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Peter warns the church that the greatest danger isn’t always persecution from the outside—it can be deception from the inside. Just as Israel faced false prophets, the church will face false teachers who slip in “secretly,” bringing destructive lies and even denying the Master they claim to belong to (v. 1). Their teaching doesn’t just confuse people; it destroys. And their lives match their message: they use sensuality to attract followers, and greed to exploit God’s people with “false words” (vv. 2–3). When Christians live and teach this way, “the way of truth” gets mocked and the gospel is blasphemed (v. 2; cf. Titus 1:16).
Then Peter anchors his warning in God’s track record. If God judged sinful angels, the ungodly world in Noah’s day, and Sodom and Gomorrah—yet rescued Noah and righteous Lot—then we can be sure of this: “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” (vv. 4–10). In other words, God is not confused, delayed, or powerless. He can protect His people even when they are a minority, and He will hold deceivers accountable—especially those driven by lust and arrogance who despise authority (vv. 5–10; cf. Hebrews 9:27).
After that, Peter describes these teachers plainly so believers will recognize them. They are bold, arrogant, and reckless—talking big about things they don’t understand (vv. 10–12). They treat sin like entertainment, even while they blend in among the church’s gatherings, and they prey on “unsteady souls” with adultery, appetite, and manipulation (vv. 13–14; cf. Ephesians 4:14). Peter compares them to Balaam—religious on the outside, but motivated by profit and willing to bend truth for gain (vv. 15–16). In the end, they promise “freedom” but deliver slavery, because sin always enslaves (v. 19; cf. John 8:34, Romans 6:16). And if someone has been close enough to the truth to “know the way of righteousness” and then turns back, their accountability is even greater (vv. 20–21; cf. Luke 12:47–48). That’s why Peter closes with two graphic proverbs: returning to sin shows an unchanged nature—like a dog going back to vomit and a washed pig going back to mud (v. 22; cf. Proverbs 26:11).
🌀 Reflection:
Where are you tempted to believe the lie that sin is “freedom”—or to treat holiness like a burden? Ask the Lord to give you a clearer picture of what sin really does (it enslaves) and what God really gives (rescue, truth, and endurance) (vv. 9, 19).
💬 Mission Challenge:
Guard someone newer in the faith this week: reach out, invite them to read Scripture with you, and help them spot the difference between Christlike teaching and “empty boasts” that excuse sin (vv. 1–3, 18; cf. Acts 20:29–31).
Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 3 — Persevering in the Last Day.
Just Keith Harris 