-------------------
The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
--------------------
July 31, 2011
--------------------
Contents:
1) 2 Peter 2:12-14 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
--------------------
-1-
2 Peter 2:12-14
by Tom Edwards
Peter continues on the topic of false teachers by now likening them to
irrational beasts in 2 Peter 2:12: "But these, like unreasoning
animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed,
reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those
creatures also be destroyed."
The Greek word for "unreasoning" is "alogos" and defined as "1)
destitute of reason 2) contrary to reason, absurd"
(Thayer). It is actually translated as "absurd" in
Acts 25:27, in which Festus is hoping that Felix will be able to detect
some type of fault in Paul, for Festus had no success in doing so and
states in this verse, "For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner,
not to indicate also the charges against him." The only other
place where this Greek word is used in the NT is in the parallel
passage in Jude 1:10, where Jude states, "But these men revile the
things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by
instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are
destroyed." The KJV refers to them as being like "natural brute
beasts," which depicts the false teachers as having no more control
over their passions than beasts do. For like them, the
false teachers are using merely their natural appetites to direct them,
rather than sound reasoning. Other Bible translations refer to
them as "irrational animals" and "like beasts without reason."
When we think of many of the terrible things that some people do in
hurting others or even taking their lives, these wrongdoers often seem
more like savage animals than as civilized human beings. We can
also point out, however, that Jesus exemplified by His earthly life,
the way a human being is to be. So in His coming to our planet,
Jesus not only manifested what God is like, but also what a perfect man
is like, too.
Though man might act like an unreasoning animal, that certainly isn't
the way God made him -- nor wants him to be. Consider, for
instance, Psalm 32:8,9: "I will instruct you and
teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My
eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no
understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in
check, Otherwise they will not come near to you." Also, in
contrast to being like an irrational animal, note what we see the need
for in Isaiah 1:18: "'Come now, and let us reason together,' Says
the LORD, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as
snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.'"
Because these false teachers are like unreasoning animals, Peter shows
that they also are guilty of "reviling where they have no knowledge" (2
Pet. 2:12). Doesn't this seem typical? It might even remind
you of what the Lord states in Matthew 7:6: "Do not give what is
holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
A swine does not recognize the value of a pearl and will, therefore,
just stomp it in the mud like it were a mere pebble -- and then seek to
"tear you to pieces." We can likened these pearls to the precious
gems of God's truth. As Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For
the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God." And Peter states
in 1 Peter 2:7 that "This precious value, then, is for you who
believe. But for those who disbelieve, 'The stone which the
builders rejected, this became the very corner stone." When
people reject the standard of God's word, they are rejecting the
greatest treasure of all. For it contains the only way to eternal
life, the ultimate source of moral judgments, and all that pertains to
life and godliness (Jn. 6:68; 14:6; 2 Pet. 1:3). To reject God's word
is to reject God Himself.
This becomes very obvious when we hear people scoffing at Bible
principles, ridiculing those who strive to live a godly life, or
speaking in favor of those things which the Bible clearly
condemns. They try to present their arguments to convince us; but
when we see that they clash with the Scriptures, we know that their
reasoning is going to be wrong from the very beginning; and, therefore,
cannot lead to a morally right conclusion. Often these people are
guilty of what Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 5:20,21: "Woe to those who
call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and
light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in
their own sight!" Compare also 1 Timothy 1:3-7.
Though they are likened to unreasoning animals, another distinction we
can infer is that whereas animals are sometimes captured and killed,
these false teachers are responsible for their own spiritual
death. The KJV makes this even clearer that these false teachers
"shall utterly perish in their own corruption" (2 Pet. 2:12); and the
Bible in Basic English states, that they "will undergo that same
destruction which they are designing for others."
Peter continues by saying that these false teachers are "suffering
wrong as the wages of doing wrong..." (2 Pet. 2:13). The Bible
has much to say about those who would do wrong: "Woe to the wicked! It
will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him" (Isa.
3:13). Notice also Romans 2:8,9: "but to those who are
selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation
and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and
also of the Greek[.]" Probably, the passage that comes first
to our minds is Romans 6:23, which states, "For the wages of sin is
death...." This is the ultimate payoff that sin will give.
Right now some sins seem
satisfying and enjoyable to many individuals --
rather than that which is spiritually deadly and needs to be
avoided. The Hebrew writer refers to "the fleeting pleasures of
sin" (Heb. 11:25). So though there can be some pleasure in some
sins, it is only for a little while; and when compared to eternity,
even if one could enjoy sin for
a hundred years that would still be brief -- and not worth losing one's
soul over. So regardless of how much enjoyment one could derive
from sin, one must remember that the wages of it is death.
The Greek word for "wages" (2 Pet. 2:13) is "misthos" and is primarily
translated as "reward" in the NASB. It is also rendered as
"pay," "price," "wage," and "wages." According to Vincent
Word Studies, "misthos" "has in classical Greek the general sense of
reward." Though in the Scriptures, it is often used to refer
to rewards in a good sense, the concept of the "wages of doing wrong,"
as 2 Peter 2:13 speaks of, is also seen in 2 Peter 2:15 in referring to
Balaam's "wages of unrighteousness." Yes, he was rewarded; but it
certainly was not a righteous reward -- rather, it was a recompense in
accord with his iniquity. For as the Bible shows in Galatians
6:7, "...whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." This
principle is seen in the OT, as well as the NT: For instance,
Proverbs 22:8, "He who sows iniquity will reap vanity...."
Consider also Galatians 6:8, "For the one who sows to his own flesh
shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the
Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life."
Peter shows some of the sins that these false teachers found
satisfaction in. In 2 Peter 2:13,14: "They count it a pleasure to
revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their
deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that
never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained
in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone
astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved
the wages of unrighteousness."
In this passage, "revel" comes from the Greek word "trufee," which
Bullinger defines as involving "indulgence." James Strong, in his
dictionary of Greek words, points
out that this indulgence can lead to an enfeebling of the mind and
body, "an effeminacy, that is, luxury or debauchery." Interestingly, an
archaic meaning of the word "luxury" is actually "lust,"
"lasciviousness," and "lechery," according to the Random House
Webster's College Dictionary. To "revel" in 2 Peter 2:13 is also
translated in some other Bible versions as "to be engaging in
self-indulgence" (Analytical-Literal Translation), "take pleasure in
wild parties" (International Standard), and "their idea of pleasure is
to carouse" (NIV). What seems to indicate that they really had no
shame in this is that they would do it, as the phrase goes on to say,
"in broad daylight."
Peter refers to these false teachers as being "stains" and
"blemishes." "Stains" is from the Greek word "spilos."
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words shows
that this word literally means "a spot or stain," but that it is being
"used metaphorically" to mean "a moral blemish" in Ephesians 5:27, and
"of lascivious and riotous persons" in 2 Peter 2:13. These are
the only two places in the NT where this word is used. Notice how
it is used in that second reference: "that He might present to Himself
the church in all her glory, having no SPOT or wrinkle or any such
thing; but that she should be holy and blameless" (Eph. 5:27).
"Blemishes" comes from the Greek word "momos" and is used just this one
place in the NT. Strong defines it as "a flaw or blot, that
is, (figuratively) [a] disgraceful person." So it is closely
synonymous with "spilos." Bullinger shows "momos" to mean "blame,
shame, stain, disgrace visibly attached to anything."
The exact opposite of both of these Greek words for "stains" and
"blemishes" is seen in 1 Peter 1:19, where after pointing out that the
Christian has not been redeemed by perishable things, such as silver or
gold, Peter goes on to say, "but with precious blood, as of a lamb
unblemished [amomos] and spotless [aspilos], the blood of
Christ." So here are the same Greek words, but with the
added prefix of "a" to give the opposite meanings. And just as we saw
"momos" to mean "blame," the most common rendering of "amomos" in the
NASB is "blameless."
Peter speaks of these false teachers as "reveling in their deceptions,
as they carouse with you" (2 Pet. 2:13). This is rendered in some
other Bible versions as "openly
indulging in their deceitful ways while they feast with you"
(Analytical-Literal Translations) and "luxuriating
in their deceits, feasting with you" (Young's Literal Translation).
We know that in the early church, brethren were often meeting in each
others' homes for common meals. Acts 2:46, for instance, states,
"...and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their
meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." This was
taking place during the early establishment of the church.
Probably many of those Christians were staying in Jerusalem much longer
than they had originally planned and would now be in need. For
initially, as you recall, it was mandatory for the male Jews to be in
Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost; and on that day, 3,000 were
converted to Christ; and soon, thereafter, there were 5,000, and the
church kept growing. It would seem reasonable that the wealthier
Christians would help provide meals for the less fortunate -- so
they certainly would be love-feasts, in that sense.
Peter continues to graphically describe these false teachers in 2 Peter
2:14, by saying, "having eyes full of adultery that never cease from
sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed
children."
This phrase of "having eyes full of adultery" is in 17 out of the 25
translations I looked it up in. It graphically depicts someone
whose mind seems to be set on that all the time. As translated in
the Contemporary English Version, "All they think about is having sex
with someone else's husband or wife. There is no end to their wicked
deeds. They trick people who are easily fooled, and their minds are
filled with greedy thoughts. But they are headed for trouble!"
The word "adultery" in this phrase is from the Greek word "moichalis,"
which Strong shows to mean "an adulteress (literally
or figuratively)...." So, literally, this verse could be
rendered, "having eyes full of an adulteress." Concerning this,
Guy N. Woods writes, "It is a vivid term, descriptive of a man who is
unable to look at a woman without regarding her as an objective for
lasciviousness. It is the disposition of heart which violates the
injunction of the Lord when he said, 'Ye have heard that it was said,
Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that every one that
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart.' (Matt. 5:27,28). The hearts of these false
teachers were filled with lust, and they ever sought opportunity for
the gratification thereof. Thus motivated, they did not, and
could not, cease from sin."
That last point also shows that it is because of what these false
teachers had given themselves over to, and were motivated by, for why
they could not cease from sin. Had they turned from those things,
however, and turned to the Lord, meeting His conditions for pardon and
striving to live for Him, God
would have helped them to overcome temptation, as He promises in 1
Corinthians
10:13.
The phrase "that never cease from sin" reminds us of those people in
Noah's day, of whom the Bible declares in Genesis 6:5, "Then the LORD
saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every
intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Though we are not told what specific sins these antediluvians were
continually setting their minds on, we are shown that they were very
much given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds.
We will look more into Peter's description of these false teachers next
week.
--------------------
-2-
News & Notes
For those of us who are Christians, let us continue praying for the
following people:
Gabrielle Angel Lombrage
"Gaby," who will be
having a surgical procedure this Thursday. (She is only a couple years
old.)
Danny Holton, who has
pancreatic cancer in its 4th stage.
R.J. Evans, who will be
undergoing radiation treatments for prostate
cancer. Fortunately, it was detected during its
early stage and is also said to be a very slow developing
kind.
Jackie Evans (R.J.'s wife), who
has had about 3 years of back pain. Recently, her
neurosurgeon told her that it would require her last two vertebrae
being fused to solve her problem. She will soon be having an MRI,
before a final decision is made.
Bill Barfield, an 85-year old
with prostate
cancer, who has not been doing very well physically.
Bill
Holt, who is still recuperating at home, after his recent
hospital stay of about 2.5 weeks
Cheryl Crews, who continues to
undergo various problems with her health.
--------------------
The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10;
2
Pet.
2:20-22).
--------------------
Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)