2 Peter 2:1 — Peter’s Rant

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. 

Summary: Peter’s writing style makes sorting through the information he is giving us challenging. Yet the information is critical for our protection and work for God’s kingdom. 

In this chapter, Peter embarks on what we would call a “rant” today. I suspect that this is Peter’s personality showing through. We know that he is passionate and a man of action. Knowing that false teachers are undermining the church would be enough to set him off. 

The first part of his letter (Chapter 1) is much calm and well ordered. It is instructive and easy to follow. This second part is different. It is clear that Peter has much to say and that his words are authoritative. What is frustrating for me personally is that his thoughts are not as well ordered as before. 

In the following text, Peter is going to educate us about false teachers. He will describe: 

• Who they are 
• What they do
• What their motive is
• Who they target
• How they corrupt people
• What the result is
• What the consequences are

In addition to this list, he gives examples of the effect of living around sin. Peter gives us examples of God’s judgments. He explains how God rescues us and there is more. 

The challenge for me is that Peter’s topics are all jumbled and interwoven. It is a bit of a “stumbling stone” for me. I want to take it apart and re-order what Peter has written. Technically, this is possible. However, there is a danger. Understanding context is a critical part of understanding what a writer is saying. Tampering with the order of what is said alters the context. 

So instead of reorganizing Peter’s words, we are going to forge ahead as he has written them.  In lieu of risking tampering with his context, I will keep a running list of what we are learning as we go along and share the list as we go. 

This is a difficult topic but an important one. We do not like to be critical of others. Yet, Peter warns us that there will be false teachers among us. 

Paul is concerned with this topic as well. In 1 Corinthians 5: 12-13a,  he writes:

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”

What Peter is doing in this second chapter is giving us a Master’s Course on false teachers. How do you recognize them? Peter will explain. He also explains what they do and how all this fits into God’s larger plan. 

Again, I say, this is a very hard topic for most of us. We turn to God to save us from the world, but he does not remove us from the world. In his High Priestly Prayer Jesus prays: 

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)

Why God leaves us here has to do with his plan for the world. He wants all people to be saved (John 17: 20-21). While we are here, we have work to do. Part of that work is being aware of the false teachers. This is mostly for your own protection, but it also benefits others who know and trust you. 

So, buckle in! Peter is about to take us on a very interesting journey. 

Application: Read 2 Peter, chapter 2 to get an overview of where we are going. 

Food for Thought: What effect did false prophets have on Israel and Judah before the exile?