If the question was asked, "Can anything outside ourselves pull us away from Christ?", we would immediately refer to Romans 8:31–39 (ESV) — 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But can a person take himself out of the equation? I recently had this discussion with some friends of mine and we were challenging each other to think through the scripture. I love our discussions because they cause us to think through the scriptures even more than normal. One of the verses that popped up was 2 Peter 2:22 (ESV) — 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” In fact, I have even heard all of the following section to be used in asking that question: 2 Peter 2:20–22 (ESV) — 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
I was going to save this part for last but now I see that I should go ahead and point you towards the pronouns used in 2 Peter chapter 2. Answer these questions:
1. Who is Peter writing to?
2. Who is Peter talking about?
Peter is writing to "those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" [2 Peter 1:1 (ESV)] and you will notice the second-person pronoun "you" in the following verses:
2 Peter 1:2 (ESV) — 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you...
2 Peter 1:4 (ESV) — 4 ... so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature...
2 Peter 1:5 (ESV) — 5 ...make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue...
2 Peter 1:8 (ESV) — 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:10 (ESV) — 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
2 Peter 1:11 (ESV) — 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:12–13 (ESV) — 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
[underlining added for you]
So who is Peter talking about in chapter 2 when he changes from second-person pronouns to third-person pronouns such as "they" or "them"? Start at verse 22 and work backwards.
2 Peter 2:22 (ESV) — 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them...
2 Peter 2:21 (ESV) — 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
2 Peter 2:20 (ESV) — 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
2 Peter 2:19 (ESV) — 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption...
2 Peter 2:18 (ESV) — 18 ...they entice by sensual passions of the flesh...
2 Peter 2:17 (ESV) — 17 ...For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.
2 Peter 2:12–15 (ESV) — 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
2 Peter 2:2–3 (ESV) — 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
[underlining added for you]
So who are "they" that Peter is talking about? Who are "they" that are going to be like the dog going back to its vomit or the sow getting back into the mud in 2 Peter 2:22? The answer is in 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) — 1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [underlining added for you] Not the born-again Christians described in chapter 1, but the false teachers. If you read chapter 2 with the words "false teachers" replacing the third-person pronouns, it would read like this:
2 Peter 2:1–22 (ESV) — 1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon [the false teachers] swift destruction. 2 And many will follow [the false teachers] sensuality, and because of [the false teachers] the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in [the false teachers] greed [the false teachers] will exploit you with false words. [the false teachers] condemnation from long ago is not idle, and [the false teachers] destruction is not asleep...12 But [the false teachers], like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which [the false teachers] are ignorant, will also be destroyed in [the false teachers] destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for [the false teachers] wrongdoing. [the false teachers] count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. [the false teachers] are blots and blemishes, reveling in [the false teachers] deceptions, while [the false teachers] feast with you. 14 [the false teachers] have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. [the false teachers] entice unsteady souls. [the false teachers] have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, [the false teachers] have gone astray. [the false teachers] have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17 [the false teachers] are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, [the false teachers] entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 [the false teachers] promise them freedom, but [the false teachers] themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after [the false teachers] have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, [the false teachers] are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for [the false teachers] than the first. 21 For it would have been better for [the false teachers] never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to [the false teachers]. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to [the false teachers]: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
There are several other factors to look at here as well. For example, what about the idea of "escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" followed by the phrase "again entangled in them and overcome"? That sounds like how Jesus described the 'thorny soil' in Luke 8:14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
And why would it have better for them "never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered"? Is it not because they believed that they were indeed saved by God when the fact is that they were not? And if they thought they were already saved by God, they would believe that they already live by the gospel when the truth is that they are distorting the gospel as shown in 2 Peter chapter 2?
Are you like the "you" in chapter 1 who is indeed a Christian or like "they" in chapter 2 who are false teachers that will be destroyed [v.12] and suffer for their wrong doings [v.13]?
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