The Importance of the Scriptures / 2 Peter 2:10-22

Back to the Book

Well, hopefully you have your Bible. If not, go to the iHub, either here live or if you’re watching via video, and grab a Bible. We’re in 2 Peter, continuing on in our series.

Last week, PJ did a remarkable job of helping us understand the importance of the inspired Word of God. We have a Scripture that was not written by human authors in terms of their own intent, but inspired by the Holy Spirit through human authors, using their personalities to capture the most unique literature in all the world. It is the only book inspired by God, God-breathed, given to us as a plumb line for how to do life. PJ made a comment at the end last week that was so simple and yet so profound: instead of reading books about the Bible, we should actually just read the Bible. That seems simple, right? It’s not rocket science. But how many of us are drawn to this book or that book, this devotional, or that verse-of-the-day with four pages of commentary for a two-sentence text? Wouldn’t it be good to get back to just reading our Bibles?

In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter specifically addresses false teachers. False prophets and false teachers were infiltrating the church, and that is the backdrop of nearly all the later New Testament books—1, 2, and 3 John, Jude, Hebrews, James, Revelation, and 1 and 2 Peter.

2 Peter 2:1 (NASB)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

To understand what Peter is saying, we have to recognize the cultural backdrop. Roman culture was spreading from Rome into Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), where this letter was written. That culture was saturated with the worship of pagan deities, and it was as perverse as the day is long.

A while back, a TV series came out depicting the Roman Empire. I thought, Oh, that’ll be interesting, I’ll watch it. I had no idea what I was walking into—I didn’t read the reviews. In the very first episode, there was graphic nudity. I did what a lot of people do: Well, maybe it’ll get better. As if they ever get better! It just kept getting worse. Halfway through the second or third episode, I had to shut it off. It was awful.

I thought to myself: if I can’t even stomach a modern TV show portraying Roman culture, what would it have been like to actually live there? To hear the sounds of the brothels, to see the bathhouses, to witness revelry that started in broad daylight with excessive drinking and public promiscuity as a normative way of life? Everyone wondered why you weren’t coming to the party. As a follower of Jesus, you had to say, “Wait a second, I’m held to a different standard. I can’t live like that anymore, nor do I want to—I’ve been set free.” Yet the cultural pull around you was intense.

Pagan worship was designed to be intoxicating. If you went to worship Dionysus (or Bacchus in Rome), you would indulge in bowls of wine, feast on food, and partake in drug-induced stupors to create an ecstatic experience. It often involved sexual indulgence, violence, and even tearing animals apart with bare hands. That was their idea of worship. That is the world surrounding the early church.

When the Word Is Removed

To see this from a biblical perspective, keep your finger in 2 Peter and flip over to Romans 1. When Paul wrote to the church at Rome, he addressed what happens when the Word of God is removed from a society. When there is no plumb line for truth, what does life look like?

Romans 1:21-32 (NASB)

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Paul explains that when people reject the incorruptible God, they exchange His truth for a lie and worship creation rather than the Creator. Consequently, God gives them over to the lusts of their hearts, to degrading passions, and to a depraved mind. They not only practice every form of unrighteousness, greed, and malice, but they give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Doesn’t that sound familiar? When you take the Word of God out of the equation and tell people to just do whatever feels right, society doesn’t get better; it gets worse. God’s Word holds us in check and shows us how to live by God’s standards rather than the world’s. When Rome set aside God’s Word, God gave them over to what they wanted.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.”

Proverbs 29:18 (NASB)

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law.

You often hear that verse right before a pastor presents a five-year strategic plan, but that’s not what it means! In context, “vision” refers to divine revelation—the revealed Word of God. Without God’s Word, people cast off restraint. But blessed and happy is the one who keeps His Word.

The Anatomy of False Teachers

Because the surrounding culture had rejected God’s Word, believers in Peter’s day were surrounded by ungodliness. They looked around at all the immorality and began to wonder: God, are You going to show up? Are You slow to judge this?

Peter reassures them in 2 Peter 2:9 that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial and how to keep the unrighteous under judgment.

2 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB)

[then] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in [its] corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,

Peter describes these false teachers in detail. They indulge the flesh, despise authority, and are arrogant and self-willed. They don’t even tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas holy angels—who are greater in might—do not bring reviling judgments against them.

As a quick side note on angels: our culture often pictures angels like Hallmark cards—chubby babies in diapers with little wings. You never see that in Scripture. In the Bible, angels are terrifying, mighty warriors. When people see angels in the text, they fall flat on their faces in fear. Yet these false teachers are so arrogant they shake their fists at God and revile the heavenly realm.

2 Peter 2:12-14 (NASB)

But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;

Peter says these false teachers are like unreasoning animals operating on instinct. They revel in high-handed sin in broad daylight, their eyes are full of adultery, and notice who they target: “unstable souls.”

Think of a National Geographic documentary where a predator stalks a herd. It doesn’t go after the strong, mature animals; it targets the young, the wounded, and the weak. Peter says false teachers operate the exact same way. They infiltrate Christian gatherings—what the early church called “love feasts,” where believers broke bread and shared fellowship—and they prey on vulnerable, unstable believers.

2 Peter 2:15-16 (NASB)

forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the [son] of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, [for] a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

Peter compares them to Balaam from Numbers 22–24. Balaam was a prophet-for-hire who tried to curse Israel for money. When God prevented him from cursing Israel directly, Balaam found another way: he told the pagan king to send attractive women into the camp of Israel to seduce the men into idolatry and sexual immorality, thereby disqualifying them. Peter says these false teachers are doing the exact same thing.

2 Peter 2:17 (NASB)

These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.

Peter uses two vivid pictures: they are “springs without water” and “mists driven by a storm.”

In the ancient world, you couldn’t just stop at a convenience store for a drink. Cities were often spaced about 26 miles apart—a day’s journey on foot. Travelers had to know where the water sources were. Imagine walking 26 miles through the heat, arriving at a well, and discovering it is completely dry. That is what false teachers are like: they look like a source of life, but they bring death. They promise refreshment, but they bring destruction.

The book of Jude, written around the same time, uses nearly identical language to describe these teachers.

Jude 1:10-13 (NASB)

But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude calls them hidden reefs, waterless clouds, and autumn trees doubly dead, for whom black darkness is reserved forever.

Entangled and Overcome

In 2 Peter 2:18-22, the text addresses the tragic impact these false teachers have on people in the church.

2 Peter 2:18-19 (NASB)

For speaking out arrogant [words] of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

False teachers speak arrogant words of vanity and promise freedom, while they themselves are slaves to corruption. Remember: sin always over-promises and under-delivers. In Genesis 3, Satan promised Eve that if she ate the fruit, she would be like God. She ate, and instead of becoming like God, she fell into sin, guilt, and shame.

2 Peter 2:20-22 (NASB)

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, [returns] to wallowing in the mire.’

This passage raises an important question: Who are these people who escaped defilement and then became entangled again?

There are three main interpretations:

1. They are genuine believers who lost their salvation. We reject this because it contradicts the clear, broader teaching of Scripture regarding eternal security.
2. They are false teachers or religious hypocrites who had cognitive knowledge about Christ and cleaned up their behavior for a season, but were never genuinely converted in their hearts.
3. They are new, immature believers who genuinely trusted Christ and escaped the world’s defilement, but because they were undisciplined and “unstable,” they were seduced by false teachers back into their old lifestyle of carnality.

I lean toward the third view for several reasons. In verse 18, Peter describes them as those who “barely escape” error. In verse 20, he uses the phrase “having escaped,” which matches 2 Peter 1:4 where believers escape the corruption of the world through God’s promises. The word for “knowledge” in verse 20 often denotes genuine, thorough knowledge. Their danger was not apostasy (renouncing Jesus), but carnality (returning to sinful fleshly habits).

When a believer returns to their old life of sin, their last state is worse than their first. Why? Because before they knew Christ, they sinned in ignorant indulgence without the Holy Spirit. But when a believer sins, they do so under the piercing conviction of the Holy Spirit. Trying to enjoy sin while the Holy Spirit is convicting your heart is a miserable place to be. It is as unnatural and tragic as a dog returning to its vomit or a washed pig jumping back into the mud.

The Struggle of Sanctification

I share this perspective because it resonates deeply with my own story. I don’t know what your journey of sanctification has looked like. We hear testimonies of people who come to faith and immediately everything changes overnight. Early on, I used to arrogantly think, I’m like the Apostle Paul! Paul was killing Christians, got blinded on the Damascus road, and immediately started planting churches.

My reality was nothing like that. When I came to Christ, I had new life, but old habits were hard to break. On Friday nights, my buddies would call, and I would still end up hanging out at Willikers. I would go to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible study, read John 9 where the blind man says, “I once was blind, but now I see,” and think, Yes, Lord! But then Derby Days would roll around at the fraternity house, and I’d be right back doing foolish things with the Kappas and DGs.

I felt that internal conflict: What are you doing? You know better! I had never read the Bible; I didn’t know the Scriptures. I just knew Jesus saved me, and I needed to be discipled. I came to faith in the Sigma Chi fraternity house at Fresno State—it felt like living in ancient Rome.

You might not have come to faith in a fraternity house, but you have your own cultural influences. You have voices whispering: Nobody will know. Take that second look. Visit that website. Watch that TV show. The subtle temptation is always to lower the standard of God’s Word and live like the culture around us.

How to Grow Strong

If false teachers target vulnerable, unstable believers, how do we become strong?

The answer is not complicated. You don’t have to move to a monastery, dress like a monk, or spend all day pruning bonsai trees.

How do you get stronger? Read your Bible.

Just read the Book. And as you read, remember that it’s not just about the text on the page; it’s about the Author behind it. When you read Scripture, you meet God. You learn His faithfulness, His character, and His heart.

In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter told us to long for the pure milk of the Word like newborn babies. But people forget, so in 2 Peter 3:1-2, he repeats the charge.

2 Peter 3:1-2 (NASB)

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior [spoken] by your apostles.

Peter says, “I am stirring you up by way of reminder.” If you want to battle false teaching, you don’t spend all your time studying the counterfeit; you study the original truth so thoroughly that every counterfeit is instantly exposed. Peter repeats this because we need to hear it again and again.

When I was in high school, I wrestled and played football. During football recruiting season, I cut 35 pounds for wrestling and dropped down to 190 pounds. College recruiting coordinators came to Clovis West looking for a defensive lineman, and they took one look at me and said, “You’re tiny! Our punter at Fresno State is bigger than you. You need to grow!”

I asked, “What do I have to do to grow?” They told me I had to lift and eat everything in sight. I started drinking raw eggs like Rocky Balboa, chugging protein shakes, and eating mushrooms like candy because someone told me mushrooms had iron. I hated mushrooms, but I ate them anyway because I had a desperate need to grow.

Do you feel the need to grow spiritually? You don’t need raw eggs or protein shakes. You need the Word of God. You have to feed on Scripture.

Open your Bible and pray: God, show me who You are. Show me who I am. Teach me. Feed my soul. As you consistently take in the Word of God, you will grow up. You will no longer be an unstable, vulnerable target for the enemy, but a mature, grounded believer standing firm in the truth.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the privilege of reading it—that it reads us and exposes our sin. Thank You for Your grace toward us in our messy, imperfect sanctification journeys. Thank You that You never leave us where we are, but You discipline and guide us so we may share in Your holiness. Make us a people of the Book. May we read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it, so that we may stand strong against the culture with the love, truth, and holiness of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.