The last two chapters of II Peter are a severe diatribe against false teachers. Peter is very harsh and condemnatory toward these people. No brotherly
kindness, nor words of love soften or ameliorate the bitterness with which he denounces these individuals. Because of this, I think it is very important
for us to know what kind of people he is talking about.
First of all, he is not referring to people whose interpretation of the Bible differs from ours. I point this out because much damage has been done to the
unity of the Body of Christ by those who felt constrained to identify those whom they considered false teachers, and to publicly castigate them for their teaching, and, in their attacks, create a schism between those who agreed with them and those who did not. However, the criteria used by these people were entirely different from what Peter has in mind here in these chapters.
A number of years ago, a book was written in which the author listed a number of preachers and ministers, in the fellowship to which I belong, whom he considered to be "unsound". His interpretation was the sole criterion he used for making these assertions, and he considered himself the champion and defender of the "faith" for the church. The reputations of many good men were damaged, and much conflict arose because of this publication. I mention this because it is often the habit of religious leaders to assume that those who disagree with them are "false teachers" and should be cast out. The inquisition of the Middle Ages, which sought out all "heretics", was an extreme example of this. However, since that time, self-righteous and arrogant religious leaders have sought to maintain their power and position by denigrating all who fail to conform to their interpretation of the Bible. This is not what Peter had in mind when he talked about false teachers.
Such "witch-hunts" destroy the unity, ignore the love which should bind us together, upset fellowship, do injustice to good men, and take away the individual
right and responsibility to search the scriptures to find the truth for oneself, and to be accountable only to God for one's faith in the truth. They also assume a measure of infallibility on the part of the judge, and flagrantly violate the spirit of Jesus' admonition to "Judge not, that you be not judged".
But, what did Peter have in mind in his designation of "false teachers"? A careful reading shows that Peter was not talking about doctrinal "error", or interpretative differences. He compares these people to fallen angels, who rebelled against God, and who denied the authority of heaven. They are
spoken of as those who lead men to debauchery and immorality as an acceptable way of life. They are not misinterpreters of the Bible. They are those who choose to ignore the will of God and the principles of righteousness which He enjoins. These are the kinds of people the apostle Paul urged all churches to avoid. They are not poor, mistake-making sinners. They are those who champion evil living and rebellion against God.
We would do well to note this difference when we evaluate those who try to teach Christianity. You may disagree with many things the teacher teaches, and you are responsible to reject that which you do not believe, but this does not give you the right to rail against anyone just because your views happen to differ in some respects from his. Even in our disagreement, as long as we are both professed followers of Jesus Christ, and claim the will of the Father as our standard of right and wrong, we have a familial loyalty as brothers, and the responsibility to love one another, and to strive for unity. To forsake that goal is to deny the last prayers of Our Lord, and to further the division which is the main cause of the world rejecting the Christian message.
