Spiritual Hokey Pokey

“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” (v21).

Moles are the worst. No, not the critters digging around in your flower bed. Yeah, those can be annoying. But I’m talking about secret agents working from the inside to take down their enemies. Infiltrators. Traitors. The threat from the inside is much worse than the outside. They know your secrets. They know your schedules. They know your priorities. They’re in a position to do great damage to governments or corporations. 

The Apostle Peter warns his readers about the threat of moles infiltrating local churches.  A team of false teachers has weaseled they way into the hearts and lives of people following Jesus. And in many ways, it was easy to do. They’ve been here the whole time. They’ve grown up in our churches. They’ve gone to Sunday school. They’ve attended prayer meetings. They’re in our worship services. Shoot, they may even serve as an elder. But there’s one HUGE difference between fellow believers and these moles. They’ve heard the Good News but they’re not following Jesus. To paraphrase the old saying, “You can lead a lost person to the Living Water but you can’t make him drink.” 

The result is not good. Not good at all. Pete tells us that “it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness” (v21) to begin with. But it was right there for them. They were offered the opportunity to take the on ramp onto the Narrow Way. But they made the decision to stay on the broad road. When you’re not on the Right Road, you’re going the wrong way. You can be very close without being on the way of righteousness. It’s like using the access road that follows alongside the interstate. You might be headed in a very similar direction but you’re certainly not on the same stretch of asphalt. It will NOT get you where you want to go.

The false teachers knew where they should go but actually did a u-turn on the Gospel. They “turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (v21). The apostle describes this 180 from Jesus with the verb hupostrepho. It means to return, turn away from, go back, abandon, or turn round about. If repentance is turning from our sin and turning to our Savior, then this is the anti-repentance. These moles have spun from their sin, taken a long look at Jesus and spun right back around. Think of it as some kind of spiritual Hokey Pokey. They’ve put their whole self in. They’ve put their whole self out. They’ve put their whole self in and they’ve turned themselves around. In the end, they reject Jesus and His gracious offer of salvation. The false teachers have turned back to where they came from because they had never really left. Matthew Henry writes, “A state of apostasy is worse than a state of ignorance.” And, sadly, that’s NOT what it’s all about.

These con artists are tearing apart the church from the inside (2:1-3). Despite what many believe, the biggest threat to the church aren’t attacks from the outside. The greatest menace comes from inside. That’s exactly what made these false teachers an enormous hazard. Their training in the Bible and theology made them even more dangerous. They’re able to twist Scriptural truth to their advantage. Wasn’t that exactly what the satanic snake did when it whispered into Eve’s ear (Gen 3:1-5)? And worst of all, they set their sites on the weak and vulnerable. “They entice unsteady souls” (2:14). They’re not going after folks following closely after Christ. They look for low hanging fruit.

So what’s the personal application? First of all, it’s a reminder to each and every one of us that we can be all around Jesus and never really know Him. We can hear the Good News but never make it part of our lives. We can pull right up to the turn onto the Right Road and never get on. So very close and so very far away all at the same time. Have we heard just enough about Jesus that we are immune to Him? Second, we need to realize that just because someone goes to our church, that doesn’t guarantee that they’re a member of God’s family. Keeping the message of the Gospel fresh within the walls of the church is vital. We all need Jesus. You. Me. Them. Let’s encourage EVERYONE to grow in their relationship to Christ. Believers will move closer. Unbelievers may meet Him for the first time. Third, let’s keep our radar up for false teachers. Watch out for moles who seem to talking about Jesus but only use churchy talk as a way to tear us apart.

The false teachers have put their whole selves in. They put their whole selves out. The put their whole selves in and turned themselves around. They’ve ant-repented. Sadly, that’s NOT what it’s all about.