Lesson 31
Second Peter
Warning against dangers
facing the Church
Summary
observations:
1. Must be
clear that the subjects of this verse are the new believers we met in
2. The basis
of this conclusion is Peter’s use of avpofeugw to escape from completely in 1:4;
3. Here in
4. The
epignosis of the Lord even Savior Jesus Christ indicates that the Gospel heard
was understood and acted on by faith.
5. The
contamination or defilement refers to the corruption from the sin nature’s
activity as per their pre-salvation pattern of life.
- Peter has
already exhorted them to not revert to that pattern of life in 1 Pet 1:14
6. We as
believers are constantly having to make decisions to prevent the weeds, the
CHP’s of the day, the various distractions from choking off the DGP, the fruit in our
lives. (parable
of the sower, Mark 4:18-19)
7. These new
believers having come under the influence of these false teachers have become entangled again in their pre-salvation pattern
of life lived while under the sin nature’s rule.
- they have succumbed to the line of the F/T’s that its ok to
pursue the various lust patterns of their sin nature which they so often make
their appeals.
8. This puts
them experientially in a spiritually inferior position, that
is enslaved to the sin nature as they were prior to salvation.
9. The worse
condition of the latter state is greater because the deception is greater, they
have bought the lie that they can have the CWOL and still pursue the lusts of
your sin nature.
10. Having
rejected truth the discipline is greater.
Luke 12:48
For it would be better the
opening for (ga,r) tells us that what follows further explains
not to have known the way of righteousness,
than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment
handed on to them.
to
turn away aorist active
infinitive, speaking of the time they went negative to BD u`postre,fw to turn back, to turn about
(make a complete 180 degree turn around)
- this is a verb of
reversionism, to reject the light of BD, and reverting to darkness of the kosmoj
Next we find a description
of what they turned from
from the holy commandment handed on to them.
- a`gi,aj evntolh/j injunction, charge, precept,
commandment that is the doctrine that they were taught, specifically not the
gospel, already believers and this speaks here of rejecting the challenge of
experientially righteousness in their life after salvation.
It has happened to them
according to the true proverb,
-
point here is that continued negative volition to doctrine not only puts the
believer on the road to reversionism but sets up a series of events that can
lead to the sin unto death if not dealt with
"A
dog returns to its own vomit,"
- The term dog or ku,wn was used metaphorically in Scripture for;
Gentiles - Matt
Negative unbelievers – Matt
7:6; Rev. 22:15
False Teachers (Judaizers) – Phil 3:2
- Here dogs is used in this
context of those who persistently
pursue error.
returns aorist participle of (evpistre,fw) to
turn to, to return (another word for reversionism
vomit evxe,rama refers to what is thrown out
When these pagans became
believers they were given new life in Christ and they were isolated from the
sin natures rule, but not having built a strong foundation of truth they came
under the influence of the slick teaching of these false teachers and returned
to the domination of the sin nature, the vomit if you will.
"A sow, after washing herself, wallows in
the mire."
- The point I believe is that you can clean up the
external, the outside but what really matters is what is on the inside, what’s
the motivation for one’s life.
Summary
Observations:
1. There are 3
interpretations of this passage that are commonly taught:
a. That it
refers to individuals who were saved but they have lost their salvation.
- it may satisfy for them the immediate context of vs:20 they
see the contrast between knowledge of LJC and being inferior, the worse state
equals a loss of salvation
- but clearly this violates the basic teaching of Scripture
that we know as eternal security therefore this interpretation is wrong
b.
There are those that teach that these are people who have heard the gospel but
rejected it, never believed it.
- This doesn’t satisfy the immediate context based on the
meaning and usage of the word avpofeugw (to escape fully).
-
It does satisfy a true Biblical principle that those who evaluate and judge the
gospel as erroneous rejecting it are worse off thatn those who are negative at
God consciousness and never heard the gospel all things being equal. Luke 10:12-16
The greater the
extent of warning being rejected, the greater the judgment in Eternity in LOF.
c.
Correct view: This refers to individuals who have believed in Christ and who
rejects the challenge to experiential righteousness at some point in their life.
- In 1 Peter they were the external pressures of the
pagans but here we find some have responded to the high sounding but empty
words of these F/T’s.
2.
Views a & b interpret the holy commandment as
being the Gospel message.
3.
View c interprets
the holy commandment as the phase 2 call to experiential righteousness which
was previously given to them in 1 Peter 1:14-16.
4.
Peter here in this context is pointing to a situation where it would be better
if one did not have DVPT epignosis.
5.
Namely when one knows better, having been exposed to the truth and rejects it.
6. The
more truth one knows when they peel off, going negative, into reversionism the
worse it is for them experientially.
- the principle is “to whom much is given, much is
required” Luke
7. If
this state of reversionism is perpetuated the individual is headed for the
possibility of the maximum discipline of the sin unto death. 1 John 5:16
- must recognize that there are 3 levels of divine
discipline
- this is noted in 1 Cor
11:30-32
8. The worse state then
is that of no blessing from God in f2, but being the recipient of severe discipline according
to God’s timing and ultimately the loss of reward at the JSC.