“But false prophets arose among the people,
just as there will also be false teachers among you…”
There are no “ifs, pluses, or buts” in Peter’s words. It is a clear and decisive statement. There were false prophets within the people (Old Testament Israel). This is simply a matter of history. False prophets were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and those who falsely claimed to be prophets of God were to be stoned. People rarely had the desire to confront them, so they multiplied, wreaking havoc on the spiritual lives of God’s people. In the same way Peter says that “there will be also false teachers among you. Notice the word “among yourselves.” Peter is writing to the church and says, “there will also be false teachers between you”. He’s not talking about the New Age people we see on TV. Peter is talking about the people in the local church, members of the congregation. There’s no such thing as a pure church this side of heaven. You will never find it. Wheat and tares grow together. Warren Wiersbe writes:
“Satan is the counterfeiter…..he has a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), preached by false ministers (2 Corinthians 11:13-12), producing false Christians (2 Corinthians 11:26)…Satan plants his counterfeits wherever God plants true believers (Matthew 11:38).”
Authentic or fake?
How would you recognize a false Christianity? In 2 Peter 1 we read about genuine believers. And in 2 Peter 2 we read about false believers. If you put these passages side by side you will be able to see the differences between true and false believers.
1. A different source – Where does the message come from? Peter says, “For when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we did not follow cleverly invented fables, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (1:16). Then he says that the false teachers exploit you “with false words” (2:3). Therefore, the source of true teachers comes from the Word. The false teachers rely on their own creativity. They make their own message.
2. A different message – What is the substance of the message? For the true teacher, Jesus Christ is the center. “For the divine power of him has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his glory and excellence” (1: 3). For false teachers, Jesus is on the sidelines: “who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2:1). notice the word covertly. It is strange that a person in the church openly denies Jesus. The abandonment of the centrality of Christ is subtle. The false prophet talks about how another person can help you change your life; but if you listen carefully to what he is saying, you will see that Jesus Christ is not the essence of the message.
3. A different position – In what position does the message leave you? The true Christian “escapes the corruption that is in the world through lust” (1:4). He listens as Peter describes the false Christian: “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of corruptionfor one is a slave to that which has overcome him” (2:19). The true believer escapes corruption, while the false believer is a slave to it.
4. A different character – What kind of people does the message produce? True believers pursue goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love (1:5). The false Christian is marked by arrogance and blasphemy (2:10). They are “experts in covetousness,” and “their eyes are full of adultery” (2:14). They also “despise authority” (2:10). This is a common characteristic of a false believer.
5. A different appeal – Why should I listen to the message? True teachers appeal to the Scriptures. “And so we have the most sure prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention…” (1:19). God has spoken, and true teachers appeal to his Word. The false teachers make a very different appeal: “For speaking with arrogance and vanity, they seduce by carnal desires, by sensuality, those who recently escaped from those who live in error” (2:18). True teachers ask, “What has God said in his Word?” The false teachers ask: “What do people want to hear?” “What will be of interest to your meat?”
6. A different fruit – What result does the message have in people’s lives? The true believer is effective and productive in his knowledge of Jesus (1:8). The false one is like “spring without water” (2:17). This is an extraordinary image! They promise a lot, but produce little.
7. A different ending – Ultimately, where does the message lead you? Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The true believer will receive “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:11). The false believer will experience “swift destruction” (2:1). “Their judgment has not been idle for a long time, nor their destruction asleep” (2:3). Jesus tells us that many will be involved in the ministry in his name, to whom he will say “Depart from me; I never knew them” (Matthew 7:21) Who are these people? Surely Peter is describing them in this passage.
don’t be naive
We must not be ignorant: “There will be false teachers among you” (2:1). So how can I apply this warning? First, Peter’s statements remind us that the church needs to be protected. Among the wonderful people who come to our church each year, some may do more harm than good. They may seem like the nicest people, but they don’t believe in the authority of the Bible or in the exclusivity of salvation in Christ. We welcome them because they need Christ as much as we do, but we must not allow them to influence our church. Second, skeptics will always be able to point out hypocrisy and inconsistency in the church. They always have and always will. One of the strangest reasons for not following Christ is the following: “I have seen hypocritical people in church.” So you’re not going to follow Christ because some people who say they do are hypocrites? The existence of fakes is never a good reason to reject the genuine. Peter essentially tells us, “Of course there are false Christians. Of course there are teachers who do more harm than good to the church. What else can you expect in this fallen world? grow up! Don’t be naive! Don’t lose what’s real because you’ve seen the fake.” The next time you meet someone with this excuse, point them to 2 Peter 2:1.
Originally posted on . Translated by Patricia Namnún.