Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Peter 2:1 (King James Version)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Let’s go back to the King James Version for today’s version and contemplation.

Peter is telling the readers that there will be false teachers who will enter and quietly bring “damnable heresies.” I love that phrase, “damnable heresies.”

We don’t say “damnable” much these days. It means subject to or worthy of divine condemnation.

We don’t say “heresies” much these days, either. It means something that goes against all the other teaching.

A heresy can merely be a different point of view. But when that different point of view is subject to or worthy of divine condemnation, that is not just plain wrong. Get rid of it. Out the door, right now, with extreme prejudice.

So who are these false teachers with their damnable heresies? The folks who want to sing five songs instead of three? Nope. The folks who want a 15-minute sermon instead of a 30-minute sermon? Nope. How about those folks who…? Nope. Nope. And nope.

Silly examples? Maybe. But as we edge towards not-so-silly examples, people start to move towards damning the idea as heresy.

There are damnable heresies in the world today. Plenty of them. Let’s read the Bible—the entire Bible a few dozen times start to finish. We may then start to appreciate all the accepted teaching. Heresies may be easier to spot.

Then we punish those false teachers, right? That’s not what Peter wrote. Swift destruction will come upon those false teachers. Of course “swift” may not be swift enough for me. It will be, however, swift enough for God.