They will secretly introduce destructive heresies …
Summary: Peter begins his description of the false teacher by telling us what they do.
Peter begins his rant with a clue. Yes, in a way, figuring out who the “false teacher” is can be like solving a mystery. False teachers do not wear a name tag that reads, “[Fill in the name], False Teacher.” Instead, a false teacher appears to be a friend, just like the best teacher you have ever had. They are “concerned” about you, and they want the “best” for you.
I used “scare quotes” around the words ‘concerned’ and ‘best’ because a false teacher is not really concerned for you, nor do they want the best for you. If they were, they would not introduce destructive heresies.
“But,” you might say, “they seem so sincere!”
Like a true teacher, the false teacher believes what they are telling you is for the best. It is just that their idea of what is “best” might not be best for you.
Have you ever wondered why the Israelites would turn their back on God and worship idols? The answer is that someone is tempted by Satan.
How do I know this?
False teaching is, by definition, a lie. Just because someone believes it is true does not make it true.
And where do lies come from?
Jesus, speaking to the Jews, said:
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
The devil, A.K.A. Satan, is the “father of lies.” All lies eventually trace their roots back to him.
Once a person falls prey to Satan, they turn and share their new belief with others. It all seems so innocent. They fall for the lie, they accept it for truth, and they share it with someone else.
We do not have to look far for an example of this. In Genesis 3 the Bible records the first example of this. Satan, having deceived Eve, is done with his work. All he has to do after that is sit back and watch Eve do his work for him.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3: 6)
After Satan, Eve was the first false teacher.
What she taught to Adam was a “destructive heresy.” What she did was secret because they thought they could hide it from God. The result was the same as every false teaching they strayed from God’s Word.
Which brings us to the first test of a teaching: Does it affirm or conflict with God’s Word?
Just in case you are wondering about teachings that do not seem to do either, the Bible has something to say about that, too:
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” (Revelation 22:18-19)
If you can recognize a destructive heresy, you are well on your way to recognizing a false teacher.
Application: Test everything people tell you against the Word of God.
Food for Thought: Are all heresies destructive?
In a word: Yes.
Whenever we believe a lie it is destructive in some way. You did a great job in this devotion of making that case. Thank you.
Thank you, Rich!
It is easy to believe that “mostly true” is okay or even good. Yet, “mostly true” is “partly false,” and something that is “partly false” is not true. As James wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)
Yes.
Thanks T!
I am in agreement with the Yes movement,..
Well done, John! 🙂
For some reason I always have to take the long way home. I looked at the question “Are all heresies destructive?” and asked myself if there was a possibility of a “good” heresy (as contradictory as that sounds). At face value the word heresy really means “any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.” I suppose in theory one could be given insight by the Lord into scripture, and that revelation could be considered heresy. But God doesn’t work in theory, and he doesn’t confuse people, so I believe that any new “belief or theory that is strongly at variance” would indeed be destructive.
Along the journey (on the long way home) I found some interesting heresy’s created long long ago that are still active today:
“Good deeds or efforts contribute to salvation.”
“Christ only appeared to be human.”
“The more faithful you are the more prosperous you will be.”
“God responds to us and not the other way around.”
The first three, even at first glance, directly contradict what is written in God’s Word. The last one though appears to be one that is greatly debated. Was mankind born in sin, or are people born and then sin? The example thrown in there to confuse everyone is the idea of “an innocent baby.” It is a dangerous idea, because in theory, it says we as humans can be “like God” and born perfect. Romans 3:10 tells us that “There is no one righteous, not even one;”
Again, long way home; yes, I believe all heresies are destructive because they are grounded in theories instead of being grounded in scripture.
Chris,
I appreciate the thought you put into today’s question. Your analysis is sound. Thank you for sharing!
I am with the “yes” movement, but so glad that Chris took the “long way home, ” because I needed some more on this subject. From Jeff’s teaching, I really like the statement “Does it affirm or conflict with God’s word?” All too often, it is easy to lose sight of what is being said, but it really is quite simple to reel back in and ask one’s self this question to get back on track. There are so many lies out there and at times, it is easy to feel like the odd person out.
Next, with Chris’ travel home, I was reminded not only of Romans 3:10, but also of Ephesians 2:8-9 which contradict the heresies created long long ago. So many “religions” come with these heresies and these religions claim to only want the “best” for those who follow them. However, God truly only wants us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength. And to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-32).
When I said it’s easy to feel like the odd person out, I meant to include that, if you don’t know God’s word, with all the lies of this world, it can become very difficult to fall for false heresy if you don’t know God’s word. The world nowadays makes wrong things seem right. However, if you go to God’s word to see if the actions (lies) affirm or conflict with what the bible tells us, it can offer reassurance we are on the right path. It still might not make it easy (because after all doing the right thing is not always the popular way), but it is reassuring knowing we are following the teachings of our Heavenly Father.
Finally, with the last paragraph, God has two commandments for us. He also wants the “best” for us but His “best” for us looks different than the “best” of false heresies. His best may involve trials and tribulations that we would otherwise not ask for, but the end result is often more divine than we could imagine.
(I obviously had difficulty putting my words together today.)
Darla,
This is a very challenging topic! You are not alone in your struggle to put words together. I was very tempted to do all of chapter two in one blog post and go on to chapter three because of this! 🙂
Feeling like the “odd person out” is, for me, the normal state of being as a believer. We are always going to be “odd” from the world’s perspective.
Thank you for sharing your words today! Like Chris, your “deep dive” into the topic is helpful to me and, I am sure, others.
10-18-2-21, 2 Peter 2:1b, Are all heresies destructive?
Destructive-To be doomed, fully destroyed, and to be broken into pieces.
Heresies-Belonging to a party or a sect. A school of teachings and principles that a person will live by.
“Destructive heresies” mean to choose to follow different teachings that deny the fundamental doctrines of who Jesus claimed to be and what He has done.
Based on the definition the simple answer is yes.
Jesus Christ dwells in the heart of every believer by the power of the Holy Spirit and it is our mission on earth to let Him lead our lives and be seen by those around us in all we do. To claim to be a follower of Christ and knowingly live or teach others in violation of His or any teachings of Gods word would be destructive heresies.
Is it destructive heresies to go to worship service on Saturday, To believe a day to God is a period of time during which an event or series of events takes place, or must we believe it is 24 hours. To abstain from eating meat on Friday or abstain from eating pork ever? How about changing a flat tire on Sunday, for yourself or a neighbor?
Jesus was criticized by religious leaders for proclaiming the truth, for eating with sinners, violating the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath and on another allowing His disciples to pick and eat corn as they walked through a field.
In 1Corinthians 9:22, Paul writes I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. We do not compromise our faith to become acceptable to others, however we can attend a gathering where people are drinking and not drink. We can abstain from and participate in other practices without compromising our faith or violating Gods word as we live in the world but not of it.
To fully understand this we must read verses 9:19-23.
1Corinthians 9:19-23,
Thank you, Ron!
You touch on an important distinction here: what is the difference between “religion” and “faith?” The Old Testament covenant was entirely rules based, yet the old rules pointed to the same thing as the New Testament covenant does: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 37-40) Any attempt to add “rules” to the New Covenant is problematic. The examples you cite illustrate this. Thank you for highlighting this point!
As usual you did a Great Job on this one Jeff!
Thanks,
Ron
Yes.
Yes. Gold star for everyone.
Thank you, T, I & M!
It is funny how T, I and M spell Tim. What are the odds?