Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: 2 Chronicles 8-11
     New Testament Reading: 2 Peter 2

There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them (2 Peter 2:1-2).

At the close of chapter one, Peter referred to the prophets of the OT as men who spoke, not by their own will, but as moved by the Holy Spirit. Now he mentions that besides the true prophets in the OT period, there were also false prophets. And just as there will be genuine teachers in the Christian era, there will be false teachers as well.

These false teachers take their place inside the church. They pose as ministers and teachers of the gospel. This makes the threat so great. If they came right out and said they were atheists or agnostics, people would be on guard. But they are masters of deception. They carry the Bible and use orthodox expressions—though using them to mean something entirely different.

While professing to be ministers of righteousness, they secretly bring in soul-destroying heresies alongside true Bible doctrine. It is a deliberately deceptive mixture of the false and the true. The ultimate sin of false teachers is that they even deny the Master who bought them. While they may say nice things about Jesus, refer to His divinity, His lofty ethics, His superb example, they cannot confess Him as God and as a unique Savior.

Peter predicts they will attract a large following. They do this by perverting the biblical standards of morality and encouraging the indulgence of the flesh. Because of this type of behavior, taught and practiced by false teachers, the way of truth is maligned. Unbelievers develop a deep contempt for Christianity.

False teachers and preachers exist in our world today just as much as in Peter’s day. But just knowing they exist is not enough. As Christians, we must use discernment. The Apostle John said, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

While we do not know a lot about the Christians in the small town of Berea, they provide us with a magnificent example for us to follow. As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so (Acts 17:10-11).

If God considered the Bereans to be of more noble character because they questioned what the Apostle Paul had to say and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. How much more should we engage in personal daily Bible Study to be certain those who teach us remain true to the Word of God?