Consequences of False Teachings

After Peter has urged his brothers to pay attention to prophecy, he says:  "However, there also came to be false prophets [in ancient Israel], as there will also be false teachers among you." (2 Peter 1:14-2:1) God''s people in ancient times received true prophecy, but they also had to contend with the corrupt teachings of false prophets.  (Jeremiah 6:1, 14; 28:1-3, 15)  "In the prophets of Jerusalem,"  wrote Jeremiah,  "I have seen horrible things, committing adultery and walking in falsehood." -Jeremiah 23:14.  

Describing what false teachers would do in the Christian congregation, Peter says: "These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner [Jesus Christ] that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves." (2 Peter 2:1; Jude 4)  The final result of such first-century sectarianism is Christendom as we know it today.   Peter shows  why false teachers richly deserve destruction:  "Many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively." -2 Peter 2:2. 

Think of this! Because of the influence of false teachers, many in the congregations would become involved in loose conduct.  The Greek word translated "loose conduct"  denotes licentiousness, absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness, shameless conduct. Peter said earlier that Christians had "escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:4) But some were going to return to that corruption, and false teachers in the congregations would be largely responsible!  Thus the way of the truth would suffer disrepute.  How sad! Surely, this is a matter to which all of Jehovah's Witnesses today should pay close attention.  We should never forget that, depending on our conduct, we can bring either praise to Jehovah God and his people or reproach upon them.  -Proverbs 27:11; Romans 2:24. 

Next time: Introducing False Teachings

From the Watchtower magazine, 1997