Originally posted: 11/05/2021
But false prophets also appeared 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, (2:1).
Chapter divisions are helpful to navigate through the Bible but they are not inspired, and sometimes we may begin a new chapter with the idea that the writer is starting a new thought. But written as a letter without divisions, chapter two continues Peter’s train of thought on the prophetic Word, written by men who were moved the Holy Spirit to pen His Truth. The conjunction, but that begins chapter two connects Peter’s previous explanation about the Inspired Word of God with the glaring contrast of false prophets and teachers who were themselves endeavoring to move men.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God, (2 Peter 1:19-21).
The bulk of today’s chapters is spent in describing the characteristics of false teachers, their impact on unstable souls, and the ultimate end that awaits those engaged in propagating lies against God’s Truth. There is again an allusion to the teachings of Gnosticism that had been secretly introduced by these false teachers with the “special knowledge” they claimed to possess.
Gnosticism taught that the spirit is entirely good, since God is Spirit, and that matter is entirely evil. Therefore, since the human body is matter, it is entirely evil. And from this so-called special knowledge, two erroneously extreme and damaging teachings emerged. Either the human body must be treated harshly in a human attempt to subdue it; or the other extreme was to disregard any rules over the human body since it is entirely evil anyway, making obedience to God’s Law immaterial to the well-being of their spirit.
And even worse than what these false prophets were espousing was what they were doing, they were denying Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
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, (2:1).
But in rejecting the truth of Him, the Master Who Bought Us, they would become enslaved to another master; and all those who followed their futility and arrogance would in fact be bought and overcome by the master of sin and corruption.
These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved, (2:17-19).
The practice of buying both land and people would have been a familiar concept to these Jewish believers, as redemption statutes were prescribed in the Law. For those who had lost their land, usually for financial reasons, and those who had sold themselves into slavery in order to pay off debt, provision was made to be able to redeem what had been lost.
But redemption had always involved some form of monetary exchange. However, there would never be enough money in all the earth that could buy us out of our bondage to sin.
“For thus says the Lord, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money,” (Isaiah 52:3).
And the Bible clearly teaches that apart from Christ, we remain sold into bondage to sin.
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin, (Romans 7:14).
The good news of the gospel is that all those who trust in Christ’s sacrificial death to redeem us out of the sin market, are set free as His adopted children, never to fear eternal judgment. And the Spirit Who moved men to write His inspired Word moves in our own hearts, testifying that we have been purchased by His blood and we now belong to Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:15-16).
But oh what He did to Buy Us! May we never get over it! Jesus became a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the Law!
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” (Galatians 3:13).
May we never cease to be in awe of the immeasurable price willingly paid by Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
Consider Him, the Master Who Bought Us
- He Is the Master Who Bought Us with His own blood.
- “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood,” (Acts 20:28).
- He Is the Master Who Bought Us with His unblemished, spotless blood that redeemed us from the futile way of life we inherited by birth.
- knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ, (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- He Is the Master Who Bought Us to grant us His forgiveness in keeping with His lavish grace.
- In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, (Ephesians 1:7).
- He Is the Master Who Bought Us to give us His free gift of eternal life.
- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23).
- He Is the Master Who Bought Us to buy our freedom from slavery and adopt us as His very own children.
- God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children, (Galatians 4:5 NLT).
How do we respond to Him, the Master Who Bought Us?
As we seek to grow in the knowledge of the truth of His gracious and unmerited redemption, He will be faithful to enable us to refute the destructive heresies that deny Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
For those of us who have placed our faith in Him, the Master Who Bought Us, let us always remember, His purchase is undeniably non-refundable. He will never return us to the seller’s market because we are flawed. He Bought Us that way; but He does not leave us in the same condition. We have been redeemed, purchased for all of eternity by Jesus, the Master Who Bought Us, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, (Ephesians 1:4).
Because He Bought Us, we belong to Him; but He is a Master Who does not force our obedience; He offers a choice. And when we choose to follow Him, the Master Who Bought Us, He calls us His friends.
“You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you,” (John 15:14-15).
The truth is, we all were created to live in fellowship with God, and to follow and serve Him as our Only Lord and Master. But when Adam and Eve chose to follow another, sin entered and fellowship with our Holy Creator was forever broken on earth. But that did not change His ultimate purpose for His creation. Created to follow and serve, that is what we will do; and our future will be in who or what we choose to follow and serve.
When we are redeemed, we are free to choose obedience to Him, the Master Who Bought Us, and the choice is always ours; will we follow and serve Him, the Master Who Bought Us, or will we enslave ourselves all over again to sin?
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
Oh, that we would daily presents ourselves to Him! Let us choose to walk in gratitude and obedience that frees us from our sin and gloriously enslaves us to the righteousness of Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness, (Romans 6:17-18).
And if we would choose to contemplate daily what our salvation truly cost Him, it seems more than likely that obedience will be the supernatural consequence. Oh, that we would never get over the price He paid to Buy Us out of sin, that in all that we do, we would live in overwhelming gratitude and desire to glorify Him, the Master Who Bought Us.
For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, (1 Corinthians 6:20).