False Teachers and “Damnable Heresies” in 2 Peter 2

Peter's main points in 2 Peter 2 regarding false teachers teaching heresies is that these teachers act stealthily, are motivated by greed, and use their teachings to create a lucrative following.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (KJV).

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 (NIV).

This is the last passage that uses the word “heresy” in the New Testament—one again in the plural. It is also the only one of these passages in which modern translations generally agree with the KJV in the use of the (apparently) technical term, “heresies”.  It is also one of the main passages dealing with “false teachers,” as opposed to people who are merely divisive, and it makes three main points, which will be discussed in some detail in the sections of this work which immediately follow:  1) false teachers act stealthily,  2) their primary motivation is greed and 3) they attract many followers. 

 Although the word “heresies” is only used in verse 1, Peter’s description of the false teachers who create them goes on throughout the chapter. Peter describes false teachers in a number of ways, but they all flow from being totally self-centered.   The people of whom Peter warns despise the thought of being under the control of anyone, especially God¹¹, and therefore indulge their every desire, their every foul lust¹². They are bold, presumptuous, arrogant, and totally unafraid to speak evil of powers greater than themselves or, indeed, of anything they cannot understand¹³.   Because they follow their lusts, they cannot keep their eyes from adultery¹⁴ , though usually secretly. These teachers have known the right way, but have left it to pursue what they want instead, in the same way Balaam did¹⁵. Balaam’s bad example will be discussed in detail in the next post, and the remainder of 2 Peter chapter 2 after that.

NEXT: The Bad Example of Balaam