November 1 – 2 Peter 2:1–10

Main Focus: Not everyone who speaks for God actually speaks from God.

In this section of the letter, Peter engages in a polemic against the false teachers, using biblical analogies to do so. Just as there arose false prophets alongside the true prophets of God in OT times, so also there will arise false teachers who will try to mislead the church.

Peter begins in verse 1 by describing the false teachers. They will subvert the truth by secretly bringing destructive heresies into the church. These heresies will be contrary to what Christ and the apostles laid down as foundational doctrines (cf. Eph. 2:20–22), resulting in spiritual ruin rather than life. The false teachers will even deny the truth about Jesus Christ who bought them. Peter apparently uses the language of redemption (“bought them”) here in the same way that he describes the counterfeit “salvation” of the false teachers at the end of ch. 2: that is, they claimed to be “redeemed” and “saved” because they were part of the church, but their apostasy showed that they were not truly believers. Another interpretation is that Christ’s death paid the penalty for their sins (“bought them”) but God did not apply this payment to them because they rejected Christ.

The heresy will be characterized in part by sensuality (“lack of self-constraint, abandonment to immoral behavior”), which most often refers to sexual sin. Greed drives the false teachers as well. They exploit believers with their false words for the sake of material gain. False teachers throughout history have been marked by sexual sin, a lust for money, and dishonesty. All such teachers face condemnation and destruction. In verses 4-10 Peter turns to a detailed argument proving God’s certain judgment on the false teachers. He uses a rabbinic form of proof that moves from minor premise to major premise (if A is true, how much more is B also true), and his analogies in vv. 4–8 amount to minor premises leading to the major premise of vv. 9–10a.

First minor premise (v.4): If (A) God has eternally condemned the sinful angels, then (B) how much more certainly will he condemn the false teachers and their followers (major premise, vv. 9b–10a).

Second minor premise (v.5): if (A) he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah . . . with seven others, then (B) will he not even more certainly judge the false teachers (major premise, vv. 9b–10a) while at the same time preserving the godly (major premise, v. 9a). Christians may be a small minority, but God will protect them.

Third minor premise (v.6): Peter sees the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah as a “type” (a divine foreshadowing) of judgment by fire on the last day (3:10–12), an event that will be denied by false teachers (2:4). If (A) God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah, then (B) how much more certain it is that the same thing will happen to the ungodly who reject the gospel.

Fourth minor premise (vv.7-8): if (A) God rescued righteous Lot, who was greatly distressed and even tormented by the conduct of the wicked in Sodom (v. 6), then (B) how much more will he “rescue the godly” (major premise, v. 9a). Some have questioned whether Lot was truly righteous, given the serious sins he committed (Genesis 19). But the righteous are never considered to be perfect. Moreover, Scripture distinguishes Lot from the citizens of Sodom in that he received the angelic visitors and attempted to protect them from harm—a crucial and courageous action in his lawless and morally depraved environment.

Having stated his minor premises, Peter moves to his major premise: “If” vv. 4–8 are true, then how much more true are vv. 9–10a. God indeed knows how to rescue the godly from trials. In the case of Peter’s audience, this would have evoked hope of divine deliverance from the false teachers and their influence. God also will certainly keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. He will punish them in a partial, preliminary way before the final day of judgment. This applies especially to those who engage in defiling passion and who despise authority—probably a reference to false teachers.

The false teachers are bold (in a reckless, foolhardy way) and willful (stubborn and arrogant), behaving in ways that even the angels avoid. They blaspheme the glorious ones, probably evil angels (cf. v. 11; Jude 8–9). In so doing, they recklessly dismiss any thought that these demonic forces have power or that their willful sins will open them to demonic attack. But good angels, like wise humans, do not take these evil powers lightly.