First Baptist Church

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What in the World Is Going On?

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In 2 Peter, the Apostle Peter warned the believers about what would happen in the church of the future.

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:1–3, NASB95)

Peter warned that false teachers would infiltrate the church. They would teach things which were contrary to the scriptures but would be successful in doing so because the teaching would appeal to the baser appetites of weak Christians and pretenders in the church. Notice that he said that these false prophets would arise from within the people. This did not mean that they would be attacked from without, but that the attack would come within. Men and women who had been on mission trips, had taught in the church, and had been of service would be the very ones to rise up and mislead the church.

Now, what did Peter mean by false prophets or false teachers? While we normally think of false prophets as those who foretell the future, but get it wrong, this is much more insidious than just guessing wrong. In this case, the prophet is the person who forthtells what God wants of His people more than foretelling the future. These are also not just those who misunderstand the Word, but those who purposefully teach against the Word. Peter describes their action as introducing destructive heresies. Heresy means a belief or practice that runs contrary to the teachings of the Bible or is “other than.” Peter goes even further to say that these false prophets and teachers deny the Master Who bought them. What did he mean by that?

For a person to be saved from their sin and to receive forgiveness, adoption into God’s family, and the seal of the Holy Spirit to guarantee their future, there must be a time in their life when, faced with the reality of their sinfulness and selfishness, they surrender to Jesus as Lord. In this surrender to follow Jesus as their Lord, they receive Him as Savior. In our day, there is a movement afoot that wants to separate these two places in the ministry of Jesus by claiming that someone can confess their sins and be forgiven and have Jesus as Savior with no desire for Him to be Lord. They say not to worry about the Lordship of Christ as that will come later when we grow. While it is true that believers are constantly being sanctified and conformed to the image of Christ, the surrender to Jesus as Lord is the beginning of this process and not what comes at the end. Will we do so perfectly? Of course not, but we must have the desire, for if He is not Lord, then there is no need for Him as Savior for we are simply doing the best we can.

One other by-product of denying the Master is that they encourage people to engage in the same sensory input and satisfaction as the rest of the world. They say that, since we will not be perfect this side of heaven, then why even try? Since we are forgiven, then it does not matter how much we sin. The problem is that the gospel is not a get-out-of-jail free card where you can engage in any behavior you desire and God will somehow be obligated to forgive because you prayed a prayer. Repentance is a changing of your mind, desire, and actions, but the false teachers reduce it to just telling God you are sorry with no need for any real change. Peter said if the church lived that way people would malign the way of truth. We are seeing that unfold today before our very eyes. When Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and other cults live holier lives than the church, no wonder people want nothing to do with us, we don’t have anything they need! Make no mistake. It might seem like false teachers have big churches and huge followings, but their destruction is sure. If they do not repent, they will spend eternity in hell regretting how they led people astray.

So, what do we do to protect the church from such teachings and teachers? Be in the word, pray, share the gospel, daily surrender to the Lordship of Christ in your life so that you will know the truth and recognize their error. Stay in fellowship with other believers so that you will be encouraged and strengthened for the battle. What in the world is going on? It is just like Peter said it would be. How will you respond?