2 Peter 2:14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
Peter’s strong invective against the false teachers and prophets continues. It is obvious that he takes this situation very seriously. Why? Because he knows as he writes this letter that eternity is at stake. His readers, the early Christian communities who would receive this letter, could be led astray by the false teaching. People who do not study the Bible much can be easily duped in their thinking. They can be led astray because they do not know the truth. They cannot tell the difference between a lie and the truth. This is a serious matter that still plagues people today. The more extreme cases are those teachers/preachers who have wandered from orthodoxy and have brought their congregations with them. Any false message can gather an audience, especially if that audience follows a person and not the Lord Jesus. There are many personality cults where people follow a person. Such a teacher/preacher may sound good and may even have some of the truth, but there is enough falsehood about that person that an outsider can see it. But sometimes those inside cannot see. Even well meaning pastors and teachers (small group, Sunday School, etc.) can slip into bad teaching without doing careful study. Always be careful about someone who stands in front of people as a leader and speaker who has not put time, effort, and much prayer into what he or she says. If such a person is in leadership position, that person should be confronted, rebuked, and warned, at first in a gentle way, but if necessary, with the strong words of Peter in this chapters.
In this verse, Peter notes how these type of people have eyes full of adultery. Adultery is an image in the Bible for unfaithfulness to one’s first love. In this case, these teachers have left their love of Christ and replaced with love for themselves and their own agendas. They want power and honor and will do what they need to do to get these. They are greedy and are in it for the glory. They have taken the position of God and have become their own god. At first, we may think that no one we know is like this. Yet, this is the core human temptation: to be like God (see Genesis 3). Few people at first set out to do this. But over time, this sin creeps in until it has captured our hearts. We must guard our hearts and minds from this temptation, especially those who lead. Those who listen to the teaching must be discerning.
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