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2 Peter 2:12-16 Inductive Bible Study Notes, Cross References, Outline, and Discussion Questions
False Teacher’s Exemplify Sin
Chapter 2:12-16
2 Pe 2:12-16
12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,
14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;
15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
Key Words
· Revel 2
· Wages 2
· Wrong 2
· Creatures 2
· Destruction 1
· Destroy 1
· Deception 1
· Instinct 1
· Pleasure 1
· Trained 1
· Forsaking 1
· Astray 1
· Entice 1
· Greed 1
· Rebuke 1
· Revile 1
· Balaam 1
· Donkey 1
Titles
When Wickedness Reaches its Full Potential
False Teacher’s Exemplify Sin
Sowing and Reaping Exemplified
Outline
I. Their Brashness 12-13a
II. Their Wickedness 13b-14
III. Their Waywardness 15-16
Cross References, Questions, Observations
12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born ascreatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,
Jer 4:22
22 " For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know."
Jer 10:21
21 For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.
Pr 7:22
22 Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
Jude 9-10
9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, " The Lord rebuke you!"
10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
1 Ti 6:4-5
4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
a) Who does the “these” refer to? V1,10 – the false prophets, those who indulge the flesh
1) Though they were created in the image of God, they have lowered themselves to reacting with a base instinct rather than using their God-given rational intellect.
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,
Gal 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8 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.
Ro 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph 5:27
27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Isa 5:20
20 Woe to those who call evil good , and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Ro 2:8-9
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
1 Co 5:11
11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler — not even to eat with such a one.
1 Pe 4:4
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
Php 3:18-19
18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
Jude 12
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;
a)
1) They infiltrate secretly, but once established, they openly flaunt their sin.
14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;
Job 31:1
"I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 Ti 3:2-4
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
Pr 6:25
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.
Pr 6:32
32 The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.
Mt 5:28
28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
1 Jn 2:16
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Jer 13:23
23 " Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.
Mt 12:34-35
34 " You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35 " The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
2 Pe 2:18-19
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.
a) How does one’s heart get trained in greed? By practice.
1) They love the darkness rather than the light and can’t seem to get enough sin! They sin to the max!
2) Though they are untrained in knowledge, they are thoroughly trained in greed!
15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
1 Sa 12:23
23 "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
Pr 28:4
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.
Ac 13:10
10 and said, "You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
Ro 3:12
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
Nu 22:5-7
5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me.
6 " Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and repeated Balak's words to him.
Mt 6:24
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Rv 2:14-15
14'But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.
15'So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Ps 89:30-32
30 "If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they violate My statutes And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod And their iniquity with stripes.
a) What is the way of Balaam?
1) They are completely devoted to serving wealth while pretending to be serving God.
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
Nu 22:22-33
But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.
23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way.
24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall, so he struck her again.
26 The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left.
27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now."
30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, "No."
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.
32 The angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me.
33 "But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live."
Ac 26:11
11 "And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
1 Co 1:27
27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
1 Ti 6:9-10
9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
a) What was Balaam’s transgression?
b) Was Balaam’s madness the same as his transgression?
c) Why might God use a donkey to rebuke the prophet?
1) Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor, to use a donkey to rebuke a prophet!
Key Verse
14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;
Central Teaching
False teachers will suffer destruction for their enslavement to sin, and aggressive proselyting of others.
Application - Make Your Own!
Study on 2 Peter Chapter by Chapter
| 2 Peter 1:1-9 | 2 Peter 1:10-15 | 2 Peter 1:16-21 | 2 Peter 2:1-11 |
| 2 Peter 2:12-16 | 2 Peter 2:17-22 | 2 Peter 3:1-6 | 2 Peter 3:7-13 |
| 2 Peter 3:14-18 |