a. Their Punishment. Ch. 2:1-9

1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. 4 For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): 9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment.

Peter had just assured his readers that inspired prophets, in their teaching, had given them a lamp which they should cherish and use in the prevailing darkness, until the Lord return. He now reminds them that of old there were "false prophets" as well as true, and that, similarly, in the Christian Church there are "false teachers" as well as inspired apostles, and that such teachers will appear in all ages until Christ reappears. The mention of these teachers brings Peter to the very heart of his epistle which is mainly designed to warn his readers against these authors of destructive heresies and to defend the truth concerning the return of Christ, which, in particular, was being denied.

As the chapter opens Peter declares that these false leaders are doomed to certain punishment; they are "bringing upon themselves swift destruction;" their sentence "from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not," it had been predicted in other days, of similar men, and it is no dead letter but soon will be executed upon them. Their conduct is described as "denying even the Master that bought them," as by their impure lives and their corruption of his teachings they actually disclaimed and renounced the Lord and Master who had died for them. As a result of their influence "many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of," while the teachers enrich themselves by the money they extort from their victims.

Thus the first four verses describe the doom, the conduct and the influence of these men, and so outline and summarize the whole chapter. This chapter, it will be remembered, is closely paralleled by the Epistle of Jude. The supposition is that one writer borrowed from the other or both from a common source. It should be noted, however, that when Jude gives examples of the certain punishment of the wicked he makes no mention of the deliverance of the righteous. Peter, however, uses three illustrations of certain doom, but in two of these he lays great stress upon the fact that "the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment." Of these examples of punishment the first is that of the fallen angels; the nature of their sin is not mentioned, but it is elsewhere suggested as having been caused by pride. The second is that of the world before the flood, the special feature of which was disobedience to God. The third is that of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the guilt of these cities was that of moral impurity. Thus Peter pictures the certain punishment of the false teachers, but he also paints their character, and intimates their pride, rebellion, and sensuality. He also intimates, however, that even though the righteous are few in number, as Noah and his family, or as Lot in lawless Sodom, God is certain to deliver those who trust and serve him. His words are designed to comfort and encourage believers in the darkest days of heresy and false teaching and impending judgments: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation."

b. Their Character and Conduct. Ch. 2:10-16

10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; 14 having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; 15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; 16 but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet.

Peter has already announced the doom and briefly designated the teachers of error who were corrupting the Christian Church; he now paints their character and conduct in vivid and forbidding colors. The two paragraphs are inseparably interwoven, the description of punishment and of sin. Thus when he mentions "chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement," he means that they, more obviously than other sinners, are kept under the judgment of God, and he specifies their character as walking "after the flesh," making lust their law, and further, he states, they "despise dominion," looking with contempt upon the power and majesty of the Lord. Naturally therefore, "daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities," but treat with abuse the lawful rulers of the Church. Such daring presumption is rebuked by the example of angels who refrain from insulting and condemning beings less powerful than themselves. These teachers are like "animals," without reason, mere brute beasts making a pretense of knowledge, and they are certain to be punished for their wrongdoing, as they deserve. Their idea of pleasure is wanton living, in open daylight. They are "spots and blemishes" in the Church which should be pure and holy. Their eyes betray their adulterous thoughts, never satisfied with sin. They allure and corrupt unsteady, unstable, "unstedfast souls." "Children of cursing" that they are, they have left the straight path, wandering away from it by following the way of Balaam; he, like these false teachers, "loved the hire of wrong-doing"; he wished the gold Balak offered and desired to curse Israel contrary to God's command; he was "rebuked" for his breach of law, when his dumb ass, acting contrary to law of another kind, spoke with human voice and resisted the mad infatuation of the prophet.

Like Balaam of old, men who try to serve God and gold, and false teachers, such as Peter describes, who hide their covetousness and impurity under the cloak of Christian profession, are doomed to moral blindness, to disappointment, to disgrace, and to death.

c. Their Evil Influence. Ch. 2:17-22

17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. 18 For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; 19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 It has happened unto them according to the true proverb. The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.

The most distressing feature In the picture of the teachers of error whom Peter Is denouncing In this present chapter, Is that of their Influence upon the members of the Church. The pitiful fact Is that such men secure a following; they know enough of truth and can employ sufficient pious phrases to beguile and entrap weak and unsuspecting souls. They profess to be sources of spiritual help; how different they are, in reality! "These are springs without water"; what a disappointment to those who are thirsting! These are "mists driven by a storm"; mists might supply some moisture, or protect from the burning sun, but when driven by the wind, as these teachers by their passions, they can only blind and distress.

In contrast with all their boastful pretense, "uttering great swelling words of vanity," they lead astray by offers of sensual Indulgence, those w^ho are just escaping from sinful companions and practices. They teach that as a Christian is "free from the law" he can live In license, and can show his liberty by indulging In sin. The fact is that such teachers are themselves the slaves of sin, while they are promising freedom to others; "for a man Is the slave of whatever overpowers him." Most pitiful of all Is the case of those who are misled, and who under such Influences renounce their allegiance to Christ: "For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first." In these and the closing words of the chapter a solemn warning Is sounded both for the teachers of error and their followers. "For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing It, to turn back from the holy commandment." It Is useless, and quite aside from the purpose of Peter, to argue here either against or for the doctrine of "the perseverance of the saints" or the possibility of "falling from grace." From the proverb with which the chapter closes It would seem that the persons described had never really experienced a "new birth" or a change of nature; however, the point here is to warn persons against self-deception, against all false sense of security, against false teachers who make light of sin and corrupt the teachings of Christ. No one can presume upon a past religious experience, whether it was real or imaginary. Each one must, and will, increase his knowledge of Christ by a diligent cultivation of Christian graces in case he is to find an "entrance into the eternal kingdom."