2 Peter 2:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;

NIV: if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;

NASB: and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly;

CSB: and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly;

NLT: Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.

KJV: And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

NKJV: and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

Peter continues his list of "if" statements, citing examples of God's judgment against those who rebel against Him. He is making the case that God will also bring the same kind of judgment against the false teachers in the church.

After mentioning God's judgment of the rebellious angels, then that of the entire world except for Noah and his family during the flood, Peter now points to the example of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–29). In response to the sinfulness of the people of those cities, God sent fire from the sky to destroy both towns and all of their residents.

We generally associate Sodom with the sin of homosexuality, which was the most pervasive and famous of their errors. But Ezekiel described the wickedness of her people in much greater detail, saying they "…had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them…" (Ezekiel 16:49–50). Modern culture has much in common with these ancient people.

Again, Peter uses an example in which God's judgment on those in rebellion was sudden and unexpected, offering no chance of escape (Proverbs 29:1). But as we see in the next verse, the righteous Judge has offered mercy in the form of a warning to those He wants to save. Peter will soon make the same connection for his readers: God's judgment is coming, but He offers salvation to those who trust in Christ.

2 Peter 2:1–9 describes false teachers who greedily spread lies about Christ’s authority. They encourage Christians to indulge in sexual sin. They pursue erotic desires in the open, are experts in greed, despise authority, live in bold arrogance, and blaspheme things they don’t understand. Peter assures that these deceivers will be punished for the harm they’ve caused. This includes leading people away from Christ and back into the sinful practices from which they had begun to escape. God did not spare sinful angels, or the wicked of Noah’s day, or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and will not spare these false teachers, either.

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.

In chapter 1, Peter urged his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Peter now describes the false teachers in the church who were leading people away from a true understanding of Christ. These deceivers were lying to the believers and encouraging them to indulge in sexual sin. Peter promises that God’s judgment is coming on these ''cursed children'' and details the tragic impact their lies have on anyone who believes them.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.