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False Teachers Cannot Be Ignored -- a lesson from 2 Peter 2 and Jude

  • Writer: mww
    mww
  • 2 days ago
  • 19 min read

Heresy is not a laughing matter.


Bible Study Ideas for 2 Peter 2 and Jude

Wherever God's people teach God's truth, false teachers will appear to undermine that truth and entice God's people into their own destruction. The defense God gives us against this is His Word and His people actively and humbly working together to grow in their true faith and stand against false teachers. The message of salvation is in the balance.

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption (2 Pet 2:19)


Getting Started: Things to Think About

Your Favorite Christian Book(s)

(Non-Bible Category)

This week we're going to read part of the letter of Jude. While it's not in the passage we read, Jude included a few references to some non-biblical books that he apparently enjoyed. And that got me thinking ...


What Christian books have made the biggest impact on you?


For me, I really liked Tim Keller's books on marriage and work. There's a powerful theology book called Great Is the Lord that moved me. And commentaries on Matthew (D. A. Carson) and John (Mickey Klink) and Romans (Leon Morris) were actually life-changing for me. Those books helped me understand and apply the Bible to my own life, and I think that's what makes for a great Christian book.


A Bigger Red Flag: Teachings or Lifestyle?

This is a weird question, and you may have to come up with your own wording for it (if you like the topic) -- when evaluating a theological teacher, do you pay closer attention to what they teach, or to their lifestyle?


Here's where this question comes from: this week, I noticed that an acquaintance had a book on evangelism by Matt Queen. I recently mentioned Matt Queen as the administrator of SWBTS who lied to the FBI in a sexual abuse investigation and was indicted and convicted for it. Does his terrible choice invalidate his writings about evangelism? And that just got me thinking.


I personally tend to first evaluate what a person teaches. It's easy to do -- it's right there in black-and-white. If they teach something that's at odds with what I believe the Bible says, then I start taking a much closer look at everything else they teach.


But I also noticed that when I "investigate" a teacher, I do a "news search" on them. If such a search turns up anything, it usually turns up some kind of social scandal -- sexual impropriety, financial hubbub, or any kind of accusation. I pay attention to those -- how did the person respond? If the accusation was true, how repentant were they?


In other words, while I do care what a person teaches, I found that I also really care about how they live. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect someone who is trying to develop the Christian qualities we talked about last week in 1 Peter 5.


And that's the point that Peter and Jude make in this week's passage -- it matters who a teacher is. How they live. Don't follow someone who's lifestyle is out-in-line with Jesus.


[That brings me back to Matt Queen. I believe he is repentant, and his book predates his crime. I wouldn't tell anyone to throw away their Matt Queen book. But I would personally choose to read a different book on evangelism.]


Being Jesus' Younger (Half-)Sibling

Here's a fun, totally speculative topic: what would it have been like to grow up in the same household as Jesus? There's no way to know; the Bible only mentions that Jesus' siblings didn't believe in Him until after His resurrection. But it's a mind-blowing topic.


(Jude is Jesus' younger half-brother.)


The Riot Act

I got this from the Serendipity Bible -- when was the last time someone "read you the riot act"? What had you done, and how did it make you feel? In this week's passage, Jude comes down hard -- hard -- on some false teachers in churches. I can only hope that this caused at least some of them to "come to Jesus".

This Week's Big Idea: Peter and Jude

Who Is Jude?

Jude claims to be the "brother of James" (1:1). With so many James's to choose from, Jude must have been referring to the "most famous" James, which would be the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. Consider also Jesus' infamous rejection at Nazareth:

Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? (Matt 13:55)

This makes Jude the half-brother of Jesus. The early church believed that, and there aren't strong arguments to the contrary.


Peter and Jude, Theology Buddies

This week, we will notice some strong commonalities between 2 Peter 2 and Jude -- so strong that there's no reason to doubt that one of them used the other's letter. This is not a problem, any more than it's a problem that the Gospel writers drew on one another for content. It's also not clear which of 2 Peter or Jude came first.


Let's remember that the Bible was written by people (carried along by the Holy Spirit, as we read last week). These two people knew each other. Peter would have known Jude from Jude's days as Jesus' skeptical brother. In fact, Peter was probably the leader of the church in Jerusalem when Jude became a Christian, and they probably spent time together while James was taking on the mantle of leadership in Jerusalem.


This leads me to speculate -- what if Peter and Jude were both just really interested in this overlapping topic (fallen angels, the flood, judgment)? Kinda like how some of you really like to talk about End Times? The letter of 1 Enoch (see below) was likely well-known in Jerusalem when they were there, and maybe it struck a chord with the two of them.


Why would Peter copy Jude? If Jude wrote first, why would Peter copy him? Well, why not? Peter may have gotten a copy of Jude's letter and thought, "This is perfect for the people I'm writing to." He didn't know that one day both letters would be compiled into what we now call the Bible. He was just trying to help some Christians have courage. And "the half-brother of Jesus Christ" is a pretty good source.


Why would Jude copy 2 Peter? This one's easier. Jude saw a copy of Peter's letter and thought, "A lot of Christians need to hear this." Again, he didn't know that one day we would be able to read both letters in the same compilation. In my notes below, I will mention a couple of things that seem to suggest that Jude copied 2 Peter.


In either case, I think it's reasonable to believe that Peter and Jude had a shared interest in this material which is why they both wanted to write about it.


The Letter of Jude

I've already said that "Jude" (Greek and Hebrew "Judah") was Jesus' half-brother. Note that he only mentions his familial relationship with James and being a servant of Jesus. This is the kind of humility we should all appreciate.


There aren't any real clues as to date, so there's no reason to believe it was published significantly before or after 2 Peter. There also aren't clear clues as to the specific audience. General consensus is that Jude wrote to Jewish Christian churches.


This letter is about false teachers. Whatever non-Christian "movement" invading the churches Peter wrote too had also spread to the churches Jude wrote to. But whereas Peter specified a false doctrine (that Jesus wasn't really coming back), Jude focused on their lifestyle. Granted, they were probably teaching the Jewish Christians that they had free license to sin (which is a false doctrine), but that wasn't Jude's main concern. Rather, because their lifestyle was so far out of line with what Jesus taught, everything these people taught must be called into question.


The Bible Project video on Jude is very informative --

In fact, that video is so good, I'm not sure how much I have to add.


Jude's point was that God had never failed to judge wrongdoers, so why would He start now? This obviously connects directly with Peter's mention of the teaching that Jesus wasn't actually returning to judge the living and the dead, but it was more general to Jude. God will judge sin. And the only escape from judgment is salvation in Jesus.


Jude:

  1. Introduction (1-4)

  2. Examples of God's Judgment (5-7)

  3. False Teachers will be Judged (8-13)

  4. Judgment Comes for All (14-16)

  5. Believers Must Stand Firm (17-23)


Tidbit -- Jude only has one chapter, so a reference to Jude will usually be Jude 14, not Jude 1:14.


Bonus Big Idea: 1 Enoch and the Assumption of Moses

Here's a specific topic I want to focus on. Your group might not care about this at all, but just in case they do ...


Most scholars agree that Peter and Jude cite a pair of non-biblical works called "The Book of Enoch" (1 Enoch) and "The Assumption of Moses". Lifeway has attempted to circumvent this by skipping those verses, but if your group has watched either of the Bible Project videos or done any study of 2 Peter or Jude (and I hope they have!), they are aware of these strange books.


This is the exact kind of thing Wikipedia was made for, so here is way more information you could ever want to know about them:


Here are the questions this brings up:

  • Is it okay for the Bible to cite non-biblical material?

  • Does this make 1 Enoch "right"?

  • If 1 Enoch isn't right, does this call Peter and Jude into question?

I believe these are very important questions.


First, of course it's okay for the Bible to cite non-biblical material. It depends on how the cite is used (see next), but we all know that things not authored by a prophet/apostle can be true and/or a useful illustration for teaching biblical truth.


Second, the specific way Jude cites 1 Enoch is strong -- "Enoch prophesied..." That sounds to me like Jude believed Enoch really said that thing. But no serious scholar has ever taken the Book of Enoch "seriously" (it's included in hardly any Jewish and Christian canons). So, was Jude caught up in a folk myth? Well, maybe. But the commentaries I rely on all make the same point, that the wording is carefully vague. Neither Jude nor Peter call those works "scripture" -- they are used as illustrations. This might be a case-in-point of what we talked about last week, of what it meant that the Bible authors were "carried along" by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit allowed them to write what was on their hearts but kept them from saying anything that was actually wrong. (And of course, it's also possible that Enoch did indeed prophesy that; the content of the prophecy is accurate.)


One of my commentaries likened this to a preacher using the Chronicles of Narnia as an illustration. I personally like the example of using a Spurgeon quote (a friend sent me some Spurgeon quotes this week) -- we can read Spurgeon quotes and say that they are accurate and valuable summaries of biblical truth (see below).


But third, the bigger question comes from the inverse. If 1 Enoch isn't true, is that bad for Jude or Peter? This affects me in the sense of how these letters relate to Genesis 6. All of the summaries of 2 Peter and Jude point out that 1 Enoch contained a Jewish tradition that Genesis 6 was about fallen angels coming to earth and procreating with human women, which is why God sent the flood. But you might remember that I personally reject that interpretation -- from our recent study,

(and you can also look at:

That just doesn't seem to be how angels "work".


But I also believe that the Bible is entirely true and trustworthy! So, what do I do here? First of all, I acknowledge that my interpretation could be wrong! But second of all, I encourage everybody to read 2 Peter and Jude carefully -- they're vague on this point. The angels sinned (in that post, I said that the fallen angels' ungodly influence on humans is what drove that generation to be the worst in history). Well, clearly! Being imprisoned by God and all ...


I think that God kept the wording vague for a reason (again, part of His supervision of the writing of the Bible) -- the point isn't what those angels did, the point is that even angels who rebelled against God were held accountable and judged.


Final summary: it's fine that Peter and Jude cited those two extra-biblical sources. Their readers were almost certainly familiar with them, and the points that Peter and Jude used them to illustrate were indeed accurate: God judges sin.


I'll close this section with some Spurgeon quotes that I'm sure any of us would read and say, "Truth!" That doesn't make them scripture, but they're still valuable and meaningful.

  • “Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.”

  • “Hope itself is like a star - not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”

  • “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies.”

  • “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

  • “That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”

Spurgeon. Smart guy. Loved Jesus. Great communicator.

Part 1: There Will Be False Teachers (2 Peter 2:1-3)

There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

Catch this --

  • Peter emphasizes teachers who teach a false doctrine;

  • Jude emphasizes teachers who live an ungodly lifestyle.

Both groups are a problem. Both groups bring reproach on Jesus in the world and lead people astray. But they are still two different groups.


Teachers such as Josh Harris and Ravi Zacharias are notorious not for their teachings but for their moral failure (well, what happened to Josh Harris later is a different category). Teachers such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer are notorious for their teachings (although there are some red flags in their lifestyles). And then teachers such as Mark Driscoll and James Macdonald are notorious for massive character flaws which led to serious reconsideration of their popular teachings.


[That's just a short sample list of names. Obviously, you would offer names familiar to your Bible study group. But be sure -- this isn't a gossip session; you would only list such names for the purpose of illustrating that Peter's warning is still extremely valid today.]


Peter just says "destructive opinions", and the phrase could mean "their opinions will destroy churches" or "their opinions will result in their ultimate destruction in hell". I think we need to be careful about how we discuss this.


On the one hand, we know that false teachings and unchristian leadership lifestyles absolutely destroy ministries and lives. There are too many contemporary examples of this to count. When Ravi Zacharias fell morally, his ministry imploded, people lost their jobs, and there are still significant questions about "where the money went" --

If you have time (like, a lot of time), I recommend an incredible podcast by Christianity Today about what happened to the people who were a part of Mars Hill Church during and after Mark Driscoll's horrifying ministry there --


But on the other hand, I don't want us to suggest that Ravi Zacharias or Mark Driscoll are going to hell because of their terrible choices. Both of them have made what I consider to be credible professions of faith, and we believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. I do not like to make accusations about someone else's salvation when they have made a credible profession of faith; that is between them and God. We all sin. Some sins just turn out to be more public than others. It's possible that Peter used "bought them" to mean that they were indeed actually Christians; some scholars argue that Peter was just saying that Christ's sacrifice paid for their sins, but because they rejected Christ that payment would not avail them.


[Consider 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 where Paul talks about the impact of different teachers. If they're building on the true foundation of Jesus Christ, no amount of "bad works" can take their salvation. But the lasting effect of their life will not be what they might have hoped for.]


In 2:1, Peter is talking about teachers whose teaching result in damnation. They deny something about the biblical doctrine of salvation. In verse 3, Peter is talking about the eternal destruction of hell. This destruction was prophesied long ago (see below).


With that, we can surmise that at least some of these false teachers were teaching that God does not condemn people to hell. Some were teaching that God does not care about lifestyles (that God must forgive all sin -- see Romans 6 and 8). Some were teaching completely made-up stuff that somehow resulted in themselves getting richer.


Those teachings distort the truths of salvation (again, see Romans 6 and 8 for how this is so); they are not innocent disagreements. If people are saved, it will be in spite of those teachings, not because of them.


Anyway, Peter's point is that people will always attempt to bring false teachings into churches. Our defense is true teachings -- in this case, Peter is telling us to listen to him as an eyewitness follower of Jesus Christ; today, we have the Bible.


If you are blissfully unaware of false teachings, here is a section about "current heresies". If you want to use this with your group, I would suggest a format like this:

  • state one of the heresies below ("heresy" just means a teaching that is considered false by your church standards)

  • ask if anyone in your group has heard it

  • ask your group what's wrong with the statement and why that is important


Aside: Examples of Current Heresies

Here are two pages I found online.

  1. Jesus was just a good guy

  2. Don't take the Bible too seriously

  3. God will save everyone in the end

  4. Good people go to heaven

  5. Christians will be healthy and wealthy


  1. Jesus isn't the only way to heaven

  2. Jesus was created by God

  3. Jesus is not God

  4. The Holy Spirit is not a Person

  5. Humans aren't sinful by nature

An interesting assignment: what overlap do you see between "modern heresies" and what Peter and Jude were talking about?


If you want more, I recommend the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry --

They cover everything. (It can be overwhelming.) (Also, I think they get a bit overzealous on some points.) For example, here is one of their pages:


If you're more interested in historical data, Monergism has an impressive list (with descriptions) of the major heresies that have plagued Christianity over the centuries --

Part 2: No, Really -- False Teachers (2 Peter 2:17-19)

17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. 18 For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.

Lifeway skips the section that includes all of Peter's examples:

  • Angels who were somehow involved in the world of Noah's day

  • The world of Noah's day

  • Sodom and Gomorrah

Peter's point is that God has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to judge and punish sin. So, these false teachers who claim otherwise are liars who will destroy your church (the church will itself be damaged, and the souls of the people involved will be put at risk).


Now, Peter turns the ire on full. His readers know about traveling in the desert -- such travels depend on oases/springs occurring along their journey. But when you get to a spring and discover that there's no water there, it's devastating -- maybe even a death sentence! And those storm clouds in the distance that seem to promise coming rain? Sometimes they just dissipate and turn into mist. That's what these false teachers are like.


They seduce -- they entice by appealing to fleshly desires (gratification). And of course this appeals to pagans; it also appeals to "baby Christians" -- Christians who are not far removed from their former pagan lifestyle. (Read 1 Peter 1 again ...) What these false teachers do is particularly cruel to those brand-new Christians.

If you haven't done this in a while, bring in some advertisements, or show some advertisements that pop up on your feeds. How many of them


use vague sensuality?


appeal to base consumerism?


make promises of happiness?


use celebrity endorsement?


That's what these false teachers are doing. They are packaging their teachings like any slick advertisement.


Follow that up with a question like this: how many of you have responded to an advertisement only to decide that it was a waste of money/time?

That's the battle we face. We "advertise" Christianity alongside a thousand other things that promise meaning, fulfillment, and hope. But only true Christianity actually provides those things -- and most importantly salvation. I hope you appreciate how insistent Peter is on this matter -- he sees how difficult it will become for Christians to speak through the noise, let alone Christians in churches led by false teachers!


The primary background vices seem to be sex and greed. "You have sexual freedom in Christ." "Come to Christ and get rich." I'm sure you understand how those teachings would be popular. But why are they wrong?


Peter realizes that such promises are not just empty, they are lies. If you give in to your uncontrolled sexual desires, they will own you. If you give into your greed, it will own you. It's not freedom -- it's slavery. (Please read Romans 6 and 8.)


They entice. They promise. But they are enslaved.


Remember what Peter said last week about an effective and productive faith!

Part 3: Jude Chimes in (17-19)

17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.

We could get a lot more out of this short letter, but there are time constraints. Watch that Bible Project video -- it's thorough.


Jude 17 parallels 2 Peter 2:3; but whereas Peter pointed to the Old Testament prophets, Jude points to the apostles. (Some see this as proof that Jude took this content from 2 Peter; in fact, verse 18 might just be a reference to 2 Peter 2:3.)


Consider --

  • Matt 24:4 Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many."

  • Acts 20:29 I [Paul] know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them.

  • 2 Tim 3:1 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.


Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding, so to speak. The ministry of a "right" teacher will result in churches being strengthened, people being saved, and Christians growing in their discipleship. The ministry of a "false" teacher will result in churches crumbling, people turning from Jesus, and Christians becoming enslaved to sin. Sadly, sometimes those terrible things have to happen before people realize who the teacher was. Peter and Jude want to protect churches from those consequences by setting up the apostles as right teachers with right lifestyles.


There's a great sense of urgency here, even desperation. In particular, Peter knows he is soon to be executed. If these churches decide to listen to the false teachers, many souls could be lost (because they would never hear the true gospel), and there is nothing worse that could happen in this life. Jude is younger, but he was clearly convinced of a similar urgency.

Part 4: A Nice and Simple Application (20-23)

20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. 22 Have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

As is often the case in Bible study, the Bible itself gives us the application.


This passage is just incredible. I'll bullet-point these verses, and then I want you and your group to work together to determine what they look like in your lives:

  • Build yourselves up in your most holy faith

  • Pray in the Holy Spirit

  • Keep yourselves in the love of God

  • Wait expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life

  • Have mercy on those who waver

  • Save others by snatching them from the fire

  • Have mercy on others with fear ...

  • Hate even the garment defiled by the flesh

This is as practical as it gets.


Let me make a few comments (so I feel like I'm helping):

  • "the faith" here refers to biblical truth (doctrines) -- this is specifically about learning what the Bible says so you won't be fooled by heresy;

  • "from the fire" is a reminder that people who reject God and God's truth are pointing themselves to hell -- this is no innocent disagreement;

  • "have mercy / have mercy" makes it clear that as Christians, we are to be people of mercy, not condemnation, BUT we still tell the truth;

  • "with fear" reminds us that our mercy and compassion might cause us to drift too far into someone else's sinful lifestyle and be ensnared;

  • "even the garment" isn't about clothes -- it's a powerful way of saying that Christians must never be the slightest bit okay with sin.


Spend your time as a group coming up with a plan to do these things.


Remember that Peter's words and Jude's words are actually quite positive. "Work together to build up your church family in the faith so that you will never be taken by false teachers."


We have one more lesson with Peter.

Closing Thoughts: Doctrinal Triage

Christians have lots of disagreements about lots of things. We have dozens of churches in McDuffie County (population 20,000?) in part because Christians have lots of disagreements about lots of things. Denominations exist because Christian leaders believe that some of those doctrinal differences are irreconcilable.


That results in what we might call "doctrinal triage" -- this group of differences is semi-important; that group of differences is very important; that other group of differences is we-can't-be-friends-anymore important.


And what makes this really hard is that Christians don't always agree on which differences belong in which category.


All of that to say this: have mercy (be gracious) when talking about doctrinal differences. I can promise you that your Bible study group does not completely agree on all points of theology in every way. That does not (necessarily) make any of you a false teacher -- it just means you disagree about something.


Peter and Jude give us the tools to help us work out which disagreements really are a "hill worth dying on" -- the evidence of the lifestyle of the teacher, the clear disagreement of what is taught with what the Bible says.


This is nothing to be taken lightly. This is something for your whole church to work out together humbly and carefully as you seek a productive and effective faith.

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