Better Not to Have Known 2 Peter 2:21

As the apostle Peter continued to describe the false prophets that would arise among the church, he said they would be promoters of liberty but servants of corruption. He stated they would be like those who have escaped the pollutions of the world but entangled again therein. In chapter two and verse twenty-one Peter gave a conclusion concerning these waffling people. He wrote:

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

The verse begins, “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,” As we read these words we might be aghast at such a thought as something being “better for them” by not knowing the way of righteousness. However, because Peter is making a point by comparison, Peter infers that there could be a position that would be less harmful to a person than knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ and then turning away from it.

The verse goes on to say, “...than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” The sort of behavior of which Peter shares is known as “apostasy”. It means to abandon, relinquish and turn one's back upon something once believed. These of whom Peter speaks tend to live their lives as though they have found some error in the truth and therefore turn away from it. Peter's conclusion about these disaffected ones is that it would have been better for them to have never known the way of righteousness in the first place.

We have seen how emphatically Peter shared his words with the church, and he has made sure that both they and we know the danger of following after those who turn away from the faith. The doom and pending judgment of those who are apostate should make us all take heed to the things we hear and follow, and may the Lord Jesus keep us by His “divine power” and “exceeding great and precious promises” that we will never find ourselves within their wayward ways.

Next time we will finish chapter two and see two examples of what this behavior is like, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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