II Peter 2 and Universal Atonement

II PETER 2



1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 Peter 2:1 (NASB)


This passage was used by a friend as proof against the reformed understanding of soteriology, so I want to examine the reasons for further exegesis of this passage than that of what might be called “a plain reading interpretation”.

For example; the plain reading might be understood by saying the following: “The false teachers denied Jesus who had redeemed them with His blood”; equaling, Universal Atonement. Or, “They lost their salvation even though Jesus died for them on the cross”; equaling, Unsecured salvation.


These types of interpretations present us with the need to exegete the passage further. This need arises because of the obvious contradictions that the above understanding would indeed cause with other areas of Scripture. The result of a universal atonement meaning of this verse devastates’ other areas of basic Christian theology. I will try to explain.


Even the most hard core libertarian free will advocate believes that the benefits of Christ’s atonement do not take effect until the person “accepts Christ”. In other words, the tenants of the atonement, i.e. propitiation (to turn aside wrath), ransomed or redeemed (payment of penalty), Expiation ( covering of sin) and reconciliation (satisfaction for sin or satisfied after being wronged enabling parties to unite) are not applied to the sinners account until that sinner exercises faith, repentance, and belief in Jesus (the Calvinist simply believes this happened at the cross and the very blood of Jesus guarantees the sinners conversion in the fore mentioned manner), any way, as concerning this text as being used to advocate a general atonement you have the participants actions as clues to the meaning. That is, you have false teachers who were never in the family of God, never “accepting Jesus”, in fact, the text says they did just the opposite, they denied Him. If the word bought here means, “bought redemptively with His blood” these benefits of this ‘buying’ were not applied to their account because they DENIED Him instead of “accepting Him”. They secretly came into the church for the whole purpose of expounding false doctrine. It isn’t that they were saved, and then they were not saved. They never were, they were false and never were true believers, only in the church for the sole purpose of destroying it. Surely they were tares among the wheat. If they never were part of Christ’s true church, they never would receive the previously discussed benefits of the atonement. This is very important to understand. Also, they were destroyed by judgment as stated in the passage. If a general atonement is meant in this passage, than all the passages that teach eternal security would have to be reinterpreted (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:39; 10:28-29; Rom. 8: 38-39; Eph. 1:13-14). Then you have some being ’owned receptively’ yet are later destroyed. Even further in this passage the text proves this. In verse 9, Peter says God knows how to rescue His own from temptation. He knows how to rescue His own, yet the false teachers are destroyed because they were not then, nor never were “His own”. In the end, this passage MUST mean something totally different then “bought = all benefits of Atonement” in order to flow with the continuity of Scripture as a whole, even if the person exegeting does in fact believe in a general atonement, this verse does not support his theology, and in fact, contradicts. For these very reasons, further study of the verse is needed to discover the possible meanings other than that of a universal atonement. Please understand, I am not saying that the Bible does not teach a universal atonement (when you know I believe it indeed doesn’t) I am simply trying to show that this verse cannot be used in support of a general atonement and if it is, it causes far more troublesome reverberations to the holder of eternal security that it does to the particular redemptionist.


I believe further enquiry of two keys words within the text should bring about a couple of interpretative possibilities.

First, the Greek word for bought, agorazo, in its usage in the NT means to buy or purchase an object. It portrays actual possession and ownership of the object paid for. The owner of said object has complete authority over as he exerts his ownership. A few instances, agorazo is used to reference individuals rather than objects (I Cor7:23). At first glance, these two seem to be synonymous with the meaning of the verse we are exploring. But, as I hope we shall see, they are similar yet vastly different. The important thing to remember is that this word conveys complete ownership, which again would bring into question the redeeming of these individuals with blood, bringing about all the factors of the atonement to the individual, and than ultimately destroying them for their sin. This same word, used in a salvific sense is changed to its variant of exagorazo, which means the “ransoming out of something” (Gal. 3:13; 4:5). Yet, its New Testament usage for conveying acquirement of an object is agorazo, which is what is used in this passage under scrutiny. So how can these false teachers have been owned by the
Sovereign, yet destroyed for their heresies? I hope to show this below. 1

The second word that requires our attention, despotes is the word translated master in the NASB and lord in most others. It is used else where in the N.T. depicting a master over his servants or slaves. If, in this text it means “Jesus Christ” it would be unique in that regard as it is not used else where to signify Jesus. Although, master or lord in its ultimate sense is the one with supreme authority and this is in fact Jesus, so that is a violable possibility indeed and we will return to that possibility below.


But false prophets also arose among the people,

Peter here is describing the rise of false prophets in times past of the Jewish nation. Moses gave qualifications of a prophet and warned the people that some would speak in the name of the Lord without being from the Lord.

Deut 13:1-3 (NASB)
1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deut 18:20-22 (NASB)
20 'But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' 22 "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies

To Peter and his readers, false preachers and teachers were nothing new. So it was in the days of old, so it is in Peter’s day. The world is constantly seeking to sneak in and destroy the family of God. (see also Jude 4, Act 20:29-30) The key part of this passage is in the ‘secret ness’ of the false teachers. There was no regenerate heart of a Christian, accidentally teaching incorrectly but rather they were engaged in deceit and wickedness, acting covertly and where never part of the family of God. They were deceptive and sought to supplant the truth with false doctrines.


even denying the Master who bought them


Possibility #1a

As we look at the controversial section of this passage lets not forget Peter’s use of Jewish history, particularly the Pentateuch of Moses and how he has in fact already referenced it in verse 1a. Also note worthy is that Peter is the Apostle to the Jews as stated by Paul in Gal 2:7-8.
With this in mind, as well as the opening verse of Peter’s first letter, we can determine that at least some if not all his readers were Jews.

The second letter is linked to the first by way of 2 Peter 3:1

2 Peter 3:1 (NASB)
1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

To a Jewish mind, and Peter’s continual reference to the Torah, it is very possible that Peter’s intention once again is likening the false teachers of his day to those of Moses’. As the children of Israel were redeemed from Egypt they were said to be ‘bought’ by God the Father. Peter may simply be saying that these false teachers were teaching heresies denying God who bought them as a people. Meaning the Jewish nation as a whole as being purchased by God as His own.

Ex 15:16 (NASB)
16 "Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.

But, we know that from this people who were purchased as God’s own in the Old Testament, only a small portion of them, called a remnant, were actually saved redemptively. So you have a people purchased out of Egypt who not all are saved. So you have these Jews, who Peter refers to them as being ‘bought’, yet they are not in the ransomed group of regenerate believers, rather they are ravenous wolfs seeking to destroy. We know this is possible because Paul tells us that not all Israel is of Israel and His purpose of election does not save everyone.

Romans 9:6 (NASB)
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

So basically I am saying that despotes hear means Yahweh of the Old Testament and being bought is another way of addressing a Jew and identifying him as someone who has not embraced the Messiah but rather have set out to destroy those who have. The possibilities of this could have support lent to it from the various other texts that speak of the Judizers who pervert the Gospel.


Possibility #1b

Gnostics as well might be the root cause of these heresies. They rejected the God of the Old Testament as creator of the universe had a tendency to antinomianism perverting the grace of God by seeking out desires of the flesh and relishing in them (the rest of the chapter lays out this proposal). This to me is a better possibility then that of the focus being Judaizers, yet these Gnostics could have been Jews or Gentiles. But the point being that they were visible members of the New Covenant community (church) yet they were never apart of God’s invisible church or the true covenant members who had received the New Birth and resurrection of life into the New and better Covenant. They were the tares among the wheat.


Possibility #2

This possibility has to do with Jesus as the focus of the word despotes (master/lord). As mentioned above, this would be the only place where despotes is used in the New Testament to signify Jesus Christ.
Let’s assume it is in fact Jesus Christ. As Christ set out to accomplish His work on the cross, the work that was delegated from before the very foundation of the world, the rule and governing of all things was in sight. A significant aspect of His resurrection and ascension is that He is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling with all power and authority. Allot of commentators today give Christ authority over only His church, but I believe, and will try to show He in fact has authority of all of creation.

First, let’s look at the great Commission in Matthew 28

Matt 28:17-20 (NASB)
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Jesus states “All authority over heaven and earth”. Some attribute Jesus as Heavenly King yet Satan is the god of this world. Christ stated this after His resurrection and just before His heavenly enthronement to the right hand of the Father. This great event, spoken of by the Profit Daniel as well gives us insight to the kingship of Christ over creation.

Dan 7:13-14 (NASB)
13 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one

This is the very event spoke of Jesus on the Mount of Olives as recorded in Matthew 24,(Luke 21, Mark 13)

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (KJV)

The Son of Man is in Heaven enthroned with all power and authority. Anticipating the cross, and subsequent Ascension to the Father as heir of all things, Jesus says in John 17:1-2, a passage that indeed fits the motif of His authority as a result of His finished work of redemption.


1Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.


Notice something very important here, Jesus has been given all authority by the Father, here and in the previously looked at passages, yet separated from all things (including all men every where) are those whom He has been giving to redeem. This is very important. God the Father, as a result of the finished work of God the Son incarnate, gave Jesus all power and authority over all things, yet He as well gave Him a remnant to redeem and bestow His Sovereign Grace upon from which He will loose none. This shows the act of Atonement brought about ownership of all things and all people, yet only atoning for the sins of those given Him to redeem by the Father. This aspect of the ministry of Christ is often doctrinally passed over. Among the great doctrines associated with the passion of Christ, this one should be the over arching theme by way of the enthronement and kingship earned by His obedience at God's probation tree.


Conclusion

Taking this passage to show universal atonement, yet holding on to a secure salvation is problematic indeed. The typical Baptist once saved always saved-universal atonement type theology is rendered faulty by anything greater than a cursory look at the above passage. Although some may take issue with my proposals, they are far more viable then a simplistic reading of the passage. To be fair, the 5 point Armenian will have the lest problem with this verse, yet as we understand, this verse must be looked at within the complete confines of the Scripture.


Foot Notes
1) The Greek word agorazo in this section is adapted from a word study done by Clinton Briar.

The Gospel according to Abraham

As we have been looking at and comparing the covenant structure of the Ancient Near East to the Biblical text we have found similarities that show the important context and mindset of the fathers of faith that lived so long ago. But none of which speak louder or proclaim the Gospel message as does the following text from Gen 15 and a look ahead to a greater revealing of the binding subject from Gen 22.

My intent is to shed light on what is a obscure and very neglected event in redemptive history found in the life of Abram as God made covenant with him, by His own choosing, to glorify Himself in the promises thereof.


Abram Promised a Son Gen 15:1-18 NASB

1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

2Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14“But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15“As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:


Covenant Structure:

We again find aspects of our presupposed structure of ancient treaties between a vassal and a suzerain. I will list them as they are found in the text.

Vs 1A PREAMBLE:
The Lord by His Word introduces Himself to Abram with power and dread (do not fear)

Vs 1b BLESSINGS:
He tells Abram of the blessings of faithfulness as He calms Abrams fears from His presence

Vs 2-6 STIPULATIONS:
The actual agreement, or action promised is given to the vassal.

Vs 7-8 HISTORICAL PROLOUGE:
Yahweh proclaims the historical past to the vassal Abram as proof of the Suzerains’ Faithfulness to the vassal in their past relationship. By doing so, proof was laid of the Great Kings Faithfulness to come.

Vs 11-12 COVENANT RATIFACATION:
This previously uncovered aspect of the Covenant structure deals with the ratification of the contract. The blood of the blood oath if you will. In times past, after the contract with all its parts were finished, in order to seal the agreement, a sacrifice was made in the fashion we see here. The ANE’ern culture used mostly puppies and dogs with the colt of a donkey being used in covenants of higher status or importance. Here, Abram was given instructions to use the animals acceptable to Yahweh in the years to follow after the Law was given to Moses, thus mirroring the Levitical system of atonement. The act of splitting the animals is where we get the word covenant, literally meaning ‘to cut’ (berith) a covenant. In the pagan cultures as well as the Hebrews, the animals were lined up in the form of a passage, with the participants enter circling the pieces of the slain animals swearing there own disembowelment if they break covenant with the opposite party as they went through the rite of passage. Abram entered into this dreadful scene by way of a deep sleep where great darkness once again fell upon him as Yahweh entered into a solemn oath of death, if He were to break covenant with His vassal. This ‘way’ of death brought great terror upon Abram as he witnessed this Theophic death march by the Great King, who had called Abram out of the land of Ur.

Vs 13-16 STIPULATIONS cont.:
Abram is reminded of the covenant being ratified. Remember, this chapter began as Abram was questioning Yahweh’s promise of descendants made earlier.

2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Gen 12:1-3 NASB


In chapter 15:13 Yahweh says, “know for certain your descendants will…….”, ‘descendants’ means a ‘son’. So Yahweh here is restating verse 4b; ….but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” So ‘descendants’ mean a ‘son’, and a ‘son’ means ‘descendants’ or ‘nation’. But we will see, the promise moves from the singular to the plural back to the singular and ending in the plural, all within this covenant.

Vs 17: Witness’
Yahweh enters in the death march as a smoking fire pot or oven and a torch. Within the structure of the treaty, it was sometimes practiced to call the oven and torch as witness’s where a sacrifice would not be made as witness to the blood oath aspect of the covenants participants. Here, Yahweh evokes both the sacrifice and the witness’s in one eerie ceremony. Also, as pointed out about the Levitical animals being used here by Yahweh with Abram, the smok from the oven symbolizes the cloud-pillar as well the torch shows the fiery pillar that stood watch as Yahweh’s legs as a witness before the people of Israel. As pointed out by many commentators of the reformed tradition, Abram is a by stander as Yahweh alone binds Himself to the blood oath. The ramifications of this act are monumental indeed. Here God swears as His own witness, binding the curses upon Himself, as if He could die. The powerful ANE’ern custom is provoked by Yahweh to show His sovereignty in bringing about the promise. In the times of antiquity, after a battle, as the defeated troops returned home the path was leaden with the bodies of the slain war machines. Both men and beast were arranged to allow the troops to pass through the death trail as a right of passage to come home in defeat. At the end of the death passage, a curtain with a ritual sprinkling was performed as they passed through the veil, cleansing them from the battle. All these images are present here in this powerful display of the promise to come. Later, after the promised son was granted, Yahweh gives further insight in Gen 22 that indeed sheds light on His own death march here in Chapter 15. The symbolism is rich as Isaac, Abrahams only son climbed the hill with the wood upon his back to the mount of ratification. Abraham remember this event in chapter 15 as he sought to obey the command of the very Suzerain-Lord who had bound Himself to His own death if He failed to bring about the promise. Here in chapter 22, Yahweh stops the killing of the promised son and it is proclaimed that the Lord will provide. He will follow through with His oath and He leaves us a blood smeared image of the promise fulfilled in Isaac, and the residual promise to all the peoples of the Earth through Christ, who bore the wood upon His back to the place where the Lord will provide.

Conclusions:

We see here that not only was Yahweh binding Himself upon His own death if He breaks the covenant, but in fact we see that in order to keep the very promise He made, He must die.

As Yahweh passed between the pieces, it was a vivid symbol of the death march by Christ as He endured the curse and walked the way of death in our steed. The promise ratified becomes the reality of the curse upon His own shoulders to bring in the blessing of all the families of the Earth through Abrahams seed.


Covenant made, covenant keep, all by our Suzerain-Lord, as He made the promise as the Great King, and in time became the Vassal to fulfill His own blood oath that all men will be drawn into the ever lasting covenant of grace, bound as aires to the Vassals faithfulness, and sealed with His presence, forever.