1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be afalse teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction1 does not slumber.
Doom of False Teachers
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to1 hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, oneof eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
6 and turning the cities of aSodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
7 and adelivered righteous Lot, whowas oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, atormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—
9thenathe Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
10 and especially athose who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. bTheyare presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of1 dignitaries,
11 whereas aangels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
Depravity of False Teachers
12 But these, alike natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,
13aand will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure bto carouse in the daytime. cTheyare spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while dthey feast with you,
14 having eyes full of1 adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. aThey have a heart trained in covetous practices, andare accursed children.
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of aBalaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
Traitors to the faith arise from within the church, subverting many to carnal ways. Peter's "but" contrasts these false teachers with those inspired by the Holy Spirit to write prophecy. Forewarned is forearmed; therefore, be on guard. "Heresy," from the Greek *hairesis* meaning choice, became a destructive element creating division through opinions opposing apostolic teaching. A heretic believes what he wishes rather than accepting God's truth. These teachers "secretly" smuggle in heresy by cunning deceit, presenting it alongside truth as mere "refinement." Such heresies are "destructive," or pernicious, appearing innocent while undermining spiritual health. Denying the Lord means their words and conduct oppose His fundamental nature, showing no close contact with Him. One denies Him by failing to submit in obedience.
2 Peter 2:1
If "secretly" ("privily") were translated into the closest English synonym, it would have been rendered "smuggle." They smuggle in heresy by cunning deceit. The word literally means "they bring it along side," that is, they present this heresy in such a way as to make it appear favorably with the truth. "Oh, it's just a refinement. We're not really changing anything. You understand that, don't you? We're not really changing it. It's just a refinement, a clarification."
One denies the Lord by failing to submit to Him in obedience. If the doctrines gradually begin to be changed, then submission to Christ will be put in different terms as well.
The King James Version calls their heresiesdamnable, implying that their words—their messages—are destructive to one's faith and relationship with God. "Denying the Lord" does not mean they deny that He lived or died or that He is God, but that their words and conduct are opposed to His fundamental nature. Their lives deny any close contact with Him.
Alarming as II Peter 2:1-3 is, Peter does not define heresy, but he does tell what one heresy is and will be. He also does not tell us here what the source of heresy is either.
Heresy is the translation of the Greek hairesis—meaning literally "choice" or "selection"—which has an interesting secular as well as biblical history. Until its biblical use, it had no evil connotation. Even in the Bible, it is mostly used to refer to a party or a philosophy with which a person had chosen to identify or ally himself. Thus, hairesis is frequently translated "sect." In Acts, Luke applies it to the Sadducees (Acts 5:17) and the Pharisees (Acts 15:5; 26:5). Outsiders also used hairesis in Acts 24:5, 14 and Acts 28:22 to identify the Christian church.
However, when Paul and Peter's writings began circulating, hairesis meant a destructive element within the church that creates division through consciously formed opinions and ideas in disagreement with the orthodox teachings of the apostles. Paul condemns it in Galatians 5:20 as one of "the works of the flesh." Sometimes it is translated "factions" or "party spirit," but regardless of its translation, Paul says that people who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God (verse 21)!
In the ordinary course of secular life, heresy was of little consequence; one person's opinion or choice about most things in life is just as good as another's. A person can be given any number of alternatives, any one of which he may be perfectly free to believe. However, in Christianity we are dealing with revelation, with God-given truth, with absolutes. When God's truth comes to men, we either have to accept or reject it. Thus, a heretic is a man who believes what hewishes to believe instead of accepting the truth of God that he ought to believe.
These verses show us in a general way that traitors will come from within the church and subvert many to follow their carnal ways. Peter uses the word "but" to provide a contrast with the preceding section about the "sure word of prophecy" (II Peter 1:19, KJV). These traitors to the faith are not led by the Holy Spirit as were those God inspired to write the prophecies (verse 21). The apostle immediately warns that these "false teachers" will come from within the church, or as Peter writes, "among you." The implication is that "forewarned is forearmed"! Therefore, be on guard!
Destructive will also translate into the English word "pernicious," which means "deadly." We hear it most frequently in a medical term, "pernicious anemia." What is so interesting is that it may appear innocent, but all the while it is destroying life. It gives the appearance of being not overtly or openly dangerous, but all the while it is undermining one's health. Peter, of course, is talking about spiritual health.
Traitors to the faith arise from within the church, subverting many to carnal ways. Peter's "but" contrasts these false teachers with those inspired by the Holy Spirit to write prophecy. Forewarned is forearmed; therefore, be on guard. "Heresy," from the Greek *hairesis* meaning choice, became a destructive element creating division through opinions opposing apostolic teaching. A heretic believes what he wishes rather than accepting God's truth. These teachers "secretly" smuggle in heresy by cunning deceit, presenting it alongside truth as mere "refinement." Such heresies are "destructive," or pernicious, appearing innocent while undermining spiritual health. Denying the Lord means their words and conduct oppose His fundamental nature, showing no close contact with Him. One denies Him by failing to submit in obedience.