2 Peter 2:7-11

God's Sure Deliverance

Again, Peter sought to show that God will save any righteous who may be found among the wicked. Lot was worn out with worry over the sin he saw all around him. What Lot saw and heard caused him to be in mental anguish every day. He loved right living and was disturbed by evil deeds.

There can be no doubt that God knows how to deliver those living godly lives, a conclusion which logically comes from the examples in verses 4-8. The word translated "temptations" here could also be translated "trials." Notice, Peter does not promise God will keep trials out of Christians' lives but does say He will deliver them. The day of judgment will be for all, and the unrighteous will hear their sentence pronounced on that day as well (2 Peter 2:7-9; Matthew 25:41; Matthew 25:46).

All of the unrighteous will face punishment, but the ones named in 2 Peter 2:10 are especially reserved for judgment. Their sin must have been terrible, since Peter refused to name it specifically. He calls it uncontrolled desire that pollutes the flesh. Also, they had no respect at all for authority, evidently even Christ's (2:1). That lack of respect lead them to take liberties with God and man. They were determined to have their own way and that seemingly led them to speak evil against any authority that got in the way of their pursuit of what they wanted.

In contrast, angels, who were much greater and more powerful than the false teachers, would not even bring accusation against the false teachers, who were their inferiors. The false teachers seemed to have no problems with conscience when they were obviously speaking evil about those who were superior to them (2 Peter 2:11).