“Recognizing False and Unhealthy Teachers”

Dear CrossPointe,

A few weeks ago I noted that Martyn Lloyd-Jones said 2 Peter 2 was the most terrible and terrifying chapter in the Bible. I think he must have been thinking specifically about the verses we’ll look at this week, 2 Peter 2:10b–20. This part of the chapter is a further elaboration on the characteristics of the false teachers troubling the church. It’s vivid, stark, and gritty. 

Our challenge with a text like this is that we might be tempted to think it’s a bit bombastic or cataclysmic. Are there really false teachers like this in our day? Does this text apply to us in our setting? The answer is yes! But admittedly we need to do some work to apply this passage to our context.

So here’s my plan: I will attempt to explain the text (I think it’s pretty straightforward) and then I hope to apply the text to our day. My goal is to help us grow in discernment so that we might be more able to detect and avoid false and unhealthy teaching. Passages like this are very important for us as a church. They fortify us. They help to sharpen our spiritual vision. I’m looking forward to digesting these verses with you. I’m praying the Spirit who inspired these words will illuminate our minds as we think on them this Lord’s Day.

Grace and peace,

Brad