QT 1 Nov 16, 2 Pet 2:4-10a, Teachers beware

2 Peter 2:4–10a (ESV) — 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10a and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

NOTE: This is a long passage and two things stand out. First, (and I don't think this was Peter's intent in verses 4-9) that God will bring judgment on those who introduce sin, encourage others to sin, or lead people by example into sin. God hates sin, because sin destroys us from the inside out. It is a rot that decays and smells, ruining our witness, which is described elsewhere in the NT as a fragrant aroma. We can reverse the effects of sin by renewing our minds through the word of God, as Paul shares in his letters, but without the counter-balancing effect of the word, we will suffer a worsening effect on our witness. And God promises to judge those whose sin causes others to sin. A person cannot lose their salvation. But a person can die physically, closing the door to glorifying God on earth. The second thought is the phrase, "those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." The reference to authority can be viewed two ways, one, the person does not like others telling him what he can or cannot do. That is the reason for the original rebellion. Adam and Eve decided they wanted to live under their own rules. The second way of viewing this mention of authority, is that  Peter is referring to authorities (teachers) who give in to their passions and consequently despise the authority that was given to them. If we are teacher, God has entrusted to us authority and responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly. Giving into lustful passions will affect our life and our teaching and so shows a disregard for an important privilege that God has given us.