2 Peter 2:1-3 ESV
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
False teachers are people who are morally unclean. They are
deceivers, liars, manipulators, opportunists, egocentric, hypocrites, not trustworthy,
and the opposite of good. They are charlatans – impostors, fakes, frauds, cons,
pretenders and swindlers (cheats, tricksters, crooks). And they are those who
take advantage of the naïve and the trusting. And they can be people who are
well admired and even considered to be above suspicion.
They are conniving and they are very smooth and good at what
they do and so they attract many followers. Many people end up trusting
whatever it is they say without question even if they never or hardly ever use
Scripture but they just talk off the tops of their heads. They work to gain the
trust of the people and they gain good reputations and so many Christians trust
them without question just because of who they are, and that is dangerous.
But remember that the Scriptures describe them as wolves in
sheep’s clothing so they are going to appear as though they are sheep, and even
as shepherds of the sheep, all the while underneath they are raging wolves. And
so we can’t give them a pass just because they look good and sound good or
because they are famous and well loved and admired or because they are related
to someone famous, etc. We have to test EVERYONE!
So, even if they do quote Scriptures and then they write
something that sounds biblical, please read what they write and please listen
to what they say carefully, prayerfully, and be discerning. They are very good
at inserting lies or contradictory statements in whatever they say or write.
They are skilled at twisting things to where, on a surface read it sounds
biblical, but when you break it down word for word you can see the subtle lies.
Now there are some people who teach lies who may do so just
because that is what they were taught. But many of these liars and deceivers lie
and deceive on purpose with the full intent of leading people astray and away
from pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Their goal is to convince you that what
they are teaching you is the truth so that you will buy into what they are
saying thinking it is leading you to heaven while it is leading you to hell.
2 Peter 2:12-15 ESV
“But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.”
What many of these “creatures of instinct” are teaching
today is a diluted and altered gospel message which does not require dying with
Christ to sin nor living to Christ and to his righteousness as part of
believing faith which saves. They will tell you to pray a prayer or to confess
Jesus is Lord or to just acknowledge who Jesus is and what he did for us on
that cross and then to just receive his free gift of grace and forgiveness.
Then they will congratulate you that you are now God’s children and heaven is guaranteed
you as your destiny regardless of how you live your life.
But Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he
must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and
follow (obey) him. He said, in essence, that if we hold on to our old lives of
living in sin and for self that we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose
our lives (die with him to sin) for his sake, we will have eternal life with
him. And he said that many are going to say to him, “Lord, Lord,” but he is
going to tell them to depart from him because he never knew them because they
did not obey God (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
So they have turned the broad road which leads to
destruction into the narrow road that leads to eternal life, and they have
turned the narrow road that leads to eternal life into the broad road that leads
to destruction. Basically they have turned light for darkness and darkness for
light, i.e. everything is flip-flopped or turned over to where the top is now
on the bottom and the bottom is now on the top. So good is now evil and evil is
now being spoken of as good. Repentance and obedience are now considered bad
and continuing in sin is now considered good.
2 Peter 2:17-19 ESV
“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”
Absolutely this is what is happening today. These charlatans
are indeed promising the people freedom while they themselves are slaves of
corruption and while they lead their followers to continue to live as slaves of
sin and not as servants of God. For they tell them that they can just admit that
they are sinners and that they can merely ask God to apply the death of Jesus
to their sins and to forgive them and he will do it. No repentance required. No
turning away from sin and no turning to Christ to follow him in obedience.
They tell them to just receive Jesus into their hearts and
that he will come within them in the person of the Holy Spirit, and that they
will now be born again as children of God, that all their sins are now forgiven
(past, present, and future), and now eternal life with God is guaranteed them. By
a mere proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ they are told that they have now
passed from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God and from death
to life with no death with Christ to sin and no resurrection to new life in
him.
But the Scriptures teach that we must be turned from
darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that we might receive
forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ
(Acts 26:18). That involves repentance. And we must be crucified with Christ in
death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. That involves obedience. Sin
should no longer have mastery over our lives but Jesus is to be our only Lord
and Master and we are to obey him (Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24).
[Jn 15:1-11; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Pet
2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20;
2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Php
2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom
2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1
Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev 21:8,27; Rev
22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10]
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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