2 Peter - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

as “stains” on the church and “blemishes” on society. (R.B. Thieme, Jr.) The false teachers
are always looking for someone with whom to commit adultery ... Their desire for sin is
insatiable ... preying on the vulnerable among them ... Whereas the victims of the false
teachers are unsteady, the false teachers themselves are thoroughly trained and dedicated in
greed and know how to exploit that unsteadiness. (D. Watson) Peter portrays these teachers
as adulterers who because of their lustful looking at women never stop sinning. In the eyes of
these men, a woman is not a person but a tool designed to fulfill their sexual craving. (S.
Kistemaker) Unstable speaks of a person who is not anchored securely, or who is not solidly
on a foundation, here, doctrinally and experientially. (K. Wuest)
The figurative phrase “eyes full of adultery” does not represent the overt practice of adultery,
but the principle of adultery – a seductive manner that enhances the appeal of the false
teacher. While the apostate preacher is undeniably attractive, his unrestrained sin nature
spawns lasciviousness. He is undisciplined and self-seeking, a manifestation that he is
antiestablishment, antigospel, antigrace, and antidoctrine. (R.B. Thieme, Jr.) These teachers
try to ensnare men and women, especially those Christians who are unstable in their faith,
into sexual sins. They look for church members who have neglected to put on the armor of
God (Eph. 6:13) and who have not heeded Peter’s admonition to be “firmly established in
the truth” (1:12). They are persons who, because of instability, distort the Scriptures (3:16)
and thus become an easy prey for the devil and his henchmen. (S. Kistemaker) They had
practiced it so long that their very heart was trained in the habitual pursuit of gain by all
unrighteous means. (B. Caffin)
Every woman they see, because of these teachers’ unbridled lust for sex, is a candidate for
sexual sin so far as they are concerned, and their minds rarely depart from such lust ...
Ultimately they have it in their minds to become leaders in the church and to be supported by
the people they dominate. (W. Baker) Peter makes another shrewd psychological
observation. Lascivious thoughts, if dwelt upon and acted upon, become dominant. It
becomes impossible for them to look at any woman without reflecting on her likely sexual
performance, and on the possibilities of persuading her to gratify their lusts ... These men
had schooled themselves in the desire for forbidden things. (M. Green) By the metaphor of
baiting he reminds the faithful to beware of their hidden and deceitful arts; for he compares
their impostures to hooks which may catch the unwary to their destruction … And he
intimates at the same time, that they have no excuse who suffer themselves to be baited or
allured by such flatteries. (J. Calvin)
The author may be relying on a well-known maxim that a shameless man does not have
korai, (pupils) or “maidens” – a pun – in his eyes, but “harlots.” (D. Watson) The false
teachers desired to turn church gatherings into times of dissipation. They are, Peter says,
“never at rest from sin.” (F. Gaebelein) In these last days there will be an abundance of false
teachers pleading for support. They are gifted and experienced when it comes to deceiving
people and getting their money. It is important that God’s people be established in the truth,
that they know how to detect when the Scriptures are being twisted and the people exploited.
I thank God for the agencies that help to expose “religious rackets,” but there is still the need
for spiritual discernment and a growing knowledge of the Word of God. (W. Wiersbe) It
portrays the false teachers as fishing for the unstable. (D. Watson)