“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” (v20).
We’ve all heard the stories. Someone who’s apparently beaten addiction falls off the wagon and plummets deeper into the darkness than they’ve ever been before. Maybe it was someone you loved. Shoot, maybe it was you. It’s heartbreaking to know that a person can taste freedom from their demons only to get tangled up again. In many ways, this is worse. They’ve experienced sobriety but have made the choice to return.
The Apostle Peter wants us to know there’s a similar back story for these false teachers who are making the rounds. A posse of spiritual snake oil salesmen are infiltrating local churches and teaching a message that rots these fellowships from the inside out (2:1-3). If it’s not bad enough that they’re out to make a fast buck (2:3, 14-15), these hucksters are also sexual predators (2:10, 13-14, 18). But even worse than that, they’ve heard all about Jesus. They know the Gospel. They’ve heard the Good News. They’ve learned some Bible. However, they’ve chucked any chance at a deep and personal relationship with Christ for a life without Him. “Nah, we’re good,” they say. “That stuff might work for you, but not for us.” Sound familiar? As a result, they’re worse off than they were before hearing about Him.
In the midst of this gut-wrenching story, Pete drops a powerful reminder of just who Jesus is and what He’s done. The Son of God provides us with a way to free ourselves from “the defilements of the world” (v20). Only through Him have we “escaped” (Gr. apopheugo). This Greek word only appears three times in the New Testament and all three of them are right here in Pete’s sequel. Check for yourself (1:4; 2:18). It means to flee from or become safe from danger. The former fisherman opens this note with a spectacular fanfare of the amazing benefits of a relationship with Jesus. One of those is we become teammates “of the divine nature, having escaped (Gr. apopheugo) from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (1:14). Only our Savior can bust us out of the joint of our own sin.
Our prison reeks. Can’t you smell it? The apostle describes how Jesus frees us from “the defilements” (v20) and uses the word miasma. It means contamination, pollution, or corruption. According to MacArthur the term carries the idea of putrid or poisonous vapors. In the words of those great philosophers and theologians Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Can’t you smell that smell? The smell of death surrounds you.” It’s nasty. It’s noxious. Tangled up in “eww.” The problem is that we’ve been in that stank so long we can’t smell it.
A personal relationship with our Savior delivers us from all of the slimy stench. Once again, Pete pleads with us to experience “the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v20). This is the third time in this letter that the leader of the apostles invites to know the resurrected Rabbi from Nazareth. Only when we know Jesus personally that He multiplies His “grace and peace” in our lives (1:2). Only when we know Jesus personally does He give us everything we’ll ever need for “life and godliness” (1:3). Here’s the deal. Pete wants us to know that the same deep relationship he had with Jesus is available to you and me.
Don’t fly right by who he says Jesus is. He’s “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v20). As our Lord, He’s in charge. Jesus is our Leader. Let’s follow Him and do what He says. As our Savior, He’s our Hero. Jesus left the indescribable comforts of the heavenly palace to go dumpster diving for you and me. He came to our rescue when we couldn’t rescue ourselves. As Christ, He’s God’s long-promised One. Christ is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament Messiah. Pete’s reminding us that Jesus is the point of the entire story. The One God promised the satanic snake in the garden would eventually crush his demonic head (Gen 3:15). Leader. Hero. Messiah. That’s the One who has come to save us!
There’s just one problem for the false teachers. They’ve heard all about Jesus but “are again entangled” in the same crap all over again (v20). The filth of the world has once again kicked their tails. They are “overcome” (v20). A closer look at the original text paints a picture of people who are entwined in a massive knot. They’re bound up. The stuff they’re involved in severely restricts what they can do. That makes sense. Earlier Pete describes these hucksters as “slaves of corruption” (2:19). They may promise freedom while at the same time are actually entangled in their own sin.
As the apostle tells us their back story, he warns us of what happens when we don’t have a relationship with Jesus. These false teachers know ABOUT Christ. They know ABOUT the Gospel. They ABOUT the Bible. But they don’t really know our Lord and Savior. You can spend a ton of time in church or around Jesus’ followers without ever truly experiencing salvation. Some folks will talk about “once saved, always saved.” If that’s the case, how can these con artists be worse off than they were before? That’s because a better way to understand the idea of eternal security is through the phrase “IF saved, always saved.” The false teachers were all around Him but never knew Him. They were never saved to start with. Think of it as an inoculation. It was kind of like they had just enough of Jesus to keep from getting Him.
Do you know Him? I mean REALLY know Him. A relationship with Jesus is more than knowing a bunch of facts about Him. Have you gotten a taste of His amazing rescue? In many ways, this is my story. I was so close to Christ but really didn’t know Him. I was perilously close to being like the addict who successfully completes rehab only to fall deeper down the rat hole of abuse. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, I was tangled up in “eww.” Only then, did I really meet and fall in love with my Savior.
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