But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in sects of perdition and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
εγενοντο δε και ψευδοπροφηται εν τω λαω ως και εν υμιν εσονται ψευδοδιδασκαλοι οιτινες παρεισαξουσιν αιρεσεις απωλειας και τον αγορασαντα αυτους δεσποτην αρνουμενοι επαγοντες εαυτοις ταχινην απωλειαν
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
By false teachers the Apostle means those of one mind with Nicolas and Cerinthus. By the name prophecy, applied generally both to prophets and to false teachers, he warns the faithful not to heed false prophets. Paul taught the difference between the two when he said that no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).
Not everyone who speaks in the spirit is a prophet, but only the one who has the manner of the Lord. For by his manner the false prophet and the true prophet will be recognized.
It is not fitting for heretics to believe equally and truly.
Renunciation of Christ has been uttered, and is still uttered, by various heretical teachings. These teachings cover their heretical rejection of Christ by preserving for heresy the Christian name, which does not belong to it.
It has also been uttered, and is still uttered, by various teachings that have flowed from fallen human reason. They present themselves as light and remove the true Light, Christ.
That heresy contains within itself the rejection of Christ was stated by the holy Apostle Peter in his Second Epistle: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying the Master who bought them.”
Every heresy is a rejection of the Redeemer. Even the iconoclastic heresy, which outwardly rejects only the icon of Christ, in essence rejects the Incarnation of Christ. Therefore it rejects the Redeemer and redemption.
The rejection of the Christian mysteries, even without an obvious rejection of Christ, is in essence a rejection of Christ. When the mysteries are rejected, essential communion with Christ ceases and is destroyed.
As false prophets appeared in the Old Testament and opposed the true prophets, so false teachers appear and will appear in the New Testament, introducing destructive heresies. Understanding the word prophet in the sense of interpreter (1 Cor 14:3), the Apostle is clearly pointing here to the appearance of just such false interpreters, or false teachers, in the Church (2 Pet 3:16). The mark of false teachers and heretics indicated by the Apostles, the denial of the Lord who redeemed them (cf. 1 Jn 4:3), applies not only to the heretics of apostolic times, but to those of every age. The error of heresy has always, in one way or another, involved the denial of the dogma of the Incarnation or of Redemption.
In the second chapter of his Second Epistle, the Apostle Peter rebukes false teachers who introduce destructive heresies or divisions (v. 1). They bring reproach upon the way of truth, that is, upon the Gospel teaching.
They have known the way of righteousness and the holy commandment (v. 21). They have known our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (v. 20). Yet, like irrational animals, they are led by nature (v. 12). They promise freedom while being slaves of corruption (v. 19).
In what does their false teaching consist? Among other things, in this: “They despise authorities, are bold and self-willed, and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (v. 10).
Is there not here a clear depiction of contemporary Tolstoyans, who deny lawful authorities? Is it not they who teach a return to the way of life of irrational animals, which know neither property, nor society, nor state?
From here the Apostle begins a strong discourse against false teachers. Some of them had already appeared in those Christian communities to which this epistle was written and sent. They had probably appeared in some others as well. Both the Apostle and his readers had information about this. Others would yet appear, as the Apostle foresaw, and that in a short time.
The transition from the preceding discourse on the prophets to the discourse on false teachers is this. In the people of God the prophets spoke the word of God according to the will of God. Therefore their word, or teaching, was indisputably true as the word of God. Yet alongside them, these holy men, there were also false prophets. God had not sent them, and their teaching, or word, was false. So also among Christians there will appear, and already have appeared, false teachers. Their teaching is not true, and is not from God or from Christ.
"False prophets" (cf. Mt 7:15; Mt 24:11 and note) were men who presented themselves as true prophets, extraordinary messengers of God, though they were not such. Their distinguishing traits are these. They assure others, without proof, that God has sent them to announce His will to men, though God has not sent them (Jer 23:21; Jer 27:15). They deceive the people, falsely promising peace and security in God's name, when there is no peace or security (Ezek 13:3 and following). They partly deceive the people by confidence in external temple worship. Partly they grossly lead them to impiety, while they themselves do not believe God and His law (Jer 7:4). They hated and insulted the true prophets, and incited the people to murder them (Jer 26:8, 11; cf. Mt 23:37).
False prophets appeared often among the Hebrew people. Moses already mentions them (cf. Deut 13:1-5; Deut 18:20 and following). They multiplied especially around the time of the Babylonian captivity. The Lord Himself foretold that false prophets would appear in His Church (Mt 24:11 and note). Such persons later did indeed appear (Acts 20:30; 1 Jn 4:1).
The Apostle, however, does not call such persons false prophets by that precise name, but false teachers. Yet this has the same meaning. False prophets are false teachers, and false teachers are false prophets. The first term characterizes the Old Testament viewpoint more; the latter, the New Testament viewpoint. "By the name of prophecy, commonly applied to both prophets and false teachers, they warned the faithful not to heed false prophets" (Theophylact).
The Apostle Paul also characteristically calls them speakers of lies (1 Tim 4:2). These are people who do not teach what the true word of God, or Holy Scripture, teaches. Instead they corrupt or distort it, reinterpreting it and inserting into it another sense and meaning (2 Cor 2:17).
Having rejected and distorted the true apostolic teaching, they will introduce destructive heresies among you, or divisions on one or another point of doctrine (cf. Acts 5:17). Such divisions are called destructive because, if they concern the fundamental points of Christian doctrine, they lead to destruction and ruin for eternal life. They reject or distort one or another truth of doctrine. They are destructive also because they produce ruinous disorders, quarrels, and strife within the community. They are destructive both individually for each person and communally for all (cf. 2 Pet 2:2-3).
"Denying": that is, repudiating and denying (cf. Mt 10:33). Such denial or rejection takes place in the heart and mind through unbelief. On the lips it happens through blasphemy, or through insincere or incorrect confession. In deed it happens through an unchristian way of life and conduct. The opposite of this act of denial is confession with heart, lips, and deed, or with one's life (cf. Rom 10:10; 1 Cor 12:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Tim 6:12).
Here the meaning is not such a complete and total denial or rejection of Christ that His messianic dignity is denied, and He is not acknowledged as true God. In that case such false teachers would not be Christians. They would be outside the Church. Yet, according to the context, they were considered and considered themselves to be in communion with the Church.
Here denial means a reinterpretation or distortion of the dogma of redemption as the Church confesses it. Perhaps, and probably, they considered themselves Christians. Yet by their false teaching they denied and rejected Christ, Who had redeemed them and the whole world. Because of ancestral sin the whole world was guilty before God and subject to eternal condemnation. But by His death and blood Christ offered to God a propitiatory sacrifice for all mankind. He redeemed mankind from sin, curse, and death, and so became the Redeemer of all (see the note on Mt 20:28).
"Swift destruction": that is, temporal and eternal death. This destruction will be swift. The word is used either in the sense of something soon to come (2 Pet 1:14), or in the sense of something that strikes suddenly and at once (Mt 24:29). According to the course of the discourse, the first meaning should be preferred to the latter (cf. 2 Pet 2:3).
The second chapter is a warning concerning false teachers. It concerns the dogmatic side of the coming false teachings (2 Pet 2:1-3).
The holy Apostle Peter warns that, as in former times there were false prophets among the people along with true prophets (3 Kgs 22:6; Ezek 13:2; 22:25-28), so afterward there will be destructive and scandalous false teachers.
He defines the dogmatic side of their false teachings by saying that they will “deny the Master who bought them.” That is, they will reject the dogma of the Incarnation of the Son of God. They will refuse to confess the Lord Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God.
These are the most impious and destructive heretics. “Their judgment has long been ready, and their destruction does not slumber.”
After the indirect indication in the first chapter of heretical false teachings, which overthrow the truth of Christian doctrine and life, the apostle now speaks of them directly. His word about them is prophetic.
Yet it is evident that this prophecy concerns times near at hand. Through his Epistle the apostle warned against a danger close by, and at the same time against heretics of the most distant times.
Defining the essence of these heresies, he calls them destructive, because they will consist in the rejection of the Lord and Savior Himself. By this they will bring destruction upon themselves and lead their followers to it.
They will also bring many reproaches upon all the basic truths of Christian teaching, and upon Christianity in general. This will be all the more so because they, the heretics, will give themselves over to corruption, while people will confuse them with true Christians.
The indicated traits of heretics fit many heretics of the first century and of all times generally, since most heretics rejected the dogma of redemption. Yet these traits, like those that follow, especially fit the Gnostic heretics, who boasted of special knowledge and considered every form of corruption indifferent (cf. Acts 20:30; 1 Jn 4:1; 1 Pet 4:14).
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 27 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS