Who is 2 Peter 2:18-22 Speaking About?

There is a lot of debate about whether 2 Peter 2:18-22 is speaking of people who were once in Christ falling away or whether the verses are speaking of people who never really were true believers at all. Some think it is hard to know the answer to that for sure. Is it really that hard to understand?

Here are some important things to consider which lead up 2 Peter 2:18-22.

Note that 2 Peter, like all of the New Testament epistles, was written to Christians in churches overseen by the true Apostles of Christ in the 1st century. 2 Peter was written to encourage and warn Christians whose genuine conversion was not in doubt.

Reading 2 Peter 2:1: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

It is not inappropriate in certain situations to exhort people to consider whether they ever really obtained a real new birth in Christ. Yet Peter is speaking about false teachers subtly bringing damnable heresies among assemblies of born-again Christians who were already in the way of righteousness. The following verses make it clear that Peter’s warning is about those who reconcile being under Jesus Christ’s Lordship with ungodly living or who deny the need to be under His authority altogether. There are indeed many who openly revile the teaching of Lordship salvation and brag about how they are convinced that there is nothing they could ever do which would cause them to be sent to hell. Yet others teach better in word who still make subtle allowances for sin in their teaching or at least by the bad example which they set by their own lawless behavior. This behavior is also often subtle.

Moving on to 2 Peter 2:2-6: “And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly;”

You can know a false teacher for sure when they say that how we live doesn’t impact our salvation. Peter rebukes that lie as clear as day here. Remember also that he is directly warning real Christians.

2 Peter 2:7-8: “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation (i.e. conduct) of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”

Many foolishly twist these verses to try to invalidate all the warnings in this chapter. In describing Lot here, Peter is obviously not negating everything else which he is saying nor is he justifying those who say that ungodly living won’t send a person to hell. Lot’s ultimate downfall came after he left Sodom. He compromised by choosing to dwell in Sodom and also by remaining there after it was obvious what a wicked place it was. Lot dwelling in Sodom was not inherently evil. It was also not necessary nor wise. When Lot actually lived in Sodom, he had not crossed any line which caused him to cease being a righteous man. Yet he did afterwards. The people of Sodom were destroyed for living ungodly. The Lord regarding Lot as a righteous man and delivering him from Sodom did not prevent Lot from becoming an unrighteous man afterwards when he committed the shameful actions which he committed. We are given no indication in the Bible that Lot ever repented and recovered from his shameful fall. If he did not, he is burning in hell now with the exceedingly wicked people who he was delivered from among. Peter is expecting his audience to actually know and reference the Old Testament to understand the point he is making. Those who do so will not come to the ridiculous conclusion that Lot was secure no matter what he did. Such a conclusion defies the very warnings which Peter is giving.

2 Peter 2:9-17: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass (donkey) speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.”

Peter is still warning about false teachers creeping into assemblies of faithful believers in Christ. The deceit of these teachers is accompanied by ungodly, wicked behavior in other ways. Yet all of this can be subtle. It is not necessarily easy for anyone to put their finger on who would not also unrighteously judge righteous people over matters which they were innocent in.

Many now have been influenced by all sorts of man-made theologies and doctrinal systems which depict false teachers as faithful teachers and which group faithful Bible teachers with deceivers. Peter is writing to people who had been taught by the real Apostles of Christ and were really walking in the truth. He still saw the need to warn them about being seduced into ungodly living by subtle false teachers. Look at what had been said already in 2 Peter.

2 Peter 1:12: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.”

Note that as we come to the especially controversial 2 Peter 2:18-22.

2 Peter 2:18: “For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.”

They allure through the allowance for sin in their doctrine and through subtle sensuality in their conduct. It is obvious that these great swelling words of vanity allure people to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (i.e. to commit sin).

The phrase “those that were clean escaped from them who live in error” could have been translated as “those that were indeed escaped from them who live straying.” Peter is making it clear that those who really forsake their sins and turn to Jesus Christ can be seduced back to living in sin. Contrary to what some claim, 2 Peter 2:18 is not talking about great swelling words of vanity seducing people who professed conversion to Christ yet were never true believers. If that were the case, the true believers whom Peter is warning would be immune to the seduction of these deceivers. They obviously are not.

2 Peter 2:19: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

This corresponds with the following verses.

John 8:34-36: “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Romans 6:16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Some teach that Jesus died for us so we can be free to live however we want and not face the wrath of God. They usually say we should still choose to serve Jesus and live righteously. Yet they also imply, or even say directly, that one’s justification is not conditioned on whether they serve Jesus faithfully. However, that is a lie and a damnable heresy. That is actually a key example of the great swelling words of vanity which Peter is rebuking here and warning Christians not to give heed to.

Jesus purchased redemption on the cross with the intention of making people His faithful subjects who serve Him in freedom from the dominion of sin. He does not offer redemption to anyone in any other context. Those who would have an interest in His redemption must submit to that intention and be in agreement with whatever that intention demands to the best of their knowledge. Those who later turn away from cooperation with that intention do not remain justified. They actually end up in a worse state than they were in before. How can anyone say such a thing? We’re about to see that the Bible says so.

2 Peter 2:20: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”

2 Peter 1:4 speaks of those with saving faith in Christ as “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” It is true that many claim faith in Jesus Christ who have never really forsook the moral pollutions of the world and never really been justified through His blood. People who talk about how many who claim to have faith in Christ really never had saving faith are not wrong concerning that. Yet if they claim that those are whom 2 Peter 2:18-22 is speaking about, they are wrong.

The word for “knowledge” in 2 Peter 2:20 is epignosis in the Greek text. The word speaks of real relational familiarity with the real Jesus of the Bible rather than general knowledge of Him. Only a true believer in Him would have this.

2 Peter 2:21: “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

Both of the times the word “known” is used in 2 Peter 2:21 is epiginosko in the Greek. This is obviously a variation of epignosis.

These verses are talking about those who really had saving faith in Christ returning to the pollutions of the world and falling away from Him so that they are worse off than those who were never really converted at all. Those who are in such a state are obviously on track to burn in hell. If they were not, they would still be in a much better state than they were before their conversion no matter how much they suffered in this life as a result of their sins.

Those who acknowledge that these verses are dealing with real Christians who turn away from the Lord to practice sin again, yet claim that this is not a matter of ultimate salvation, are among the false teachers being warned about here. Do you think that promises of being able to sin as you please without it affecting your salvation are not great swelling words of vanity which allure through the lusts of the flesh? They surely are.

In relation, as an antidote to this vanity, note the following verses.

Ephesians 5:5-7: “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

2 Peter 2:22: “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

This might be the verse which is used the most to try to claim that the spiritual calamity spoken of in 2 Peter chapter 2 is a reference to people who never really converted to Christ at all. This conclusion requires twisting and nullifying several other things said in 2 Peter and denying the very context in which the book was written. Those who read 2 Peter as a whole and note the direct audience cannot honestly understand verse 22 like that.

When people who were truly converted to Christ revert to living after the flesh, the illustrations in verse 22 are even sharper and more powerful when seen in that light. Whether one never left the broad road of sin or they returned to it after having entered the narrow to eternal life in Christ, either way they are on the broad way that leads to destruction. Yet the one who found the narrow way that returns to a life of sin will obviously be in an even worse state than they were in before. Peter had just warned about that.