¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

Our commitment to the unalterable, inspired Word of God, the Scriptures, is the foundation for dealing with false teaching and false teachers. Peter had just proclaimed the importance of prophecy, which was validated to him by his witness of God exalting Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet, as is common in our day, so also in Peter’s time, there would be those who distort the truth through their own personal interpretations of Scripture. The apostle Peter was in league with the apostle Paul who warned the Ephesian elders:

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28–30)

The apostles were the guardians of truth, validating the OT prophecies and providing a hedge for future generations against heresies. False teachers and prophets have always been present among God’s people, and it is no different in the church today. Initially, distorters of the truth subtly bring in their own interpretations of Scripture, quietly, with innuendoes, slight shifts of thinking, wording redefinitions, and many other nefarious methods with the ultimate goal of gaining a following.

False teaching destroys people spiritually because it moves them out from under the lordship of the incarnate Christ and into submission to human interpretations. Of course, there are legitimate disagreements over interpretations, but when an interpretation crosses over into denigrating the deity and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, then alarm flags should go up! False teachers have made themselves the masters over the biblical text, and in so doing have arrogated to themselves lordship over the living “Word of God,” namely Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14, Rev. 19:13). The false teacher denies by his actions, teachings, and attitudes, the one and only true Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. So, we must be vigilant like the Bereans, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). The stakes are enormous!

Lord, I commit to being a continuous student of Your Word, and submissive to Your Lordship over my life.