Second Epistle of Peter
NOT LIBERTY, BUT BONDAGE
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 2:19 (KJV)
We have already noted that the bait used by these false teachers to lead unstable souls into error and sin was the promise of liberty. Of course they wrongly defined liberty, saying it was license to sin as they pleased. They did not explain that lust itself became a master and one who followed in its ways became a slave of corruption.
"they promise"
Satan has always been liberal with his promises and these servants of his were the same. Already in the Garden of Eden he promised Eve, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). He did not tell them that once they knew evil they would not be able to refrain from it, and thus would be like him. He even made promises to Christ at the time of His temptation saying, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matt. 4:9). He still whispers promises into the ears of the unsaved, saying, "Follow me and I will give you riches or fame or happiness." He will ever warp Scripture to gain a victory, even as he did with Christ at the time of His temptation.
Perhaps these false teachers also make promises. They probably said, "We will give you liberty, and you will be free to do as you please. No need to curb your passions; did not Jesus say, 'If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed'" (John. 8:36). Surely they did not add what the Lord Jesus said in John 8:34, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant [slave] of sin."
Perhaps they quoted what Paul said in Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." If so, they would not have explain that this was liberty from the ceremonial law. They certainly would not have quoted Galatians 5:13, "For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty, for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Their promises sounded logical and good, but they were false and did not bring gain, only great loss.
Promises are easy to make, but not always easy to keep. Often people make promises, but when the time comes they cannot keep them. Sometimes they could keep them, but they do not want to do so. Many promises are made without any intention of following through. This is a plain deceit. Watch out for the person who makes many promises. The more promises made the more likely the person is a deceiver.
Let all Christians be cautious making promises, and when a promise is made be sure and fulfill it. To promise and not follow through is to be like the devil himself. A Christian should be cautious making promises especially in money matters. Let none of us buy anything if there is danger that we will not be able to pay. The Scripture says, "Owe no man anything" (Rom. 13:8). To have a reputation for not paying our bills is to bring reproach on the name of Christ.
"promise them liberty"
These men promised liberty, but not the type Holy Scripture promises to Christians. The Word of God pictures the unsaved as being in bondage to sin, the lusts of the flesh, to the world, to Satan, to fear of death and hell. It is from these things that one who trusts and obeys Christ is liberated. These wicked teachers sought to lead their followers into the very things from which Christ sought to liberate them.
There have always been those who deride Christianity as a religion which brings one into bondage. They are like the devil who told Eve in the garden that God was putting on them needless restraint. While a true Christian seeks to lead a restrained life, it is not because he is in bondage. He lives this kind of life because of a realization that sin brings bondage and that the more he lives for Christ the greater freedom he has. We are freed from sin, not free to sin.
Liberty is defined as "freedom from restrain," but there is no such thing as absolute freedom in a civilized country, meaning we cannot do just anything. One might think he has liberty to curse or abuse his neighbor at will, but if he is not careful he is apt to find himself in trouble. Another might think he has liberty to practice adultery, but he is likely to find himself in trouble. Divorce and loss of children may be the end result. There must be a measure of restraint or none would be safe on our streets after dark. Every county needs policemen, courts, and jails.
Half of a mother's life is restraining her children. From infancy they must constantly be told and shown that they cannot do as they please. It is the same in school. Later, as one is employed, he must heed the workplace rules. Then as a citizen of a country one must be law abiding in order to guarantee more liberty to others. True liberty in any country is measured by how much the animal nature of its citizens is restrained. The more they are held in check on the bottom, the more they will spread out into true liberty on the top. One who loves liberty will not only think of his personal freedom, but that of his neighbor. He will restrain himself the moment he sees his actions depriving another of some aspect of liberty.
A young man once said to a Christian, "You do not get drunk, use drugs, chase women, enjoy pornography on the Internet; what in the world do you do for a good time?" The Christian tried to explain the joys of being in Christ, but the young man either could not or would not understand. However, for a Christian to refrain from such things is not bondage. Upon trusting and obeying Christ, a Christian receives a new nature and has no desire to indulge in worldly things. It is not bondage to avoid doing the things one has no desire to do – it would be torture, not liberty.
It is not bondage for a parent to serve the family he or she loves. In like manner, it is not bondage for a Christian to serve the Lord whom he loves. In fact, the more one denies self and serves the Lord, the greater liberty in Christ is realized. We come to realize that it is a priceless freedom to be free from the bondage of sin, Satan, the fear of death and hell; thus we gladly obey the Lord.
"servants of corruption"
Peter says that these teachers, who were promising liberty to their followers were themselves "servants [slaves] of corruption." One translates this "slaves of rottenness." How awful when professed Christian leaders live worldly lives, slaves of their own worldly passions. The worst form of bondage is to be a slave to some form of sin. Instead of having liberty, one is a miserable vassal. Such a one has sunk into sin, becoming a slave of personal lust. They "cannot cease from sin" (v. 14). They were especially slaves to adultery and covetousness.
The latter part of our verse says, "Of whom [or what] a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." Some are virtual slaves of habit; of liquor, drugs or sensual living. Thank God for our Lord Jesus Christ; He can break every fetter.
Some who are slaves to habit never meant to be. When a man takes his first drink, he never means to become a drunkard. The habit slowly grows until finally one becomes a slave. "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins" (Prov. 5:22). This can be demonstrated by putting a boy on a chair, first tie one strand of fine cord about him and to the chair. This he could easily break. Then wind three strands around him. This he could also break, but with a little more difficulty. It will only take about ten strands to completely tie him up. Just so, a sinner is "holden with the cords of his sins."
Many things in the world bring sinful men into bondage. Some are slaves to money. Some are slaves to the opinions of others, some to the world's fashions. Some are slaves to their own fears, their conscience constantly keeping them in torment. It may be that some are in direct bondage to the devil himself, almost like the demon possessed in Matthew 8:28-34. "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26). Some have no moral strength to resist evil and they know they are in bondage to Satan.
The story is told of a doctor who was found guilty of murdering a woman. She had been one of his patients, and lured him into sin with her. From then on he was virtually her slave. She held him in sin and extorted from him large sums of money. It seems he tried to break from her, perhaps not very strongly, but she threatened to expose him and break up his business and home. Finally in desperation he killed her, but the crime was detected and he was found guilty in a court of law and received just punishment. "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:33).
Let all Christians be on guard lest Satan is able to tempt and lead into sin, thus bringing bondage. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12). "For sin shall not have dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14). To serve sin or Satan is real bondage, but to serve Christ and righteousness is true liberty.
Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 2:20 (KJV)
This verse probably speaks of those who through hearing of Christ, accepted and obeyed Him, abandoned their sinful lives and idolatry, thus they "escaped the pollutions of the world." Then, after coming to Christ they are again entangled in sin, removed from Christ and finally lost because they remained in that situation and did not repent and return to Christ. Perhaps, for those who live close to sin, it is fairly easy to sink back into sinful ways, but it need not be so. They have escaped from their old lives, and have escaped to Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners, only to return again into sin.
"escaped the pollutions"
Can it be that today in Christianity there are some who appear to know much about Christ and profess to be Christians, yet who live in the world and walk in sin? Perhaps.
Christianity has put a measure of restraint on our whole nation, but that does not mean that all Christians are restrained. Some believe that the mere fact that they are born in this so-called Christian land automatically makes them Christian. If their salvation is questioned they might say, "What do you think I am, a heathen?" Sad to say, some Christians who have been washed in the blood of Christ have gone back into the ways of the world and walk again in sin, and their "latter end is worse...than the beginning."
Some are brought up in Christian homes, educated in Christianity from infancy, know the way of salvation, live a comparatively moral life, but have never been born again and later fall into sin. But how sad when a child of God, washed in the blood of Christ, saved from sin, returns again to live in the world and walk with Satan and in sin.
It is also possible to be reformed, but not transformed. Some come under the sound of the Word of God, hear about Christ, learn the way of salvation, and live better lives for a time only to later sink back into sin. It is surely possible for one to have the light of the Gospel and be morally helped and yet not have Christ in the heart. A religious education may have restrained some whom the grace of God has not renewed. However, this does not change the fact that even one who has been born again, washed in the blood of Christ, and saved, could return to the old way of sin. If such happens to a Christian, it certainly makes his "end worse...than the beginning."
"the pollutions of the world"
"The pollutions of the world" are like a filthy cesspool. If you are a child of God who has in a measure slipped back into some of this cesspool of filth, escape again quickly to Christ before it is too late.
"through the knowledge of the Lord"
Because of Young's Literal Translation giving this as, "through the acknowledging of the
Lord," rather than "knowledge of the Lord," some in the religious world hold to the belief that Peter is not speaking of a child of God in our verse, but of one who has only heard the Word of God but never obeyed the Gospel. They try and point out that in their view, Young's Literal Translation indicates Peter was speaking of their profession of Christ rather than a personal knowledge of Him. They also say, "One might know much about Christ and yet not really know Him in a personal way as Savior. Many know the way of salvation without receiving the new birth, just as many may know how to get to a distant city, yet never go there." All this is expressed in an attempt to prove the idea that once a person is saved, he can never do anything to fall from that salvation; that in fact one cannot do as Peter says he can do in our verse – having "...escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ". In other words, these of whom Peter speaks were in the pollutions of the world, but escaped. How could they "escape" without being saved? – "they are again entangled therein, and overcome". Peter very clearly shows us a child of God who, though removed from the "pollutions of the world" by Jesus Christ, is once again "entangled" and "overcome" by sin – "...the latter end is worse with them than the beginning." In other words, the end result without repenting and coming back to Jesus is destruction and being lost. Yes, a child of God, who returns to sin and does not repent, who continues in that situation until either death or the second coming of Jesus, can find himself lost.
"again entangled therein"
The word "entangled" is literally "braid in" and is variously translated as "enmeshed" or "caught," as in a net. Peter pictures these children of God who fall back into sin as birds or fish caught in a net. These false teachers came along, used plausible arguments and taught that it was not necessary to restrain lust, and those unstable were quickly swept away. Even if one is born again, washed in the blood of Christ, he still lives in the world and around sin; around the lusts of the flesh. How sad it is that within the gates are enemies who instead of leading Christians to a closer walk with Jesus, actually lead them back into sin.
Of course, from one point of view we can see the point that some make, that because of the desire to repent and return to God a true Christian will not fall into a prolonged sinful situation, and thus risk being lost eternally. In other words, sometimes even children of God fall into sin. However, a true Christian repents and will not live in sin. Think of David's sin with Bathsheba and Peter's denial of Christ. Notice that both of these showed real penitence for their sin. This is certainly always manifest in a true child of God, but nevertheless, it is possible for a child of God to so fall away from Christ as to sin and live in a prolonged sinful state, never repenting and thus falling away from Christ. While it is true that a child of God can repent and return to Christ, still it is also true that if that is not done, the child of God could be lost. The Christian has fierce enemies in Satan, the world and the flesh, and they will drag us down if possible, but thank the Lord, Christ stands ready to go into battle with us and for us. All a Christian need do is pray and with a contrite heart ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. The unsaved are certainly overcome by these enemies, but the Lord stands ready to break the net and so release His own, through simple repentance.
"the latter end is worse"
For those Christians who are "overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning." How often this is true. They lived badly before they became a Christian, but when they sink again into the filthy cesspools, they are worse than ever. It reminds us of the story the Lord tells of the man out of whom the demon departed. The house is empty, swept, and garnished, but sad to say, remains empty. The man was rid of the demon, but he did not let Christ in to fill the empty place. The demon comes back with sever other demons. Truly with that man his latter end is worse than his beginning (Matt. 12:43-45).
The greatest enemies of true Christianity are those who once were saved, but then under the guise of religion, were led into some false thing or manner of life. They will battle fiercely for their error. They are like Satan himself, who fell from his high estate and now seeks to mar the testimony and lives of those who belong to Christ.
When Christ was here He was hard on the Pharisees who professed to be religious leaders and teachers, but lived in and taught error. He said, "Ye shall receive the greater damnation" (Matt. 23:14). His language in the whole chapter is most scathing. He is no different today. He hates sin and certainly His wrath will wax hot against those who, under the pretense of being Christian teachers, lead others into sin.
