What is the meaning of 2 Peter 2:13? The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness • Peter speaks of a literal, inevitable pay-back: “The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness.” What they have earned through persistent rebellion will be returned to them in full. • Scripture consistently ties sin to certain consequences: – Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.” – Galatians 6:7-8 promises that those who sow to the flesh will reap corruption. • This statement is not merely poetic; it foretells real judgment. As in 2 Peter 2:1, their “swift destruction” is certain, not hypothetical. • God’s justice encourages believers: He sees the wrongdoing, and He will repay (Romans 12:19). They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight • Their sin is shameless. Most people hide debauchery under cover of night, but these false teachers flaunt it when everyone can see. • Daylight carousing shows a seared conscience (1 Timothy 4:2) and fulfills Isaiah 5:20—calling evil good. • Their boldness contrasts with the believer’s call to live “decently as in the daytime” (Romans 13:13). • Bullet points of warning for us: – Watch for influencers who boast openly about sin. – Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8: we are “sons of the day,” so brazen immorality has no place among us. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you • “Blots and blemishes” evokes sacrificial language—God desires a spotless people (Ephesians 5:27). These teachers are spiritual stains within the fellowship. • Their presence at church meals (likely the love-feasts tied to the Lord’s Supper) turns celebration into corruption. Jude 12 uses the same picture, warning of “hidden reefs at your love feasts.” • They “revel in their deception”: – Enjoying both the sin and the duping of believers. – 1 Corinthians 5:6 reminds us that unchecked sin spreads: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” • Action points: – Guard the table—participation in Christian fellowship implies genuine faith (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). – Confront falsity promptly to protect the purity of the body (Matthew 18:15-17). summary Peter paints a stark portrait of false teachers: they will receive the exact harm their wickedness has earned; they flaunt sin without shame; and they stain the fellowship while luxuriating in their own lies. God’s certain judgment, the call to holiness, and vigilance in community life flow naturally from his words. |
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