Group Discussion Starters – 2 Peter 2 – False Teachers
Divide the reading of 2 Peter 2 among three or four people. There is a lot going on in this chapter, it may be helpful as it is read to mentally divide the chapter this way:

Verses 1-3 describe the false teacher’s motives. (sensuality, greed)
Verses 4-9 Peter explains God’s ability properly judge and also save.
Verses 10-12 describe the pride of the false teachers.
Verses 12-19 describe the behaviour of the false teachers.
Verses 20-21 describe the final end of false teachers.

In verse 9 Peter gives a summary of an important characteristic of God. What does God know how to do?

In verses 4-8 Peter goes through a series of examples from the Old Testament to prove his point about God. Let’s look at his examples and see if the lesson is clear.

His first example is verse 4 is of “angels who sinned”. Who are these angels? (consider Genesis 6:1-2, and Revelation 12:7-8) Where are they? Until when?

In verse 4 he gives another example. Who was judged? Who was spared?

In verse 6-7 he gives yet another example. Who was judged and who was spared?

Peter is comparing false teachers to all of these people under judgement. He has chosen some of the most extreme examples of God’s punishment. There is no avoiding the importance of knowing and doing the will of God. Anyone who teaches or does otherwise is in great danger.

What habits do you have in place to make sure you are reading and applying the word of God in your life? How are you choosing your “teachers” in your life, and what to believe?  Does anyone in the group have an example of false teaching they heard that they can share with the group, and how they knew it was false.