The Apostle Peter warned Christians to be on the alert for false teachers.

Today on Truth For Life we'll learn about the strategy, the impact, and the destiny of those who distort God's truth and lead believers astray.

Alistair Begg is teaching from 2nd Peter, chapter 2.

The flow from chapter 1 to chapter 2 is almost broken by the chapter distinctions here. And you really need to recognize that he has been speaking very much about those who have spoken from God at the end of chapter 1.

These people who did not have their prophetic words in the origin of their minds, but rather they spoke from God.

And then he says, of course, there were also another group of people and they were not speaking from God. And there will be false teachers among you, and so you need to be alert.

Now the word which will perhaps stand out to you and should is the word among. There were also false prophets among the people, and there will be false teachers notice among you.

It is one thing to fight a battle with those who are beyond the walls. It is quite another to be engaged in dealing with a fifth column that has crept into the city under cover of darkness.

And these words ought to make us think of the words of Paul when he leaves the Ephesians with whom he had spent some years, and as he bids farewell to them in that lovely scene on the beach that is recorded for us by Luke in chapter 20.

He says to them, savage wolves will come in among you, and even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them, so be on your guard.

Now it should be fairly obvious, but it bears saying that such individuals do not arrive wearing a sign on their hats, which reads heretics.

And their stories will probably not be mentioned when they are interviewed for membership of the local church.

Indeed, the thing that will perhaps appeal most to those who are conducting the interviews is the fact that these individuals are very obviously men with leadership qualities.

They clearly are articulate. They understand a great deal about the Bible. It's apparent just in interviewing them. And as they walk away from the interview, we may be tempted to say, now there is somebody who has a future in this church in terms of the potential for leadership.

In Galatians, Paul speaks of false brothers who infiltrated our ranks to make us slaves.

So what you have here in this opening little section of the chapter is not something that is unique to Peter.

Paul mentions it on these occasions. You also find that the Apostle John speaks of those who went out from us because they were not obvious.

But for a while, as they participated in the events that were going on, it was apparent at least to those who like discernment that these individuals were just one of the group.

Now, when we think on verses like this, there are two great dangers to avoid. The dangers that we suggest to one another need to be avoided when we think about the devil.

Danger number one, we become completely preoccupied with the devil and we think he's everywhere around every corner and we see him all the time.

Or the opposite danger, and that is to ignore him completely and to live as if he did not exist at all.

In the same way, when you think in terms of false prophets, destructive teachers creeping in, we have to be aware of naively assuming that all is well or conversely, constantly feriting around looking for falsity.

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