2 Peter 2:17-19 encourages Peter’s readers in three ways. First, he shows that the result of these immoral teachers’ sin is a meaningless existence on earth and a loss of reward in the next life. Second, he shows that even though their sensual methods and messages are attractive, there are some in the church who will escape their influence. Third, he shows that these false teachers who promise freedom are themselves enslaved by their own sensual desires.
In 2 Peter 2:17-19, Peter continues speaking of the false teachers leading his readers astray, describing them as being slaves to their fleshly desires.
Having given a detailed description of the immorality of the false teachers and their influence on the church, Peter begins to encourage his readers. First, he describes the unfruitful lives of these false teachers saying, These false teachers are springs without water and mists driven by a storm (v. 17).
Just as springs without water are useless and mists driven by astorm serve no purpose, so the lives of these false teachers are useless and lack meaning and purpose on earth (Jude 12).
Not only does the existence of false teachers on earth lack any lasting meaning or purpose, but their experience is also described as for whom the black darkness has been reserved. This description of black darkness might refer both to this life as well as the next. In this life, black darkness is what someone who is blind experiences, as Peter described believers who walk in sin in the previous chapter (2 Peter 1:9).
Paul describes the false teachers he opposes as thinking they are “a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness” when in actuality they themselves are in darkness (Romans 2:19).
In the next life, the black darkness might refer to the “outer darkness” Jesus referred to in Matthew 8:11-12. In that passage, Jesus likely shocked His Jewish followers when He pronounced that not only would the faith of the Roman centurion be rewarded, but that many Gentiles would be rewarded as highly as the Jewish patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while many “sons of the kingdom” (believing Jews) would be cast into the “outer darkness.”
The picture Jesus paints is of an evening honor banquet where those seated at the table of honor at the middle have the best food and light, while the lesser guests are seated at the outer ring of the light. Those in “outer darkness” are those who did not even get invited to come. The picture is that these false teachers, who apparently are abusing some degree of spiritual authority, are in this case in the process of losing all their inheritance and reward in the next life.
Peter encourages his readers that some have escaped the corrupting influence of the false teachers. The false teachers go around speaking out arrogant words of vanity (v. 18), meaning they are boldly proclaiming useless words. And by using words of vanity, they entice by fleshly desires (v. 18), meaning they try to arouse interest that comes from the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16). And they also try to entice by sensuality, referring to their appeal to engage in sexual excess (1 Peter 4:3,2 Peter 2:2, 7, Jude 4).
However, some escape, even if just barely. Peter says that there are those who barely escape from the ones who live in error (v. 18). This means that there were some well-taught believers in the church who did not fall into the sexual error of the false teachers (2 Peter 1:4).
The real irony is that these false teachers were promising them, the readers of Peter’s letter, freedom, meaning release from the constraints of the Law (1 Peter 2:16). They are doing this while they themselves are slaves of corruption, meaning that inwardly they were slaves to their immoral desires (2 Peter 1:4) (v. 19). This is the normal result of sin, to become its slave (Romans 6:16).
Peter now summarizes a biblical principle about how people become slaves inwardly to sin. For¸ used to introduce an explanation of what he just said, by what a man is overcome, meaning what passions possess a man, by this, referring to the passion that takes hold of him, he is enslaved, meaning he becomes obligated to obey (v. 19). The concept that we basically have a binary choice who to obey is echoed by the Apostle Paul, who asserts:
“Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)
Believers can either obey our lusts, which lead to addiction and various forms of death or we can obey the inner testimony of the Spirit which leads us to freedom and life. God has given believers His resurrection power to overcome sin, but it remains for us to choose to walk in that power. As Paul states:
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8)
Eternal life is a gift God gives to anyone who believes in Jesus (John 3:16). The experience of eternal life is a reward experienced by those who sow to the Spirit, meaning those who believe that God’s way is for their best and choose to walk in obedience to Him. Peter desires his followers to avoid being misled by these false teachers who will lead them away from the experience of life into a morass of slavery and death.
2 Peter 2:17-19
17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.
18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
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2 Peter 2:17-19 meaning
In 2 Peter 2:17-19, Peter continues speaking of the false teachers leading his readers astray, describing them as being slaves to their fleshly desires.
Having given a detailed description of the immorality of the false teachers and their influence on the church, Peter begins to encourage his readers. First, he describes the unfruitful lives of these false teachers saying, These false teachers are springs without water and mists driven by a storm (v. 17).
Just as springs without water are useless and mists driven by a storm serve no purpose, so the lives of these false teachers are useless and lack meaning and purpose on earth (Jude 12).
Not only does the existence of false teachers on earth lack any lasting meaning or purpose, but their experience is also described as for whom the black darkness has been reserved. This description of black darkness might refer both to this life as well as the next. In this life, black darkness is what someone who is blind experiences, as Peter described believers who walk in sin in the previous chapter (2 Peter 1:9).
Paul describes the false teachers he opposes as thinking they are “a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness” when in actuality they themselves are in darkness (Romans 2:19).
In the next life, the black darkness might refer to the “outer darkness” Jesus referred to in Matthew 8:11-12. In that passage, Jesus likely shocked His Jewish followers when He pronounced that not only would the faith of the Roman centurion be rewarded, but that many Gentiles would be rewarded as highly as the Jewish patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while many “sons of the kingdom” (believing Jews) would be cast into the “outer darkness.”
The picture Jesus paints is of an evening honor banquet where those seated at the table of honor at the middle have the best food and light, while the lesser guests are seated at the outer ring of the light. Those in “outer darkness” are those who did not even get invited to come. The picture is that these false teachers, who apparently are abusing some degree of spiritual authority, are in this case in the process of losing all their inheritance and reward in the next life.
Peter encourages his readers that some have escaped the corrupting influence of the false teachers. The false teachers go around speaking out arrogant words of vanity (v. 18), meaning they are boldly proclaiming useless words. And by using words of vanity, they entice by fleshly desires (v. 18), meaning they try to arouse interest that comes from the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16). And they also try to entice by sensuality, referring to their appeal to engage in sexual excess (1 Peter 4:3, 2 Peter 2:2, 7, Jude 4).
However, some escape, even if just barely. Peter says that there are those who barely escape from the ones who live in error (v. 18). This means that there were some well-taught believers in the church who did not fall into the sexual error of the false teachers (2 Peter 1:4).
The real irony is that these false teachers were promising them, the readers of Peter’s letter, freedom, meaning release from the constraints of the Law (1 Peter 2:16). They are doing this while they themselves are slaves of corruption, meaning that inwardly they were slaves to their immoral desires (2 Peter 1:4) (v. 19). This is the normal result of sin, to become its slave (Romans 6:16).
Peter now summarizes a biblical principle about how people become slaves inwardly to sin. For¸ used to introduce an explanation of what he just said, by what a man is overcome, meaning what passions possess a man, by this, referring to the passion that takes hold of him, he is enslaved, meaning he becomes obligated to obey (v. 19). The concept that we basically have a binary choice who to obey is echoed by the Apostle Paul, who asserts:
“Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”
(Romans 6:16)
Believers can either obey our lusts, which lead to addiction and various forms of death or we can obey the inner testimony of the Spirit which leads us to freedom and life. God has given believers His resurrection power to overcome sin, but it remains for us to choose to walk in that power. As Paul states:
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
(Galatians 6:8)
Eternal life is a gift God gives to anyone who believes in Jesus (John 3:16). The experience of eternal life is a reward experienced by those who sow to the Spirit, meaning those who believe that God’s way is for their best and choose to walk in obedience to Him. Peter desires his followers to avoid being misled by these false teachers who will lead them away from the experience of life into a morass of slavery and death.