Characteristics of false teachers described by Peter:
- deny the Lord
- pernicious ways
- they speak evil about the way of truth
- covetousness
- speak with feigned words
- judgmental
- filthy conversation
- unjust
- walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
- despise government
- presumptuous
- self willed
- they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities
- natural brute beasts
- speak evil of the things that they understand not
- corrupt
- unrighteous
- they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time
- spots they are and blemishes
- deceptive
- adulterous
- cannot cease from sin
- beguiling unstable souls
- cursed children
- have forsaken the right way
- are gone astray
- following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
- they are wells without water
- the mist of darkness is reserved for ever from them
- they speak great swelling words of vanity
- they allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness
- the are servants of corruption bondage
Knowing all of these characteristics of false teachers can make it easier to spot them in my own life. If I find people who are displaying the above characteristics, I will know to stay away from them and not listen to the things that they say. As long as I am listening to the Spirit is shouldn't be hard to spot them because the Spirit cannot dwell with them.
The dangers of returning to the pollutions of the world:
It is bad to go back to the pollutions of the world after we have received knowledge of righteousness because we then have a fuller knowledge and can be judged accordingly. We have also been told that if we go back to the ways of the world, it will be harder for us to overcome the terrible temptations of the pollutions because we are leaving the knowledge of Christ and our past sins return to us. The scripture "for of him whom much if given, much is required" sums it up pretty well because it puts us at a higher level of accountability and responsibility when we know what we are doing is wrong.