees because of the atonement. The truth is, Jesus took the full wrath of the Father as a substitute for His people. The purpose of the atonement is to provide salvation, not “stuff.”

Third, prosperity theology does not have a biblical theology of suffering. God’s Word has answers regarding trials, sickness, pain, and loss. People need those right answers.

Fourth, prosperity theology twists biblical teaching about wealth and stewardship. Money is not evil, but we all must keep an eternal perspective (Matt. 6:19–24).

False prophets may sound very pious, but inwardly they are seeking to fulfill their lust of the flesh, their lust of the eyes and their pride of life (Gen. 3; Matthew 4; Luke 4; I John 2:15-17). They want big houses, expensive clothes and private jets and they want their listeners and supporters to pay for it. Resolve to not listen to what these false prophets have to say.

Soli deo Gloria!  

   

 

 

^14 “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!” (2 Peter 2:14)

We live during a time within the church’s history where fellowship with one another is prized above everything else. Including truth.

Do not misunderstand. Fellowship with other believers in Christ is important. It was one of the hallmarks of the early church (Acts 2:42-47). The Apostle John expressed in I John 4 fellowship is having a self-sacrificial love for each other (I John 4:7-11) rooted and grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ (I John 1:1-4).

However, the church must never forsake biblical truth for the sake of harmony within the church. There will be times when disharmony will occur when truth is at stake because it is in danger of being compromised.

The Apostle Peter used strong language in his epistle when he described the character, or lack thereof, of false teachers or apostates. He did not pull any punches and he did not sugarcoat the situation. False teachers are dangerous when they are within a local church. Why?

In today’s text, continuing the tone begun in 2:1, Peter stated that false teachers “have eyes full of adultery insatiable for sin.” Peter was saying that false teachers continually engage in adulterous relationships. This kind of behavior is insatiable (ἀκατάπαυστος; akatapaustos) or never ceasing or incessant for sin (ἁμαρτία; hamartia) or evil wrongdoing.

They also “entice unsteady souls.” To entice (δελεάζω; deleazo) means to presently and actively lead people astray from the truth of God’s Word. They do this upon unsteady (ἀστήρικτος; asteriktos) people. These are people who change and wave in their views and attitudes. This is usually dependent upon who they are associating.

Additionally, they “have hearts trained in greed.”  The inner soul of false teachers has been trained (γυμνάζω; gymnazo) like an athlete. In the gymnasium of sinfulness, they have been trained by the world, their own sinful natures, and the devil himself to be filled with greed. Greed (πλεονεξία; pleonexia) is avarice, covetousness and exploitation. It is the desire to acquire more and more. For them, greed is good.

The resulting conclusion by Peter is that false teachers are “accursed children.” What could be a more damnable announcement than that?  They are doomed.

There is only one hope for anyone is this accursed condition. That is repentance of sin and personal, God-given faith in Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior. Nothing else, and no one else, can save someone from this horrible condition.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

^12 “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, ¹³ 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.”

 It is probably as good a time as any to define an apostate? An apostate is an individual who once professed faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but has renounced, defected and deserted their prior profession and confession of faith in Christ. Not only have they deserted their faith in Christ, but they also seek to lead others astray. Especially those within the church.

Peter has already called apostates false prophets and false teachers at the beginning of chapter two. Remember when Peter wrote, “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. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ 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.” (2 Peter 2:1-3)

 It is at this juncture of Peter’s epistle that he begins specifically describing these false teachers or apostates. His illustrations are graphic and striking.

To begin with, Peter compares false teachers to irrational animals. Irrational (ἄλογος; alogos) means without reason or unable to reason. False teachers lack the capacity to think properly. They are like dumb animals born to be captured or killed, caught and destroyed. Additionally, they are creatures of instinct (φυσικός; physikos) without the desire or inclination to rationally think.

Additionally, they continually blaspheme (βλασφημέω; blasphemo) or specifically slander God and His followers about subjects in which they are ignorant (ἀγνοέω; agnoeo) lacking the capacity to grasp or understanding the things of God (I Corinthians 2:14).

Peter goes on to say that false teachers will be destroyed in their destruction. To be destroyed (φθείρω; phtheiro) is to be corrupted, depraved and ruined. What will destroy them is their own destruction (φθορά; phthora) or moral corruption.

They will suffer wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. To suffer wrong (ἀδικέω; adikeo) means that they will be harmed and injured. This will be because they have earned (μισθός; misthos) suffering as a paycheck or payback for their wrongdoing (ἀδικία; adikia) or unrighteousness before God.

Peter continues his condemnation of apostates by stating that they count it pleasurable to revel in the daytime. The Greek word for pleasure is ἡδονή (hedone) from which we derive our English word hedonist or hedonism. It is doing that which is enjoyable even if it is sinful and wicked. To revel (τρυφή; tryphe) is to carouse and to be self-indulgent.

Finally, Peter calls them “blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.” Blots (σπίλος; spilos) are stains or spots. Our English word “spill” comes from this Greek word. Blemishes (μῶμος; momos) are defects. Both words refer to the apostate’s immorality and ungodliness. As such, false teachers continually indulge themselves in their deceptions (ἀπάτη; apate) or lies. They do so while they worship alongside sincere and committed believers in Christ.

Peter’s reference to false teachers being slots and blemishes parallels what Jude says about them in his epistle. Jude writes, “¹² These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; ¹³ wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

Dr. John Walvoord writes that, “The false teachers of the first century were like brute beasts. They operated from instinct, which was locked into their sin nature, rather than from rational choice. Creatures of instinct translates the one Greek word physika, “belonging to nature.” They followed their natural desires. Like animals in a jungle, their only value was in being caught and destroyed (cf. Jude 10). This harsh language from Peter is an indication of how serious he considered these heresies to be. Like beasts they too will perish is literally, “in their corruption (phthora) they too shall be corrupted” (phtharēsontai), an interesting play on words (cf. “corrupted” in Eph. 4:22). Corruption here probably means eternal punishment.”

 We must always remember that false teachers are not just outside of the church, but also are within the covenant community of God. We must ever remain on our guard.

Soli deo Gloria!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¹⁰ “…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, ¹¹ whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.” (2 Peter 2:10-11)

The Lord’s Day of Judgment will come upon not only the rebellious from the past, but also those who rebel against the Lord in the present and the future. This judgment is sure and certain.

The Lord’s judgment will come upon those who Peter describes as the ones who indulge in the lust of defiling passion. To indulge (πορεύομαι; poreuomai) is to continually live or behave in a certain manner. Within the context of 2 Peter 2:10, the behavior is the lust (ἐπιθυμία; epithymia) or evil desire of defiling passion (μιασμός; miasmos). Defiling passion is impurity, evil desire and sinful contamination.

These are also people who despise authority. To despise (καταφρονέω; kataphroneo) means to scorn or to look down on something or someone. Authority (κυριότης; kyriotes) refers to lordship, ruling power or dominion. While this may refer to human authority or government, ultimately the fallen world despises God’s authority.

Peter describes these people as bold (τολμητής; tolmetes) or daring along with being willful (αὐθάδης; authades), stubborn and arrogant. The apostle continues to say that these rebellious sinners do not tremble as they blaspheme or speak against the glorious ones or the glory of God. Peter contrasts these arrogant pretenders with angels when Peter says, “Whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.”  

Jude 8-9 parallels 2 Peter when it says, “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. ⁹ But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was

disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

Dr. John MacArthur writes that, “Unlike false teachers who are defiant toward higher powers, the holy angels so revere their Lord that they will not speak insults against any authority. Even the archangel Michael, recognizing the great presence and power of Satan, refused to speak evil of him but called on the Lord to do so. No believer should be so boldly foolish as to mock or command the power of supernatural demons, especially Satan.”

These verses make me pause as to how blasphemous and rebellious I was prior to my conversion to Christ. However, today’s text also makes me take stock of how sin may be crouching at my door seeking to entice me to sin. May we all be on our guard.

Soli deo Gloria!

 

 

 

^“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the Day of Judgment,” (2 Peter 2:9)

2 Peter 2:9 is the concluding effect statement in light of three previous cause statements contained in 2 Peter 2:4-8. If the Lord condemned the angels, the ancient world and the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah then, Peter says, this means that the Lord knows how to do two fundamental things.

First, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. To rescue (ῥύομαι; rhyomai) means to deliver someone from danger with the implication that the danger in question is severe. God rescues the godly. The godly (εὐσεβής; eusebes) are those who are devoted to God in their thinking, their speaking and their living. God rescues to godly from trials. Trials (πειρασμός; peirasmas) are attempts to cause people to sin. They are also known as temptations.

Second, the Lord knows how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the Day of Judgment. To keep (τηρέω; tereo) means to cause to continue or retain. The Lord will keep the unrighteous (ἄδικος; adikos) or the unjust or ungodly under punishment. The phrase under punishment (κολάζω; kolazo) means severe suffering. The Lord will keep the unrighteous under punishment until the concluding Day of Judgment.

Dr. R. C. Sproul explains that, “Some commentators and most English translations see here a reference to preliminary punishment before the final judgment; this is the most natural reading of the Greek. Oher commentators, including Calvin, understand it as a reference to future punishment or judgment day. Because Peter’s concern in this passage is the certainty of final judgment, the latter seems more appropriate to the argument than the former, though Peter may have both understandings in view.”

 Dr. John Walvoord states that, “In 2 Peter 2:9 the point of his words in verses 4–9 unfolds. The Lord knows how to rescue the righteous and to punish the unrighteous. That God can deliver the godly … from trials is a source of comfort to believers, exemplified by Noah and his seven family members and Lot and his wife and daughters. On the other hand God holds (tērein, “keeps under guard”) the unrighteous for the coming Day of Judgment (cf. 3:7), the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–15). Meanwhile God continues their punishment in this life (cf. Rom. 1:27b) and in hades after death (Luke 16:23). The participle kolazomenous (“punishing, injuring”) is another of Peter’s words that occurs only once in the New Testament.”

This section of Peter’s epistle should give believers great comfort, while at the same time giving unbelievers great fear. The only solution is repentance of one’s sin and personal faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Soli deo Gloria!

^6 “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; ⁷ and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸ (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);” (2 Peter 2:6–8)

This historical and biblical text of which Peter makes reference is Genesis 19:1-29. The specific reference which speaks of the destruction of the cities, including Sodom and Gomorrah, is Genesis 19:23-29.

²³ The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. ²⁵ And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. ²⁷ And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. ²⁸ And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. ²⁹ So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.”

2 Peter 2:6 says that the Lord turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. Ashes (τεφρόω; tephroo) means to destroy something by fire leaving only a remnant of embers. The test also says that God condemned the cities. To condemn (κατακρίνω; katakrino) means to pronoun a sentence of guilty resulting in punishment. God did this in order to make these ungodly cities in the past an example (ὑπόδειγμα; hypodeigma) or a model of what is going to happen to the ungodly in the future. God does not mess around.

At the same time the Lord graciously saved righteous Lot. The righteousness (δίκαιος; disaios) Lot possessed was the imputed righteousness from God by grace alone, through faith alone in the future ministry of the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. It might surprise us that Scripture evaluates Abraham’s nephew “Lot” as a righteous man.

Dr. C. Sproul comments that, regarding Lot, it is, “A surprising description in view of the portrait of Lot in Genesis 19. Lot’s righteousness may have been inherited from Abraham’s intercession for the righteous of Sodom and Lot’s subsequent deliverance. Peter may also be speaking of Lot in a comparative sense. Despite Lot’s sin, Sodom’s transgressions were so heinous that Lot, comparatively speaking, was a righteous man.”

 Peter continues to say that Lot was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked.” As Scripture interprets Scripture, we see that the sins of the inhabitants of the cities of the valley were sexual in nature. Peter also writes that Lot “was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” Dr. Don Carson writes concerning Lot that, “He was tormented (neb ‘tortured’): originally meant to be tested for genuineness. Godly people living in an ungodly world must be prepared to prove the reality of their faith.”

 Take the opportunity to pray for your country this day. Pray that any ungodliness by anyone would be repented of and that faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior would prevail.

Soli deo Gloria!