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Matthew 24:10-13,24
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another…

Mark 13:22
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, ifit were possible, even the elect.

1 John 2:18,19
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time…

pernicious ways.

Romans 2:24
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

1 Timothy 5:14
I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

Titus 2:5,8
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed…

way.

2 Peter 2:15,21
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaamthe son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; …

Psalm 18:21
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Isaiah 35:8
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but itshall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not errtherein.

evil.

2 Peter 2:12
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Acts 14:2
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.

1 Peter 2:12
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may byyour good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

and because of them the way of truth will be defamed
The "way of truth" refers to the Christian faith and the teachings of Jesus Christ, who declared Himself to be "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The defamation of the faith due to the actions of false teachers and their followers is a serious concern, as it not only misleads believers but also damages the church's witness to the world. This aligns with the broader biblical theme of the importance of maintaining the purity of the gospel message, as seen in Paul's exhortations to the Galatians (Galatians 1:6-9) and the warnings in Revelation about adding to or taking away from God's word (Revelation 22:18-19). The cultural context of the time included a variety of religious and philosophical systems, making it crucial for early Christians to distinguish the true gospel from false teachings.

Peter has just warned that false teachers will secretly introduce destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1). He now adds, “Many will follow.”

• Scripture consistently pictures the crowd choosing the wrong path—“wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13).

• Jesus foretold, “Many false prophets will arise and mislead many” (Matthew 24:11), and Paul echoed, “Some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1).

• The word many reminds us that popularity is never a reliable test of truth; the remnant is often small (Romans 11:5).

Those who follow the false teachers adopt the same immoral lifestyle.

• Depravity covers every kind of unchecked desire—“Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality” (Ephesians 4:19).

• Jude warns of men “who turn the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4).

• Peter later describes these teachers as “slaves of depravity” (2 Peter 2:19).

• Manifestations include:

– Sexual immorality (Romans 1:24–27).

– Greed and exploitation (2 Peter 2:3).

– Arrogant rejection of authority (2 Peter 2:10).

The damage is not limited to those inside the church; it splashes onto everyone watching.

• Nathan told David, “By this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14).

• Paul laments, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24).

• When believers fall, skeptical observers lump Christ together with the scandal, convincing themselves that Christianity is a sham.

“The Way” was the earliest title for the Christian faith (Acts 9:2). It is rooted in the One who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

• God’s Word is not merely true; it is the way that leads to life (Psalm 119:30).

• Peter has already called his readers to be “established in the truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

When professing believers live in open sin, the gospel itself is slandered.

• “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that… they may glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12) implies the opposite is also true—dishonorable conduct produces defamation.

• Paul urges servants to honor their masters “so that God’s name and our teaching will not be slandered” (1 Timothy 6:1).

• Titus is told that believers must live uprightly “so that the word of God will not be maligned” (Titus 2:5).

• The enemy delights when hypocrisy gives him ammunition; believers must therefore guard both doctrine and lifestyle (1 Timothy 4:16).

2 Peter 2:2 warns that false teachers will attract large followings, not to deeper holiness but into shared depravity. Their public disgrace causes unbelievers to sneer at “the way of truth,” turning souls away from the gospel. The verse calls every believer to discernment, personal purity, and a life that adorns rather than defames the name of Christ.

The connexion between false doctrine and licentiousness was often real, and is so still in some cases--e.g.,Mormonism. But it was often asserted and believed without foundation. Impurity was the common charge to bring against those of a different creed, whether between heathen and Christian or between different divisions of Christians.

By reason of whom.--The many who are led astray are meant, rather than the original seducers. (Comp.Romans 2:24.)

The way of truth.--(See Note onActs 9:2.) "The way of truth" occurs in Clement of Alexandria (Cohort. ad Gentes,x.), the only near approach to anything in 2 Peter in all the writings of his that have come down to us. This is strong evidence that he did not know the Epistle, especially as references are frequent to 1 Peter, which is sometimes quoted thus: "Peter in his Epistle says" (Strom. iv. 20). . . .