How People Go Astray | 2 Peter 2:10-22
Peter identifies four points of departure from the way of truth and righteousness: (1) despising authority, (2) disregarding morality, (3) distorting liberty, and (4) deepening depravity. This sermon is part 5 in "A Fisherman's Truth," Bryan Craddock's series of verse-by-verse sermons on 2 Peter.
My wife loves to hike. So, over the past few years, we have explored every trail in the area. Some are well marked, but others are not. I usually have a good sense of direction, but once you take a wrong turn you begin to lose your orientation. After that you’re more likely to take another wrong turn and then another. Thankfully, our local nature areas are not too big. You eventually find your way out. But that might not happen elsewhere.
When people traveled by foot in ancient times, staying on the right path was even more important. Their life might depend upon it! It’s no surprise, then, that the Bible uses that experience as an analogy for spiritual life. The Old Testament Psalms and Proverbs speak of “the way” ninety-five times. Then in the book of Acts, we find that Christianity itself is often called, “The Way”.
Peter uses the same metaphor in 2 Peter 2 as he warns his readers about false teachers. They are those who go astray from the way and mislead others. As we learned previously in the first half of the chapter, they profess to believe and may be very persuasive. They may even hold a position in the church, being popular and persistent in their teaching. But Peter asserts that they bring the ultimate destruction of God’s judgment upon themselves.
So, how do people who identify with Christ and his church go so far astray? In 2 Peter 2:10-22, Peter identifies four points of departure from the way of truth and righteousness. Knowing them will help us recognize false teachers. But they also serve another purpose. We are all inclined to go off course at the same points. So, this passage helps us brace for those temptations and correct our wrong ways of thinking beforehand. As we walk through it, I encourage you to examine your heart and to renew your commitment to faithfully following Christ.
Despising Authority
When I was growing up people used to say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all know from experience that the idea is false. The words that others speak can definitely hurt us. But I don’t think that we realize how much we hurt ourselves by the words that we speak.
We feel an angry or bitter impulse and express it without holding back. It might only happen in private with a close friend to let off steam. But giving voice to that impulse moves us one step closer to acting upon it. Unless we stop ourselves, sinful thoughts lead to sinful words that lead to sinful actions. So, Matthew 15:18-19 tells us that Jesus said,
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
As Peter describes false teachers in 2 Peter 2, he begins by focusing on their words. Surprisingly, he does not pinpoint theological error as their point of departure. Instead, he highlights the way that they despise authority. This attitude could be expressed in a direct rejection of God’s Word, but false teachers typically take a less obvious approach.
In verses 6-9, Peter presents the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as confirmation that God will punish the unrighteous. Then in verses 10-11, he says,
and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
Some interpreters say that these glorious ones are human leaders. The New King James Version, for instance, calls them dignitaries. But other translations say celestial beings or angelic majesties. The little New Testament letter by Jude gives us more insight. The heart of his letter parallels this passage in 2 Peter 2. In verses 8-9, he says,
Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
So, the glorious ones in both passages are probably fallen angels. Perhaps false teachers pronounced some sort of curse against them, believing them to be the source of sickness and suffering in their lives. You have probably heard extreme leaders in the Charismatic Movement do something similar today.
Peter and Jude’s point is not that God wants us to show more respect for fallen angels. They are not the authorities that are being despised. The problem is when people usurp God’s authority to judge. He is the one that they are despising by arrogantly exalting themselves. In Romans 13:1, Paul says that all authority comes from God. So, whenever we deride any authority, it is an attack on him.
So, in 2 Peter 2, Peter continues in verse 12 and in the first part of verse 13 by saying,
But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing.
False teachers are just following their instincts, but that is no excuse. It is irrational to usurp God’s authority to judge, particularly when they are ignorant about the things that they blaspheme. So, they are destined for destruction, even as they bring it about by their own actions.
Now most of us are probably not tempted to blaspheme fallen angels, but we are all inclined to follow our instincts in judging and condemning people. To be clear, it is not wrong to communicate truth from God’s word. We are even called to lovingly confront one another about overt sinful behavior in our lives. But when we condemn someone because we think that we know the motives and intentions of their heart, we are acting out of ignorance and are usurping the authority of God. We must trust him to judge the unseen things. If we don’t, we are despising his authority, and that attitude leads to a second point of departure from the Way.
Disregarding Morality
In my first semester of college, I lived on campus at the University of Southern California just south of downtown Los Angeles. It became clear to me there that cities change when the sun goes down. I could hear it in sirens, police helicopters, and the occasional gun shot. People behave differently under the cover of darkness. They feel free to do things that they wouldn’t do in the light of day.
As much as they may try to ignore it, all people have a conscience. As Paul says in Romans 2:15, the work of the Law is written on their hearts. So, as immoral as the world can be, people are still shocked when someone is not inhibited by the light. A seared conscience is a frightening thing, doubly so when someone uses religion to excuse or even justify it. But it takes time for people to reach that level. They depart from the way by disregarding morality.
In 2 Peter 2, Peter argues that for false teachers this disregard is their forte and their tactic for influencing others. In the second half of verse 13 and verse 14, he says,
They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
Instead of revel, other translations say carouse or indulge in evil pleasures. The King James Version says riot. In other words, they don’t hold back. Perhaps they are drunk, but part of the thrill for them is that they are still actively involved with the church and its feasts. Jude speaks of love feasts which seem to have accompanied the church’s celebration of communion. So, they turn a time of self-examination and repentance into a mockery. They are blots and blemishes, staining the fellowship of the church.
Peter says that their eyes are full of adultery. Sometimes adultery is used as a metaphor for being unfaithful to God, but here it is probably literal. They view life through the lens of sexual desire, and they use that flirtatious influence to entice others. Sexual scandals with religious leaders are nothing new, and neither are financial scandals. Peter says that their hearts are trained in greed. They are well practiced at it. So, he calls them accursed children.
To put their disregard for morality in perspective, Peter relates it to the false prophet Balaam from the book of Numbers. In verses 15-16, he says,
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
The Moabites hired Balaam to curse the people of Israel. He was motivated to do so by his greed, but God miraculously intervened. An angel was sent to strike Balaam down, and the Lord enabled Balaam’s donkey to speak to him. God was showing that he can speak through anyone or anything. So, when Balaam kept trying to curse Israel, God showed his power by taking control of Balaam’s words and turning them into a blessing instead.
Peter’s point is that it was utter madness for Balaam to think that he could profit at the expense of God’s people, and the same is true for false teachers in the church. The Lord looks on the heart. He knows our motives. We need to remember that lesson whenever we are tempted to disregard morality. We may tell ourselves that it’s just a one-time thing. But whenever we choose to depart from God’s path, we always run the risk of going farther astray than we intend.
So, when we recognize sin in our lives, we must repent and get back on the way. We must claim the promise of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We can praise God for the good news of forgiveness that is ours through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, but we must also be on guard. The gospel can be twisted by false teachers, and that leads us to a third point of departure from the way.
Distorting Liberty
Have you ever been to a place where you did not have access to fresh water? You would think that a desert would be the worst spot for that. But at least your need for water is obvious there. I think it would be much harder on a desert island. It looks like paradise, and it’s surrounded by sea water. But if you drink, your thirst will only become worse.
False teaching is like that. It offers satisfaction but only makes things worse. It tempts us to leave the way of righteousness and truth with the promise of freedom. But it distorts the true liberty of the gospel. Peter begins with a similar analogy as he warns us about this point of departure. In 2 Peter 2:17-19, he says,
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
Jesus called the thirsty to come to him and drink the water that leads to eternal life (Jn 4:14; 7:37-38). False teachers offer to quench people’s thirst too, but Peter says that they are like waterless springs. You will find them to be bone dry. He likens them to a storm cloud on the horizon offering the hope of rain. They may bring all the hype of wind, thunder, and lightning. But the result is barely a mist.
The Lord will ultimately condemn them to suffer in darkness forever, but for now they keep trying to mislead people. They boast. They appeal to people’s desires. They prey upon those who are already unstable for one reason or another. They promise freedom, even though they themselves are still enslaved, and that focus on freedom gives us a hint about their teaching. They present a distorted understanding of God’s grace.
The New Testament teaches that salvation is a gift from God that we receive by trusting in Christ who died for our sins and rose again to give us spiritual life. Part of that new life is putting aside sin and growing in obedience with the help of God’s Spirit. But there is always a danger that people will take God’s grace as permission to keep living in sin. Paul refutes this error in Romans 6:1-2, by saying,
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
As Paul continues in that chapter, he speaks of spiritual slavery as Peter does here in 2 Peter 2. We are all born as slaves of sin. So, giving in to your desires in the name of freedom or liberty only deepens your bondage to corruption. In Romans 6:20-22, Paul explains,
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
You hear that false idea of liberty everywhere, not just from false teachers. It is the original lie from the garden of Eden. Cast off all restraint. Be independent. Do whatever feels right. But true liberty is found in Christ. He enables us to break free from sin’s bondage and to walk the path that leads to eternal life in the presence of God away from all sin and suffering. That brings us to one final point.
Deepening Depravity
When a car gets stuck in the mud, a lot of people put the pedal to the metal. The tires start spinning and throwing mud, but the car doesn’t move. It just digs in and sinks deeper. They need to lay off the gas and let someone else tow them out.
There is a similar dynamic at work in false teaching. Rather than setting people free, it leaves them spinning their wheels and sinking deeper into their depravity. In 2 Peter 2:20, Peter tells us,
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
It is hard to say whether Peter is referring to the false teachers or to the people whom they mislead, but the passage probably applies to both. They identify with the church as those called out from the world and its defilements. They profess to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. But they become entangled and overcome by the same old defilements that once characterized their lives.
What is it that makes their situation worse than it was prior to their profession of faith? In verses 21-22, Peter explains,
For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."
Greater knowledge leads to greater accountability. Luke 12:48 tells us that Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” These people heard the truth of the gospel and understood the way of true righteousness, but they turned back from following Christ. It’s like they had the tow cable in their hand that could pull them out of the muck, but they just wouldn’t use it. Peter wants us to see the repulsiveness of that choice. In Jewish law, dogs and pigs were both considered unclean, and the behaviors described here highlight that.
This may seem like a negative way to end this chapter. But we must remember that Peter’s reason for writing is to keep people from going astray. Jude gives us helpful guidance in his letter about how to respond. In verses 20-23, he says,
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
We are not saved by our own efforts. It is entirely by God’s mercy and grace. So, trust his love, build yourself up in the faith, pray, and keep looking forward to the time when Christ will rescue us from this fallen world. Along the way, watch out for your fellow believers. Don’t ignore the times when they wander from the path. Don’t look down on them for it. Show mercy. Reach out. Help them see the error of false ideas and encourage them to get back on the path.
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We need to make sure that we are ready for these tricky points on the Way. We will be tempted to despise authority, disregard morality, and distort liberty, so that we end up stuck in deeper depravity. We will be enticed by professing believers who are persuasive, hold high positions, are popular and persistent. So, we must resolve to hold firmly to the gospel, to keep following Jesus, and to help others do the same.
Are you on the path? It is not enough to simply be acquainted with the idea that Jesus is Savior and Lord. You must trust him to save you from the muck. Cling to the gospel tow rope. Let him lead you forward in life.
If you would like to learn more, reading Jude might be a good place to start. It might also be helpful to focus on one of these points of departure: authority, morality, liberty, depravity. Find other Scripture passages on the subject to reflect upon. Build your understanding so that you are better prepared to resist temptation.
Do you know someone who might be going astray? We do not know what is in their heart. We are in no position to condemn. But we can pray and reach out. We can listen and share the truth of God’s Word.
Let me conclude with the closing benediction from Jude’s letter. In verses 24-25, he says,
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Reflect
Which of these points are most likely to be a concern in your life? Why?
What could you do this week to learn more about that point?
Do you know someone who seems to be straying? What could you do to encourage them to stay on the path?