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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\u2014bringing 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. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

As we turn to chapter 2, we find Peter switching from defence to offence. \xa0Previously he was defending the Apostolic witness to Jesus and the inspired prophecies of scripture as reliable. \xa0Now he is speaking of false teachers who are unreliable, and seeking to show why they ought not be trusted.

In the days in which the Old Testament was written\u2014there were not just Spirit-inspired prophets around, but also false prophets. \xa0Jeremiah often had skirmishes with the false prophets of his day who prophesied peace and restoration as he prophesied exile (e.g. Jeremiah 28). \xa0Elsewhere, false prophets prophesied victory where the Lord\u2019s prophets spoke of defeat (e.g. 1 Kings 22:1-40).

Interestingly though, Peter does not dignify the people he is speaking about with the term \u201cprophet.\u201d \xa0Instead he calls them \u201cfalse teachers.\u201d \xa0Perhaps they were not claiming to speak in the name of the Lord \xa0or hold inspiration from God. \xa0Perhaps they were merely deviating in what they believed and taught about the Lord. \xa0This may not have seemed so bad, but Peter would like to show how destructive this really is.

It seems that these false teachers denied any need to live a moral life that was distinct from the pagan world around. \xa0But if there was no difference between the Christians and the pagan world around them\u2014what positive witness to Christ could they bring? \xa0They may as well deny their master even as they \u201cbring the way of truth into disrepute.\u201d

In this regard, the letter of Peter still brings a pretty stiff challenge into our lives today. \xa0The first chapter speaks of virtues we must add to our faith. \xa0Chapter two flips the coin over. \xa0For those whose lives don\u2019t change at all in light of the faith and love given by God in Christ\u2014and especially for any who teach that that\u2019s OK\u2014\u201cswift destruction\u201d is in store, says Peter.

Much of the hottest internal church fights we have as Christians are drawn up on this battle line. \xa0Where must we become a \u201ccontrast community,\u201d rejecting cultural norms for the sake of Christian virtue and where does the grace and transformation of Christ redeem cultural forms and norms such that they can be used? \xa0

There are no easy answers. \xa0But in the very least, we must know that the problem cannot be solved to one absolute extreme or the other. \xa0We cannot live in such radical contrast that we become cut off from our culture entirely, for then we cannot witness within that culture to Christ (e.g. John 17:15), nor can we totally and unquestioningly embrace everything that our culture provides\u2014an extreme that Peter defends against\u2014because then we no longer witness to anything distinctive about Christ.

Tending to this balance takes wisdom cultivated within the community of Christ through much Bible reading and prayer. \xa0In fact, already in that action of prayer and scripture we begin to faithfully hold the tension as we do something Christianly distinct from the world around us. \xa0

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Amen! (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18 MSG).

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