2 Peter 2:1-3

(2 Peter 2:1-3)

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.

 

In a second letter to the scattered traveler's church, Peter warns that false teachers will enter the church. The false teachers that Peter was concerned about are called beasts without reason. 『even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 』

 

The purpose of the false teachers was to make the Saints deny Jesus. In order to save people, Jesus suffered himself and was crucified and died of blood. Because Jesus died on behalf of the sinner who deserved to die, the sinners lived. But false teachers deceived the saints that Jesus' ransom and the cross are nothing. They criticized that Jesus' death was in vain and helpless, and distorted that Jesus' resurrection and victory were spiritual.

 

The false teachers' strategies encouraged them to shed their desires deep within humans. They say that human inner desire is also a natural one, so do what your desire requires. The first is sexual desire. The false teachers were lustful, those with full-hearted eyes, those who were indulged in the lust of the flesh by practicing obscenity, and who were seducing them by their own ways.

 

Second is the desire for money. False teachers were descendants of Balaam's son, Balaam. They were like Balaam who loved the injustice. The reason they work in the church community was not only to deny Jesus Christ, but also to bring their pockets through. For the sake of his ship, pretending to admit Jesus would not have been difficult.
The third is the desire for freedom. False teachers were those who were trying to free people. Their freedom is not the autonomy they are responsible for. It was close to indulgence, which could give off one's desires without interruption. The indulgence that you can enjoy sexually freely, the indulgence that you may do injustice for your own interests, the indulgence that you don't accept any authority by owning yourself, and the false teachers believe that the true religion is a religion that gives you freedom close to this indulgence.