THE first chapter of the 2nd letter of Peter ended with a wonderful expression of the truth that God has brought his light into the world in the Scriptures, and that the Scriptures, that is the whole Bible, is this light of truth in every part, and expresses this light in infallible and inerrant expression of the light of the truth of God. Now in this 2nd chapter Peter urges on our notice the darkness Satan has successfully brought into the world in order to blot out the light which God, in Jesus Christ, and in his Holy Word, has and is shining in this world. When we look out on the world in our present time, this darkness of Satan we see covers the whole world, and how the light of God in the Bible has been blotted out so very successfully.

Peter commences by telling how Satan has and is still doing this ghastly and destructive work. Peter commences this by speaking of this darkness as always being there even from the very beginning of time. It is seen straight away in darkening Cain's mind so that he came proudly with his own work and expertise before God, even though he had been told the good news of salvation from his parents. Peter tells us that Satan's work is seen in the massive number of false prophets that he introduced in the Old Testament times. One example is found in the days of Elijah. The idol of Satan, Baal, had hundreds of prophets, whereas there was found only one true prophet of God, which was Elijah, who had to stand for the truth of God alone. The wonderful thing, revealed in this piece of history, is seen in the light of God triumphing over the darkness. Elijah showed he was a true prophet, truly revealing the light of God's truth, when God sent fire to consume his sacrifice, when all the hundreds of prophets of Baal could not do so on their sacrifice to Baal.

So Peter opens this second chapter by speaking this fact that there were false prophets amongst the people, the people consisting of the people of God, the nation of Israel. Satan's success was massive, but the saving purpose of God was never overthrown, nor the darkness of Satan obliterating the light of God's truth.

So Peter goes on to make clear that Satan is tireless in his work to spread his darkness to obscure the light of God's truth in the Bible. He does this by declaring that 'there will be false teachers among you'. This was known clearly in the early church. Paul spoke almost violently to the Galatians when he mourned over the fact that the Galatian church was being adversely effected by false teaching, which was turning the Galatians away from the truth of the Gospel. Paul speaks so strongly by pronouncing a curse on all such false teachers.

Jesus himself warns of this in the parable of the wheat and the weeds in chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel. Good seed is planted, but as the good seed grows, weeds grow up with the wheat. Jesus tells us that an enemy has done this. This enemy is plainly referring to Satan, the enemy of souls.

The terrifying thing which Peter warns of is that these false teachers 'are among you'. The fact which Peter is expressing is that these false teachers are actually in the church, and at first sight appear as true teachers, and the tragedy is that they are accepted, and the deception is not discovered, and the false heresies introduced by Satan, expressed by these false teachers, are not discovered, and the truth of God is corrupted.

Peter goes on to speak of Satan's cleverness. He exposes the fact that Satan introduces his teachers secretly. This can be observed in the way so many who present themselves for ordination as ministers and teachers are able to deceive the church, and in how Satan has so introduced into the selection procedure those who have been infected with the virus of his error that they choose people who also have this infected virus of error and darkness.

Peter goes on to describe what these false teachers are able to introduce into the body of Christ, the church of Christ. Peter calls them 'destructive heresies'. All teaching that departs from the infallible truth contained in the Bible is ultimately destructive to precious souls, and also causes people so infected to turn away from the truth which saves, and hate it.

The crowning achievement of these destructive heresies, introduce by Satan, is his success in destroying the authority of the Bible. By this Satan is able, through the false teachers he has introduced into the church, to exalt human reason to deny anything in the Bible which goes against what they think truth really should be or perceived to be.

This is seen most tragically in the way these heresies 'deny the sovereign Lord who bought them'. This phrase needs to be carefully studied and meditated upon, in order that we may truly understand what Peter is speaking about, and so be able to appreciate its virulent destructive power. By this false and destructive heresy, and promoted by these false teachers, Satan is destroying precious souls, and keeping them under his power to bring them to hell with him. Satan has so successfully blinded the minds and hearts of those who embrace this false teaching that they have been brought to believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is repulsive and even foul. Because of this the teaching of Peter here, a true teacher under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, needs to be expounded correctly and made crystal clear. This is something I feel as a burden on my heart and mind, because I know my impotence, and that I must depend on the Holy Spirit alone. As I have dwelt and meditated on this sentence – (even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them) – I feel totally inadequate for the task, and am praying that God, by the Holy Spirit, will so work upon my mind and understanding, that He will make the message and the truth clear.

In the first place we must ask the question who does Peter mean by 'the sovereign Lord'. There can be no mistake about this, and that Peter is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter is expressing the high estate of our Saviour when he speaks of Jesus as 'the sovereign Lord'. He is clearly stating the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, now reigning at the right hand of the Father, with all authority given by God the Father to make known and dispense the salvation he has victoriously worked and won for lost sinners.

The next thing we must be clear about is what Peter means by the descriptive words 'who bought us'. Surely this can be nothing else and less than referring to the death of Jesus on the cross, and expresses powerfully the meaning of what Jesus was doing by and through his death, which God the Father testified as complete when he raised Jesus from the dead. So that we may be sure that this is the meaning, other Scriptures need to be read.

The first I would bring to our notice is 1 Corinthians 6: 20 where we read Paul saying 'You were bought with at a price'. This raises the question as to the nature of this price. For this we turn first to the final words of Paul to the leaders in the church of the Ephesians when he was on his way to Jerusalem and would be unable to see them again. In Acts 20: 28 Paul says in this verse 'Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood'. Plainly Paul is telling the Ephesian elders this truth that the price which bought their salvation was the shedding of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Paul again emphasises how Jesus saves us in 1 Corinthians 7: 23 where he says 'You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men'. This teaches us that Jesus bought us from slavery.

Let us now go to 1 Peter 1: 18. Peter speaks these words 'For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but by the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect'. How clear this statement is. Peter tells us that salvation is a redemption from slavery by Jesus Christ giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He was an unblemished sacrifice, made clear by his perfectly sinless and holy life, and giving his life to death which is God's just and holy and righteous judgement upon our sins. What are we redeemed from? Peter is plainly speaking of the eternal death in hell which all humanity are destined for because of the sin of our first forefather, Adam.

Finally, let us go to Revelation 5: 9 which makes this truth abundantly clear – 'And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nations”.' There could be no clearer statement confirming that our salvation was purchased by Jesus paying the redemption price by and through his shedding his blood in his death on the cross. The punishment for sin sentenced by God on Adam and all his progeny, when he ate the forbidden fruit in Eden, and the slavery to sin, Satan, death hell which resulted, was lifted by God by Jesus Christ suffering the just punishment on sin and sinners in the place of all who repent and trust in Jesus alone, is clearly made clear and evident. Jesus was given by God to fulfil all the righteous requirements of God in his holy law, and God made him our substitute to pay the price of sin fully in the place of all who commit themselves in trust to Jesus as their Saviour. The blessed truth of Isaiah 53: 5,6 is upheld in the New Testament.

We are now able to be clear concerning the meaning of Peter's words which we are meditating upon. Those who reject and deny the truth of what is described as the doctrine of substitutionary atonement are plainly denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. By this they are placing themselves under the reality of swift destruction, and placing all those who follow their false teaching under the same dreadful destruction.

There could not be any greater evil than such false teaching. It destroys the soul of such teachers, and destroys the souls of all who follow their lead.

We must leave our study on these three opening verses of chapter 2 of Peter's second letter for our next sermon, which speaks of the malicious and dreadful activity of Satan.