The Profile of a Charlatan: Text: 2 Peter 2:10b-16
Introduction: The Enemy Within
The Apostle Peter, having just described the coming judgment on false teachers, now pivots to give us a detailed, close-up profile of these men. He doesn't speak in vague generalities. He provides a spiritual police sketch, and it is not a flattering one. We must pay careful attention, because the threat he addresses is not primarily from outside the church, but from within. The greatest dangers to the flock are not the wolves that howl in the distance, but the ones who have learned to dress up in sheepskins and get themselves invited to the potluck.
Our modern evangelical sensibilities are often allergic to this kind of sharp-edged talk. We prefer a soft, therapeutic approach. We want to dialogue, to find common ground, to assume the best. But Peter, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will have none of it. He understands that certain errors, certain lifestyles, are not just minor disagreements among brothers. They are spiritual poison, and the loving thing to do is to label the bottle clearly. These false teachers are not just mistaken; they are corrupt. Their doctrine flows from their debauchery, and their debauchery is fueled by their doctrine. It is a closed, damnable loop.
Peter's description here is a multi-pronged assault on the character of these men. He exposes their arrogance, their ignorance, their animalistic nature, their greed, and their historical precedent in the prophet Balaam. This is not a gentle critique. It is a spiritual vivisection. And we need this, because these same personality types, these same spiritual diseases, are endemic in the church today. The names and hairstyles have changed, but the heart of rebellion remains the same. They are still peddling cheap grace, still promising liberty while being slaves to corruption, and still making merchandise of the flock.
The Text
Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme glorious ones, whereas angels who are greater in strength and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, blaspheming where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering unrighteousness as the wages of their unrighteousness, considering it a pleasure to revel in the daytime, they are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, they are accursed children. Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own lawlessness, for a mute donkey, speaking out with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
(2 Peter 2:10b-16 LSB)
Arrogant Blasphemy (vv. 10b-11)
Peter begins with their defining characteristic: an audacious, self-willed arrogance.
"Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme glorious ones, whereas angels who are greater in strength and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord." (2 Peter 2:10b-11 LSB)
These men are "daring" and "self-willed." They are audacious in their sin, not timid. Their will, not God's, is the center of their universe. This pride manifests in a particular way: they "blaspheme glorious ones" without trembling. The term "glorious ones" likely refers to angelic beings, both good and evil. These false teachers, in their puffed-up state, speak flippantly and dismissively of spiritual realities they know nothing about. They are like freshmen in a physics lab, mocking Einstein. Their arrogance is directly proportional to their ignorance.
Peter creates a stunning contrast to make his point. He says that even angels, who are vastly superior in strength and power, do not dare to bring a "reviling judgment" against these spiritual powers before the Lord. Think of the archangel Michael, who, when contending with the devil over the body of Moses, did not pronounce a railing accusation but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you" (Jude 1:9). Michael, an unfallen, holy, mighty angel, showed a restraint born of his submission to God's authority. These false teachers, however, rush in where angels fear to tread. They have no sense of the cosmic hierarchy, no fear of God, and no respect for the spiritual realm. They treat the unseen world like a video game, and they speak of demonic powers and holy angels with a casual, cocksure contempt. This is the mark of a man who has never been humbled by the true glory of God.
Animalistic Instincts (v. 12)
Because they reject the spiritual order, Peter says they descend to the level of animals.
"But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, blaspheming where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed..." (2 Peter 2:12 LSB)
This is a brutal comparison. Man was made in the image of God, a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor. But when a man rejects his place in God's order, he does not become a god; he becomes a beast. These false teachers operate not by reason, revelation, or wisdom, but by raw "instinct." Their lives are governed by their appetites, their lusts, their bellies. They are, as Peter says, "unreasoning animals." They are driven by the same impulses that drive a dog or a goat.
And their end will match their nature. They are "born...to be captured and killed." Just as a wild animal is trapped and destroyed, so their own animalistic behavior sets them on a course for utter destruction. They blaspheme what they do not understand, and in the end, they will be swept away in the same destruction as the very things they mock. They think they are sophisticated and enlightened, but God sees them for what they are: feral creatures, running headlong toward the trap.
The Wages of Sin (vv. 13-14)
Peter then details the specific nature of their animalistic behavior. It is a life of shameless indulgence and predatory lust.
"...suffering unrighteousness as the wages of their unrighteousness, considering it a pleasure to revel in the daytime, they are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, they are accursed children." (2 Peter 2:13-14 LSB)
They will receive unrighteousness as the "wages" for their unrighteousness. This is the grim law of sowing and reaping. The paycheck for a life of sin is more sin, culminating in final judgment. They are so given over to their lusts that they "revel in the daytime." Debauchery was typically something done under the cover of darkness, but these men are so shameless, so brazen, that they flaunt their sin in broad daylight. They have no conscience left to sear.
Peter calls them "stains and blemishes." They are spiritual filth, polluting the church's love feasts. While they eat with the saints, they are "reveling in their deceptions." They are masters of disguise, putting on a show of piety while their hearts are cesspools. Their true nature is revealed in their eyes: "eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin." Their gaze is predatory. They do not see women as sisters in Christ to be honored, but as objects to be consumed. Their sin is "unceasing", it is a constant, driving hunger.
Their targets are the "unstable souls." They are spiritual predators who look for the weak, the wounded, the doctrinally shallow, and the emotionally needy. They entice them, lure them in with promises of freedom and spiritual experience, but it is all a trap. And what is the engine driving all this? A "heart trained in greed." The word "trained" is the word from which we get "gymnasium." They have worked out their hearts in the discipline of covetousness. They are professionals in the art of wanting what is not theirs, whether it is money, power, or someone else's spouse. For this, Peter declares them "accursed children." They are under the curse of God.
The Way of Balaam (vv. 15-16)
Finally, Peter gives them a historical address. Their spiritual ancestor is Balaam.
"Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own lawlessness, for a mute donkey, speaking out with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet." (2 Peter 2:15-16 LSB)
They have forsaken the "right way," the path of righteousness, and have "gone astray." Their path is not a new one; it is the ancient "way of Balaam." What was Balaam's way? He was a true prophet, in that he had a genuine prophetic gift from God. But he was not a true man. His heart was corrupt. He "loved the wages of unrighteousness." He wanted to use his spiritual gift for personal profit.
When King Balak hired him to curse Israel, God prevented him. But Balaam was still determined to get his paycheck. So, as we learn elsewhere in Scripture (Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14), he taught Balak a diabolical strategy: if you cannot curse them supernaturally, corrupt them morally. He advised Balak to use the Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men into sexual immorality and idolatry. This is the doctrine of Balaam: using the lure of illicit pleasure to corrupt God's people for personal gain. This is exactly what these false teachers were doing. They were using a message of licentious "freedom" to entice people, and they were getting rich and powerful by doing it.
But Peter reminds us how Balaam's story ends. His madness was so profound that God had to rebuke him through a "mute donkey." God opened the donkey's mouth to speak with a man's voice to stop the prophet in his tracks. Think of the humiliation. When your spiritual condition is so degraded that the livestock are more perceptive and obedient than you are, you are in a very bad place. This is God's commentary on the wisdom of these false teachers. Their sophisticated, liberating theology is, in God's eyes, dumber than a donkey. It is pure madness, and it leads to destruction.
Conclusion: Check the Fruit
Peter's words are a bucket of ice water for a sleepy church. The warning is clear. False teaching is never just an intellectual error. It is always, ultimately, a moral and spiritual corruption. The theology of these men serves their appetites. Their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame.
How do we guard against this? We are not to be cynical, but we are commanded to be discerning. We must be like the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. But we must also be fruit inspectors. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:16). Do not be mesmerized by charisma, by eloquent speech, or by promises of a shortcut to spiritual bliss.
Look at the life. Is there humility or arrogance? Is there self-control or indulgence? Is there a reverence for God's Word or a flippant dismissal of it? Is there financial transparency or a heart trained in greed? Is there sexual purity or eyes full of adultery? The gospel produces holiness, humility, and love. The counterfeit gospel, the way of Balaam, always produces arrogance, licentiousness, and greed. The path may be disguised with clever words, but the destination is always destruction.