What does 2 Peter 2:18 mean?
Many people are tempted by the idea of indulging every possible sexual sin, free from guilt and shame. The same people often want to be free from the earthly and eternal consequences of those choices. The lie of the false teachers seems to be just that: you can sin without remorse or consequence, keeping all the benefits of belonging to Christ, and with the full approval of God.According to Peter, these liars use words as tools of deception. If you listen, he says, you'll notice their impressive-sounding talk is, in reality, simply boastful and empty. The sad truth, though, is that their words and invitation to sexual sin was very effective. Those who had just begun to escape from the lies of the culture, attracted by the gospel of Jesus, found the false teaching of these men hard to resist. Once again, the same is true in the modern world. Immature Christians in particular are easily swayed by these temptations.
No wonder Peter sounds angry. With their lies, these false teachers were attempting to snatch people away just as they were coming to Christ, all for their own arrogance and profit.
2 Peter 2:10–22 further describes the sins of the false teachers spreading deception in the early church. Prior verses explained how God judged evil in the past, while saving those who were faithful. This passage describes those who reject Christ in favor of the world as ''enslaved'' by their own sins. No matter what they may claim, such persons prove their spiritual condition by constantly returning to their moral filth.
False teachers had entered the early community of Christians. These deceivers lied to the believers, challenging the authority of Jesus. They also invited others to indulge in their sexual sin. Sadly, there are still versions of these false teachers plaguing the modern Christian community. Peter harshly describes the sins of these ''cursed children,'' the eternal judgment waiting for them, and the tragic impact their deception is having on those enticed by them.
