Read 2 Peter 2:17-22
Dissociation and disgust may be what Peter is going for when he uses the dramatic example of dog vomit. If you’ve ever had a pet, you have probably been grossed out by this phenomenon. Peter uses this and other proverbs in today’s reading to help us appreciate the serious dangers of false teachers among us.
Peter’s fear was that if we go astray and listen to these teachers, we’ll never return to God. Their lure is enticing. It’s up to us to have the discernment and boldness to be strong in our faith. There is a lot of truth in Peter’s statement: “you are a slave to whatever controls you.” Think about that for a moment. What are you being controlled by?
We should be disgusted, like Peter, with the behaviors and antics of these false teachers. Peter doesn’t say it, but from my experience, some people I’ve witnessed as “false teachers” are nice, respectable people. Their opinions and allegiances are out of whack. Due to ignorance, they may not even be aware they are spouting lies and distorting the gospel message.
Notice I say disgusted with the behaviors. We are still called to love people, aren’t we? In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Jesus commissioned us to be sure the whole world knew about the saving grace he has made available to all people. It can be tricky, but we can separate the actions from the individual.
Peter encourages us to help make sure those who have turned to God don’t fall back into their old habits of sin. Peter hints at the parable of the seven spirits in Matthew 12:45, “Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”
Peter’s words call and alert us to the dangers of the false teachers among us. We are stronger being armed and on alert. Not all of our Christian acquaintances are speaking truth.
How do we know? I was just approached about a devotional (not mine) that was troubling a friend of mine. He wanted David’s expert theological opinion on whether or not such devotional style was “appropriate.” From that situation, I learned that we need to trust the Holy Spirit to give us discernment.
If something is bothering you about a teaching you’ve heard, the best things to do are (1) ask the Holy Spirit for guidance; (2) open up your Bible and spend time in God’s word, and (3) reach out to a trusted believer who can help you work through what’s troubling you. We can thank Peter for giving us the heads up.
Let’s pray. Father, I am disgusted by false teachings I hear people are believing. It saddens me that other believers can be so blind to these lies. Help shield me and those I love from false teaching. Give us discernment to know what’s true and what’s not. Thank you for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life to help me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
