Sabbath: False Teachers
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Pet. 2:1-22, John 8:34-36, Matt. 12:43-45, Jude 4-19, Gen. 18:16-33.
Memory Text: “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them” (2 Peter 2:19, NRSV).
In his first epistle, Peter, with great pastoral concern, sought to encourage readers in regard to the perils of persecution. Though we don’t know exactly what form of persecution he was specifically addressing, we do know that the church would face terrible trials as the pagan Roman Empire sought to extinguish the growing movement of people called “Christians.”
But Satan launched a two-pronged attack. Certainly, persecution from the outside-that is, brute force and violence-was a powerful tool. But the church faced another threat, one perhaps even more dangerous than outside persecution. And that was the threat from inside. Just as the Jewish nation in the past had to deal with false prophets, the follower of Jesus in Peter’s day had to deal with false teachers who would “secretly introduce destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1, NIV) into the church itself. And, even worse, Peter warned that many would follow these “destructive ways” (2 Pet. 2:2, NKJV).
What were some of these teachings that Peter was warning about? How did Peter react to them, and what lessons can we take from his warnings for ourselves today, as we also face threats from within?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 10.
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Well it is so scary what is awaiting the world lurking ahead to those who does not please God. Surely the world is drunk of the apostate gospel where the very elect are seduced by the false prophets. The whole chapter of 2nd Peter 2 says it all that many people are taking heed of the false Prophets. Now it is to everyone who was created in God's image that he should follow what God says rather to listen what people say. It is very detrimental to the people who are easily carried away with such false gospel that danger is coming if they do not turn from those seducing powers in order to work for God and listen to His prophets.
What practices did the false teachers introduce to the followers of Christ. It wasn't false day or ceremonies was it? Peter told what we should look out for. We know about false worship. But there is secret things being added to the adventist faith. That Ellen G White talks about. Why has not it been told to the sheep?
Peters letters are insightful and scary. For 2017 We see the movement of False Teachers in our churches and conference. Praying and studying will keep us from deceptive things even in our church.
Perhaps the biggest "false teaching" is that talking about our religion is what it is all about. Christianity is about living rather than arguing. In some respects I fear that Seventh-day Adventists have the potential to be very argumentative, and maybe we need to take a bit of a check on that.
And there is NEW TESTAMENT COUNSEL about that very thing in Philippians 4:8, The counsel there is to focus and contemplate and talk about things that are: true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtueous, and praiseworthy.
I think James got it pretty spot on:
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. James 1: 23, 24
And what is more worthy of contemplating and talking about than the things that Jesus did and was and said?
There are generalizations in the lesson that are identified as perils of persecution and they are under attack by Satan from the outside as well as the inside. If there is an application called false teachers and false prophets, do you have an example. For us to apply what we believe there should be examples from experience. Speculation is often mostly guess work.
In our time we can see that the Christian world has embraced the traditions of men and have come to accept them as their own, (Sunday worship, pagan festivals, state of the dead, eternal punishment). We as the SDA church have to be watchful that we do not follow the same, especially at the end time , when Satan turns up the heat on the commandment keeping people.
I understand what you are saying Stephen, but there is another more sinister temptation for us. We have the potential to become proud and egocentric because we have identified and understand Sunday worship, pagan festivals, the state of the dead and eternal punishment. The bigger sin is to become proud and arrogant in our knowledge of the "truth" and forget the humility of being fellow learners with other Christians.
We should not forget the history lesson of the Jews in Christ's time. They thought they had it all worked out and many of them missed the very Messiah that they had been looking for. We should perhaps remind ourselves that except for the leading of the Holy Spirit, we could fall into the same trap.
I do believe the false teachers will always be in our midst till the end of time. Inspirations warns us in TM page 46 that there ate two opposing influences exerted on God's people, one for purification and one for corruption.
if this being the case, how to we escape this corrupting influence? We all know that there is a battle between good and evil and we too well know that the originator of evil has been since time in memorial using human agencies to corrupt or thwart God's will to His follower.
History has records for all to read and understand. But the good and courage you and I that we should pick is that, God had never had His true followers in every successive generations, who made the study of Scriptures their burden, who stood by 'Thus says The Lord, who never followed the teachings of men however learned they were.
Good example we can draw is from the Berereans who sought to know what scriptures after being taught..
As Adventists, our greatest weakness is to rely on what leading men in our churches teach and we get it as gospel truth we forget the the enemy of truth uses such men who are in responsible positions.
We do not fight with flesh and blood.... our Lord is inviting us to buy from Him 'Eye salves' to anoint our eyes that we may see. Weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience f Christ.
Let Christ fight for us these false teaching by us being totally surrendered to Him and make the study of His Word our burden.
There are those who purposely bring in heresies and cause confusion, then there are those who know the truth, but their attitudes also bring division:
"(they) despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries..."
Probably the biggest surprise to me in this week's lesson was the nature of the false teachings Peter was presenting. We so often think of false teaching involving doctrines (think Sabbath or state of the dead, or for the early Christians, divinity of Christ). But Peter makes almost no mention of that. His emphasis is on things like sexual immorality, greed and other very self-centered behavioral issues. About the only doctrinal component is the false notion that the law no longer applies, which Paul emphatically refutes in Romans.