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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).
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July 31, 2011
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Contents:

1) 2 Peter 2:12-14 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-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.  
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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.
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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).
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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
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