Into
Welcome to another broadcast and I am Dreamwalker1960
As we continue to look into the verses that identify who are the “lukewarm” we come to 2 Peter 2. In which we see where many are turn from the course of salvation and led toward the realm of the lukewarm.
Now I highly recommend that this entire chapter be read due to the imagery given for those that will tempt the people that are not only newly welcomed to the church but are at times long standing members within the body of Christ. We will however only key in on the important moment when many have been led astray without their even being aware. Mainly due to a failure on the part of those in a higher place within the earthly church. Many of whom do not know nor even realized that the world is filled with the lukewarm. Including themselves.
The breakdown
We must start with verse 1 of 2 Peter 2. Because here you get a clear image of who false teachers are in today’s world. In today’s lesson I will also go straight to the KJV.
Verse 1 – 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.
False teachers – G5572 – pseudodidaskalos – a spurious teacher, i.e. propagator of erroneous doctrine [Strong’s]
a: spurious – not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. [Dictionary.com]
b: propagator – someone who spreads ideas, beliefs, etc. to a lot of people [macmillandictionary.com]
c: erroneous – containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong [Dictionary.com]
d: doctrine – a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion or government [Dictionary.com]
privily shall bring in – G3919 – pareisago – to lead in aside, i.e. introduce surreptitiously [Strong’s]
a: surreptitiously – in a secret way, so that others will not notice [macmillandictionary.com]
Damnable – G684 – apoleia – ruin or loss [Strong’s]
In the TDNT it adds the word “destruction” to those listed in Strong’s.
Heresies – G139 – hairesis – a choice; i.e. (specifically) a party, or (abstract) disunion [Strong’s]
What it states in the TDNT is too long to quote here so I will paraphrase to the best of my ability. However before I do that I feel it is necessary to explain how the TDNT works. It is a scholarly study of several Greek sources of material that are centuries old. Including the Septuagint, which was commissioned by Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the second century A.D. He just happens to be the son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. This enabled those that made this dictionary to accurately compare Hebrew and Greek to the best of their ability within the Old Testament. Thus giving them an insight into how the Greek was used in the New Testament when comparing like words and wording between the old and the new.
Now from their study of the word which gave us “heresies” they came to this determination. Heresies is likened to a political party or a sect, a cult. That breaks off from within the early church, where it got its foundations. Much like what Paul describes occurring in Galatians 1. Yet they were not teaching the true Gospel. The modern equivalent would be those that have created the prosperity churches that say God wishes us to get rich here on earth, which is totally counter to what the Bible actually teaches us (Mathew 6:19-21). I will not name names, but you may know of whom I am speaking of. Those are false teachers and those that follow and listen them and so qualify to be called “heresies.”
That bought them – G59 – agorazo – to go to market, i.e. (by implication) to purchase; specifically to redeem [Strong’s]
a: redeem – to make someone free from the power of evil, especially in the Christian religion [macmillan dictionary]
In the TDNT it boils down to the prices Jesus Christ paid for us upon the cross to save us all from the slavery of sin.
This is stating that those that become these false teachers were once given the grace of salvation. Yet they now deny this by the way they have turned away from the teachings of Christ and His disciples. Thus they are broken from the vine for the fruit they bear is evil. Which is verified in verse 2 and their fate in verse 3.
Verse 2 – And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Verse 3 – 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 verses 4 -6 Peter lists three great and past judgements as examples. The casting of the angels to hell. The flood which changed the earth and made it so that humanity no longer lived hundreds of years. Lastly he mentions Sodom and Gomorrha.
Now we will look at verses 7 and 8. For this shows us that even though we are saved. We have our righteousness worn down. This is something I am very familiar with myself. For I remember this erosion as I came closer and closer to my year of Job.
Verse 7 – And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
Vexed – G2669 – kataponeo – to labor down, i.e. wear with toil (figuratively harass) [Strong’s]
a: harass – to disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute. [Dictionary.com]
Verse 8 – (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Which is something I encounter nearly daily.
In verses 10 – 17 Peter describes those that live in sin and how they behave. However, it would take too long to get into and would take us off track from what I am trying to teach. However, I highly recommend, once again, these verses be read and an understanding sought after.
We, however will continue our lesson starting in verse 18:
Verse 18 – For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
They allure – G1185 – to entrap, i.e. delude [Strong’s]
a: entrap – to bring unawares into difficulty or danger: to draw into contradiction or damaging admission: to lure into performing an act or making a statement that is compromising or illegal. [Dictionary.com]
b: delude – to make someone believe something that is not true: [Cambridge Dictionary]
Through much wantonness – G766 – aselgeia – licentiousness (sometimes including other vices) [Strong’s}
a: licentiousness – lacking legal or moral restraints [Merriam-Webster dictionary]
In the TDNT I quote: “It characterizes Sodom and Gomorrah…..” [Book I, page 490]
Those that were clean – G3689 – ontos – really; certainly; clean; indeed; of a truth; verify: adverb of the oblique cases of “on” – being, when, was, which [Strong’s]
a: certainly – used to reply completely or to emphasize something and show that there is no doubt about it [Cambridge dictionary]
Escaped – G668 – apopheugo – to escape [Strong’s]
So: “those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.”
Could translate to “those which certainly escaped from them who live in error.”
So even though the wording could be translated differently the meaning is still the same. Those that live in sin tempt those that have turned to God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. As will be enforced later.
We continue in verse 19 to see who the true slaves in this situation are.
Verse 19 – While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
So even though there is a promise of freedom. In actuality they are being draw into slavery to sin and so they server their master, which is evil itself.
Now to look at verse 20:
Verse 20 – For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
The knowledge – G1922 – epignosis – recognition, i.e. (by implication) full discernment, acknowledgement [Strong’s]
a: recognition – agreement that something is true or legal [Cambridge dictionary]
b: discernment – the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure [Merriam-Webster dictionary]
c: acknowledgement – recognition of the existence or truth of something
Entangled – G1707 – empleko – to entwine, i.e. (figuratively) involve with [Strong’s]
Overcome – G1096, G2274 – ginomai, hettaomai:
Ginomai – to cause to be (“gen”-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being) [Strong’s]
Hettaomai, hettao – to be inferior; usage – I am defeated, am overcome, am made inferior [biblehub.com]
Meaning to cause to be defeated.
The statement being made here is that those that became saved in the full knowledge of Jesus Christ and thus tying into verse 18. Become temped by the world and those in it to return to sin. Then it finishes that they would be better if had they never learned and were given salvation. Which is explained in the next verse.
Verse 21: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Delivered – G3860 – to surrender, i.e. to deliver over to another to keep, yield up, entrust, transmit
Peter ends this part of his letter with this:
Verse 22 – But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
The sin which was vomited out is revisited to once again be taken in. While the washing of salvation that is given when accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior is ruined by returning to the mire of the sinful world, which they willingly return to. For the comfort they receive from the world, is better than what is required to live a life where we must constantly struggle to remain clean.
In summary
I have now established and given a solid foundation of who the “lukewarm” are.
In the first podcast I showed that they had asked Jesus to be their Savior and had become saved by receiving grace from God. Yet they turn their back upon their salvation for the distractions of the world through a watered down and false gospels that did not challenge them to stay true to their Savior.
In the second I reinforced this foundation with showing that they were upon the vine that is Jesus Christ and they chose not to bear fruit and so were removed from the vine by God Himself.
In the third podcast I showed that at one point they did service for God in the name of Jesus Christ and bore fruit that can only be done if Jesus is a part of their life. Yet they later selected to stop bearing valuable fruit and instead began to bear unsuitable fruit. Then when they stand before the Great White Throne. Jesus will testify against them and they will not be allowed into the eternal life that is to come.
In the fourth I showed how false teachers will also have once been saved and willingly turn their backs upon God to seek after the pleasures and rewards that this world offers instead of the enteral treasures we are promised from Jesus Christ. They instead decide to choose the here and now over what is promised all of us in the future.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior we do not choose the world, for this domain we live in is not the creation we are promised. This short time we live upon this planet is nowhere near the life we will have in the glorious eternal life that is to come.
So we have struggles and trials. Is this not the pruning we are told will occur unto us in John 15? We cannot allow ourselves to fall for the temptations to seek after our lusts or our greed that is offered by the world around us. For our true rewards are not here within this realm, but in the true life we are promised. When Jesus Christ returns, that will be the true beginning of our true lives. For everyone, be they sinner or saint.
And so this ends the identification of who are the lukewarm. They are those that believe they are Christians. Yet they have turned form God to seek after wealth and pleasures of this earthly existence. They say they are Christians, yet they are hypocrites and most don’t even realize this very truth.
But it is not too late. They can turn back to God through His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All they need to do is to ask His forgiveness and turn away from the world and return to God. This means they must change how they live their lives, but it is the only way to return to God. They must not be the young rich man who is asked to sell all his worldly goods and turns away from Jesus in bewilderment. For he did not understand what Jesus was asking him to do. If you must sell all your earth goods. Do so. If you must turn away from the world of sports. Do so. If you must turn away from the TV screen you stare at for hours on end. Do so. Return to your Savior Jesus Christ and answer His call and do what He asks of you. Without question, just do it.
God Bless.