₦airaland Forum

“There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.” (2 Peter 2:1)

There are no “ifs, ands, or buts” in Peter’s words. It’s a clear and definite statement. There were false prophets among the people (of Israel in the Old Testament). That’s a matter of history. False prophets were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and those who falsely claimed to be prophets of God were to be stoned. The people rarely had the will to deal with them, so they multiplied, causing disaster to the spiritual life of God’s people.

In the same way Peter says, “There will be false teachers among you.” Notice the words “among you.” Peter is writing to the church and says, “There will be false prophets among you.” So he is not talking about New Age people on television. He is talking about people in the local church, members of a local congregation.

There is no such thing as a pure church this side of heaven. You will never find it. The wheat and the tares grow together. Warren Wiersbe writes:

Satan is the counterfeiter. . . . He has a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), preached by false ministers (2 Corinthians 11:13-12), producing false Christians (2 Corinthians 11:26). . . . Satan plants his counterfeits wherever God plants true believers (Matthew 13:38).

Authentic or Counterfeit?
How would you recognize counterfeit Christianity?

In 2 Peter 1 we read about genuine believers. And in 2 Peter 2 we read about counterfeit believers. If you put these chapters side by side you will see the difference between authentic and counterfeit believers.

1. Different Source—Where does the message come from?

Peter says, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:16). And then he says the false teachers exploit you “with stories they have made up” (2:3). So the true teacher sources what he says from the Bible. The false teacher relies on his own creativity. He makes up his own message.

2. Different Message—What is the substance of the message?

For the true teacher, Jesus Christ is central. “We have everything we need for life and godliness in Him” (1:3). For the false teacher, Jesus is at the margins: “They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them” (2:1).

Notice the word secretly. It’s rare for someone in church to openly deny Jesus. Movement away from the centrality of Christ is subtle. The false teacher will speak about how other people can help change your life, but if you listen carefully to what he is saying, you will see that Jesus Christ is not essential to his message.

3. Different Position—In what position will the message leave you?

The true Christian “escapes the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (1:4). Listen to how Peter describes the counterfeit Christian: “They promise . . . freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity, for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2:19). The true believer is escaping corruption, while the counterfeit believer is mastered by it.

4. Different Character—What kind of people does the message produce?

The true believer pursues goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brother kindness, and love (1:5). The counterfeit Christian is marked by arrogance and slander (2:10). They are “experts in greed” and “their eyes are full of adultery” (2:14). They also “despise authority” (2:10). This is a general characteristic of a counterfeit believer.

5. Different Appeal—Why should you listen to the message?

The true teacher appeals to Scripture. “We have the word of the prophets made more certain and you will do well to pay attention to it” (1:19). God has spoken, and the true teacher appeals to his Word. The false teacher makes a rather different appeal: “By appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error” (2:18). So the true teacher asks, “What has God said in his Word?” The false teacher asks, “What do people want to hear? What will appeal to their flesh?”

6. Different Fruit—What result does the message have in people’s lives?

The true believer is effective and productive in his or her knowledge of Jesus Christ (1:. The counterfeit is “like a spring without water” (2:17). This is an extraordinary picture! They promise much but produce little.

7. Different End—Where does the message ultimately lead you?

Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The true believer will receive “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:11). The false believer will experience “swift destruction” (2:1). “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them and their destruction has not been sleeping” (2:3).

Jesus tells us that there will be many who have been involved in ministry in his name, to whom he will say, “Depart from me; I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21). Who are these people? Surely Peter is describing them in this passage.

Don’t Be Naïve
We must not be ignorant: “There will be false teachers among you” (2:1). So how do we apply this warning?

First, Peter’s plain statement reminds us that the church needs to be protected. Among the many wonderful people who come to through the doors of the church each year, some would do more harm than good.

They may seem the nicest of people, but they do not believe in the authority of the Bible or the exclusivity of salvation in Christ. We welcome such people, because they need Christ as much as we do, but we must not allow them to have influence in the church.

Second, skeptics will always be able to point to hypocrisy and inconsistency in the church. They’ve always done it, and they always will. One of the strangest reasons for not following Christ goes like this: “I’ve seen people in the church who are hypocrites.” So you will not follow Christ because some people who claim to do so are hypocrites?

The existence of the counterfeit is never a good reason for rejecting the genuine. Peter essentially tells us, “Of course there are counterfeit Christians. Of course there are teachers who do the church more harm than good. What else would you expect in this fallen world? Grow up! Don’t be naïve! Don’t miss what’s real simply because you have seen the counterfeit.”

Point to 2 Peter 2:1 the next time you meet someone hiding behind this excuse.

mrkunlex:
There are no “ifs, ands, or buts” in Peter’s words. It’s
clear and definite statement. There were false
prophets among the people (of Israel in the Old
Testament). That’s a matter of history. False prophets
were a constant problem in the Old Testament, and
those who falsely claimed to be prophets of God
were to be stoned. The people rarely had the will to
deal with them, so they multiplied, causing disaster t
the spiritual life of God’s people.
In the same way Peter says, “There will be false
teachers among you.” Notice the words “among you.
Peter is writing to the church and says, “There will b
false prophets among you.” So he is not talking abou
New Age people on television. He is talking about
people in the local church, members of a local
congregation.
There is no such thing as a pure church this side of
heaven. You will never find it. The wheat and the
tares grow together. Warren Wiersbe writes:
Satan is the counterfeiter. . . . He has a fals
(Galatians 1:6-9), preached by false minister
Corinthians 11:13-12), producing false Christi
Corinthians 11:26). . . . Satan plants his coun
wherever God plants true believers (Matth
Authentic or Counterfeit?
How would you recognize counterfeit Christianity?
In 2 Peter 1 we read about genuine believers. And in
2 Peter 2 we read about counterfeit believers. If you
put these chapters side by side you will see the
difference between authentic and counterfeit
believers.
1. Different Source—Where does the message
come from?
Peter says, “We did not follow cleverly invented
stories when we told you about the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:16). And then he
says the false teachers exploit you “with stories they
have made up” (2:3). So the true teacher sources
what he says from the Bible. The false teacher relies
on his own creativity. He makes up his own
message.
2. Different Message—What is the substance of
the message?
For the true teacher, Jesus Christ is central. “We hav
everything we need for life and godliness in
Him” (1:3). For the false teacher, Jesus is at the
margins: “They will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who
bought them” (2:1).
Notice the word secretly. It’s rare for someone in
church to openly deny Jesus. Movement away from
the centrality of Christ is subtle. The false teacher wil
speak about how other people can help change your
life, but if you listen carefully to what he is saying,
you will see that Jesus Christ is not essential to his
message.
3. Different Position—In what position will the
message leave you?
The true Christian “escapes the corruption in the
world caused by evil desires” (1:4).
Listen to how
Peter describes the counterfeit Christian: “They
promise . . . freedom, while they themselves
are slaves of depravity, for a man is a slave to
whatever has mastered him” (2:19). The true believer
is escaping corruption, while the counterfeit believer
is mastered by it.
4. Different Character—What kind of people does
the message produce?
The true believer pursues goodness, knowledge, self-
control, perseverance, godliness, brother kindness,
and love (1:5). The counterfeit Christian is marked by
arrogance and slander (2:10). They are “experts in
greed” and “their eyes are full of adultery” (2:14).
They also “despise authority” (2:10). This is a general
characteristic of a counterfeit believer.
5. Different Appeal—Why should you listen to the
message?
The true teacher appeals to Scripture. “We have the
word of the prophets made more certain and you wi
do well to pay attention to it” (1:19). God has spoken,
and the true teacher appeals to his Word. The false
teacher makes a rather different appeal: “By
appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human
nature, they entice people who are just escaping
from those who live in error” (2:18). So the true
teacher asks, “What has God said in his Word?” The
false teacher asks, “What do people want to hear?
What will appeal to their flesh?”
6. Different Fruit—What result does the message
have in people’s lives?
The true believer is effective and productive in his or
her knowledge of Jesus Christ (1:. The counterfeit is
“like a spring without water” (2:17). This is an
extraordinary picture! They promise much but produc
little.
7. Different End—Where does the message
ultimately lead you?
Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The
true believer will receive “a rich welcome into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:11). The
false believer will experience “swift destruction” (2:1).
“Their condemnation has long been hanging over
them and their destruction has not been
sleeping” (2:3).
Jesus tells us that there will be many who have bee
involved in ministry in his name, to whom he will
say, “Depart from me; I never knew you” (Matthew
7:21). Who are these people? Surely Peter is
describing them in this passage.
Don’t Be Naïve
We must not be ignorant: “There will be false
teachers among you” (2:1). So how do we apply this
warning?
First, Peter’s plain statement reminds us that the
church needs to be protected. Among the many
wonderful people who come to through the doors of
the church each year, some would do more harm
than good.
They may seem the nicest of people, but they do not
believe in the authority of the Bible or the exclusivity
of salvation in Christ. We welcome such people,
because they need Christ as much as we do, but we
must not allow them to have influence in the church.
Second, skeptics will always be able to point to
hypocrisy and inconsistency in the church. They’ve
always done it, and they always will. One of the
strangest reasons for not following Christ goes like
this: “I’ve seen people in the church who are
hypocrites.” So you will not follow Christ because
some people who claim to do so are hypocrites?
The existence of the counterfeit is never a good
reason for rejecting the genuine. Peter essentially
tells us, “Of course there are counterfeit Christians. O
course there are teachers who do the church more
harm than good. What else would you expect in this
fallen world? Grow up! Don’t be naïve! Don’t miss
what’s real simply because you have seen the
counterfeit.”
Point to 2 Peter 2:1 the next time you meet someone
hiding behind this excuse.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/7-traits-of-false-teachers/
cc; lalasticlala

barapistis:
You should be dealt with for having a good message and delivering it in a poor format

We have standards in this kingdom...the text format does not meet with our kpi

akeentech:
see what