False Teachers

                 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.  (II Peter 2:1-3)

This is something people don’t understand. Let’s start with the fact that Peter wasn’t writing only about the Church here, even if he thought he was. No matter what group you examine, if there are not currently false teachers, there have been and will be.  If you have not been a false teacher, you probably have been or will be. Some false teachers believe what they’re saying. If you show them evidence of the truth, they’ll repent. Others know they are deceiving and manipulating people. They’re predators. That’s the whole idea. Today’s passage seems to be about the latter sort. And just like any predator, they tend to lurk in a prey-rich environment.

There are several characteristics common to false teachers. They act behind the scenes, at least at first. Everything is kept quiet until they have entrenched themselves. They make it sound good. But the truth is that they’re greedy. Their greed may be for wealth, but it could also be for power or even for destroying their enemies. No matter what form the wealth takes, it will involve exploitation. And if you spread the evidence of their deceit out on several tables, they may or may not seem to repent. They’ll try to save face by attacking you - not to your face, but to benefit those they exploit. If that doesn’t work, they will likely disappear and start over with another group.