"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers amongst you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."
1 Peter 2: 1-3

IN our last sermon we came to appreciate what Peter meant by the phrase 'even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them'. We learnt from some other Scriptures that Peter was speaking about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whom he speaks of as 'the sovereign Lord'; and as we considered other passages of Scripture, we had confirmed to us that when Peter spoke of Jesus 'as the Lord who bought us', he was speaking of the doctrine, known as substitutionary atonement, where throughout the Bible from the beginning of Genesis, through all the sacrifices of the Old Testament, and at the centre of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has made clear that God, in amazing love, sent his one and only beloved Son, to take our nature, and take the place of sinners, and as the Son of man satisfy all the demands of God's holy justice by paying the penalty for sin by his dying the death we deserve and the hell we deserve, in our place.

The terrible seriousness of the false teachers who deny this doctrine, and so deny the Lord who bought them, is made clear in the next sentence of the Scripture before us. The words spoken by Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are 'bringing swift destruction upon themselves'. Here is another revealed truth which false teachers also deny and ridicule. The truth is concerning the supreme holiness of God, where he cannot overlook any thought or action that transgresses against his glory, and must punish all such deviation, even of the smallest kind, from his supreme holiness. Satan keeps these false teachers in his darkness, believing that although nobody may claim to be perfect or sinless, yet all are good people and therefore deserve God's blessing and favour, and deserve a place in his holy presence when death takes us into eternity, except for specially bad people. They support this attitude and belief by saying that, as God is love, it is unbelievable that a God of love could send people into everlasting death and separation from him in Hell. This thinking is the product of fallen sinful human thinking. In human culture, it is always felt that something less than 100% will do, but in fact the Bible revelation makes it clear that God requires 100%, and everything less must be punished, for if God accepted what is less than his sinless glory and perfection, he would be acting against his character, and ceasing to be God. This is why God, in unimaginable love, gave his well beloved Son Jesus Christ, to enter this fallen and sinful world as the second Adam; and where the first Adam plunged all his progeny, the human race, into death and corruption under Satan's domination, Jesus as the second Adam, and representative of humanity, might in his life and death fulfil all righteousness on behalf of all sinners who cast themselves in absolute trust on him as their Saviour. The disastrous activity of Satan is seen in the deception he has caused all false teachers to uphold and teach.

Such is Satan's terrible activity on false teachers is that he hides from them the awful and eternal punishment he is bringing them into. Peter describes this in the words 'bringing swift destruction on themselves'. Such is the darkness which Satan has brought into the minds of false teachers that this destruction is not believed, and they travel willingly down the broad road that leads to destruction without a care.

The question that may rise in our minds is Peter's affirmation of God bringing swift destruction. These false teachers seem to prosper in their lives without any hindrance, whereas the godly seem to have all sorts of trials. This query can be resolved by realising that the swiftness is referring to the destruction when it is executed, and not to the time it takes for God to execute this destruction. When God acts his execution is sudden and inescapable. This was made clear in the case of Korah, of which we read in Numbers 16: 25-34. Korah and all his family stood in front of their tent, unrepentant for their rebellion against God and Moses. Suddenly the ground opened up under them and they fell into the opening and the ground closed over them. How terrible and permanent is God's destruction when it is executed.

Peter goes on in verse 2 of chapter 2 of his second letter in speaking of the terrible disaster that comes on all who are deceived into following the teaching of the false teachers. In this we are able to appreciate the awfulness of Satan's activity. Peter speaks clearly of this disaster in the words 'Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute'.

This tragedy and triumph of Satan is made abundantly clear in the fact that many will follow the teaching and living of these false teachers. It is a fact that such is the preference of ordinary human beings, under the dominion of Satan, that the appeal of the false teaching is so strong, and fits things as they would like them to be, and satisfies the desires of the flesh and the mind, that the lies, promoted by Satan, which the false teachers are proclaiming, fit what fallen humanity would like God to be like and satisfies their fleshly desires. The tragedy is made worse because it is many that approve of this way, and so leading them into everlasting darkness.

Peter tells us the truth about following these false teachers. He speaks of the ways of the false teachers as shameful, and that it brings the way of truth into disrepute. How true this is. The teaching of the false teachers is shameful because it destroys precious souls, and keeps them on the broad road that leads to destruction. There are so many in our churches that embrace the false teaching, and are convinced they are believing that which will save their soul and bring them in heaven when they die. The false teaching convinces them that, as God is a God of love, it is impossible for God to cast them into hell to suffer eternal darkness and suffering, and that they may be sure that heaven awaits them when they die. The false teaching they have embraced gives them a totally false idea of heaven, and denies the true revelation God has given of himself in the Bible, and trivialises the revelation in the Bible of the incredible love of God.

Together with this tragedy of false teaching, Peter goes on to declare the fact that their teaching brings the way of truth into disrepute. How true this is in the reality which is present in the visible church. For where this false teaching is rampant, the true gospel that saves souls is made to appear horrid, unbelievable, and false, even ridiculous. When the true word of God, expressed throughout the whole Bible, is preached, it is immediately felt to be false and unworthy of God's love. This is because Satan has made these false teachers discredit and despise the Gospel, and cause their followers to think as they do. All I can say is, as I see this disrepute made so evident in so many congregations, it makes me weep for these people who have been led to reject the truth, and are blindly following this false teaching to their destruction in hell.

Verse 3 of this second chapter of the second letter of the apostle Peter continues to reveal the evil of the ways of false teachers.

Peter speaks of the greed of these false teachers. If we go to 2 Corinthians 2: 17 we are given an explanation of this accusation. Whereas Paul and the other apostles asked for no remuneration for preaching the Gospel, the false teachers apparently peddled the word of God, that is preached and taught, for profit. Then we can turn to 2 Corinthians 4: 2 to hear the difference of the apostles preaching in contrast to the teaching of the false teachers. This verse tells us that the false teacher's ways were secret and shameful. They did not care for the souls of the ones they taught, but cared only for themselves. Further Paul speaks of these false teachers deceiving people, and distorting the word of God.

In modern times there is plenty of evidence where false teachers are teaching to enrich themselves, however this cannot be an accusation brought against most. But as Paul goes on to say that the teaching of the false teachers is deceiving people, and also deceiving by distorting the word of God, this is so evident. The teaching of false prophets claim to be declaring the truth of God, but in fact is distorting the truth of God.

False teaching is rampant in the visible church today, and has always been present in a greater or lesser degree. The false teachers are not perhaps seeking to deceive the truth of God's word in the Bible, but the fact is that, Satan's activity has been so successful, that he has caused the idea that human reason is able to judge the Bible to seek out what modern and scientific thought deems to be incredible and therefore unbelievable.

Under this conviction false teaching in the church, based on what human reason and modern worldly thinking, sincerely promotes unbelief in the revealed truth and word of God given in the Bible. Such is this darkness created by Satanic activity in the world, that reason and science, sees only what is possible from a human perspective, and finds God speaking in the Bible as incredible, unbelievable and totally foolish. They do not see that they are reducing the omnipotence and omniscience of God to a human level. Also reducing the holy character of God to goodness perceived by the human mind; so their teaching is really stories they have made up.

The terrible tragedy of Satan's deceptive false teaching is where verse 3 of 2 Peter 2 ends. Peter tells the terrible dismal truth that such false teaching brings condemnation, and this condemnation hangs over all false teachers, however sincere in their promotion of such teaching. Peter goes on to make clear the end of such condemnation. It brings this condemnation on the false teacher who persists in embracing false teaching, and abides in it to the end. Peter tells us that destruction has not been sleeping.

For those who have promoted false teaching for their own ends, such end is deserved. But for those who have been led astray by Satan's activity, the result of their response to Satan brings terrible and devastating consequences. The destruction can be none other than eternal damnation in Hell.

For those of us who have been granted belief unto salvation to embrace the truth of God revealed in the whole Bible, should not only contend for the faith, but pray for those who have been led astray, that through true repentance they may find mercy in their need, and so be saved from such a bitter end of their lives on the earth.