On a Mission for Me

“And especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones” (v10).

So, you don’t believe in God. You think that some invisible deity has no impact on your life. And because nobody’s going to tell you what to do, you’re on a “mission for me.” Pete lets us know that your lack of belief has nothing to do with God’s treatment of you. Just because you won’t submit to His divine authority doesn’t mean a hill of beans to a holy God. As a matter of fact, the Lord specializes in handling rebels who only care about themselves. 

From Rome, the apostle writes to Jesus’ followers in Asia Minor. He’s sounded the alarm about a team of false teachers that are tearing churches apart from the inside with their destructive teaching (2:1-3). Pete reassures his readers that God is perfectly capable of defending Himself and His Gospel. The former fisherman flips back to Genesis for a quick rundown of unsuccessful rebellions. God dealt with the fallen angels (Gen 6:1-6; 2Pet 2:4), flushed worldwide wickedness with the Great Flood (Gen 6:8-13; 2Pet 2:5), rained down His hot wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:23-28; 2Pet 2:6), and came to Lot’s rescue just before the mushroom cloud rose (Gen 19:1-22, 29; 2Pet 2:7). If the Lord can handle those rebels, He’ll have absolutely no problem with these spiritual snake oil salesmen. 

These hucksters are traveling from church to church selling a “message of me.” They “indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority” (v10). The false teachers don’t live a selfish life some of the time. They live it ALL of the time! They’re on a mission that’s fueled by self. They could not care less about others. They don’t give a flip about Jesus. All they want is what they want. Pete writes about their “lust” (Gr. epithumia). This is that burning desire that must be satisfied. They try to put out that inner fire with sex, food and power. But that’s like throwing gasoline on the flames. That just makes it worse. That just stokes the fire. Who are you living for? What are you living to do?

Just in case you might think these dudes simply have a misguided passion, the apostle lets us know that they are all about a life of “defiling passion” (v10). Here he drops the Greek word miasmos. Pete paints the picture of the very act of polluting and corruption. They’re living lives of moral uncleanness because of crime and ungodliness. They are tainted by evil and stained by sin. Think of someone who sits at a table and gorging themselves. Their shirt is disgusting. They’re covered with stains and crumbs. If you think a spot on your tie or blouse is hard to get out, you haven’t seen what the sin of self will do to your wardrobe.

If that’s not bad enough, these false teachers shake their fists are anyone who tries to tell them what to do. They “despise authority” (v10). The original text literally says that they “look down on the lordship.” They don’t just ignore those in charge. They hate them. They flip off anyone who dares to tell them they are wrong. Flip over to the little book written by Jesus’ little brother. Jude repeats Pete several times in his letter. This is one of them. Jesus’ kid brother not only covers the very same idea, he uses almost the very same words. “Yet in like manner these people also, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” (Jude 8). These false teachers won’t listen to anybody. They absolutely refuse to submit to any authority. Not no way. Not no how.

Pete describes these infiltrators as “bold and willful” (v10). In other words, they’re not passive aggressive. They’ve made it very clear that they are in charge. They are daring and reckless. They don’t give a hot hoot about consequences. They’re arrogant, stubborn and selfish. It’s so bad that they go out of their way to trash the folks God has placed in authority. “They do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones” (v10). Most of us would be shaking in our boots to say something bad about the boss. Not these mutineers. There’s just one little problem. They are rebels without a clue. You see, God specializes in handling those who blatantly challenge His authority.

Here’s the bottom line. Jesus won’t stand for anyone to challenge His ultimate authority. That was Satan’s lie to Adam and Eve in the garden. That “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5). When God handed down His Top Ten to Moses on the mountain, He put His authority on the pole position. “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:3). That includes the person looking back at you in the mirror every morning. Are you on a “mission for me?” Is every decision about satisfying yourself? Is your first reaction to authority to pull away? You may want to pump your brakes, right here and right now. If so, God is an expert at taking care of you.