But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 2:1-3) As we turn to chapter 2, we find Peter switching from defence to offence.  Previously he was defending the Apostolic witness to Jesus and the inspired prophecies of scripture as reliable.  Now he is speaking of false teachers who are unreliable, and seeking to show why they ought not be trusted. In the days in which the Old Testament was written—there were not just Spirit-inspired prophets around, but also false prophets.  Jeremiah often had skirmishes with the false prophets of his day who prophesied peace and restoration as he prophesied exile (e.g. Jeremiah 28).  Elsewhere, false prophets prophesied victory where the Lord's prophets spoke of defeat (e.g. 1 Kings 22:1-40). Interestingly though, Peter does not dignify the people he is speaking about with the term "prophet."  Instead he calls them "false teachers."  Perhaps they were not claiming to speak in the name of the Lord  or hold inspiration from God.  Perhaps they were merely deviating in what they believed and taught about the Lord.  This may not have seemed so bad, but Peter would like to show how destructive this really is. It seems that these false teachers denied any need to live a moral life that was distinct from the pagan world around.  But if there was no difference between the Christians and the pagan world around them—what positive witness to Christ could they bring?  They may as well deny their master even as they "bring the way of truth into disrepute." In this regard, the letter of Peter still brings a pretty stiff challenge into our lives today.  The first chapter speaks of virtues we must add to our faith.  Chapter two flips the coin over.  For those whose lives don't change at all in light of the faith and love given by God in Christ—and especially for any who teach that that's OK—"swift destruction" is in store, says Peter. Much of the hottest internal church fights we have as Christians are drawn up on this battle line.  Where must we become a "contrast community," rejecting cultural norms for the sake of Christian virtue and where does the grace and transformation of Christ redeem cultural forms and norms such that they can be used?   There are no easy answers.  But in the very least, we must know that the problem cannot be solved to one absolute extreme or the other.  We cannot live in such radical contrast that we become cut off from our culture entirely, for then we cannot witness within that culture to Christ (e.g. John 17:15), nor can we totally and unquestioningly embrace everything that our culture provides—an extreme that Peter defends against—because then we no longer witness to anything distinctive about Christ. Tending to this balance takes wisdom cultivated within the community of Christ through much Bible reading and prayer.  In fact, already in that action of prayer and scripture we begin to faithfully hold the tension as we do something Christianly distinct from the world around us.   As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Amen! (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18 MSG).  

Ver todos los episodios