Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 1/21/2005

Question
2 peter 2:20-21 who are they talking about and do u think it means

Answer
If you look from verse 9, He is talking about folks that were never saved but did know the way and may have even made some changes in their life.  These are false prophets and tares. John said that they went out from us because they were not of us but not all go out completely.  They just start new "versions" of Christianity or run to another church where they can gain control. They may have grown up in church and know all the right words and even went into the ministry because they had "charming" personality and could speak eloquently.  Others may have just found a group they could control like Jim Jones or David Koresh. The fact that they do so well even amongst the saved is because often the saved are not mature and discerning enough to pick them out.

Judas knew the way of righteousness and even walked outwardly in the way and in that sense escaped the pollutions of the world by association and actions, but we know that he was the son of perdition and was never truly saved. There are many who try out Christianity and seem to be doing great but after awhile they can't deal with it anymore and go back to the world.   Sometimes they get saved later for having tasted the "good life" so to speak the old life is not satisfying and they finally bow the knee.  The ones here never do truly convert.  They use religion for their gain, but never gain true salvation. (ever learning but never coming to the full knowledge of the truth) In this age of apostasy, we will one day find that there were a great many of these more then we could have ever imagined.  There are TV preachers, professors and million book sellers in that group.  

A Christian out of the will of God will be "filled with his own ways."   He may go back to getting drunk and even worse but at some point he will come back.  He will not stay entangled.  Although there is a sin unto death and if necessary, God will take him out so even if a professing Christian dies in sin we don't know if he was one of the folks spoken of here or a wayward Child that God called home to stop the harm he/she was causing to himself and the Church.

That is why we must remember, "Let he who thinks he standeth, take heed lest he fall."  

Though many teach that this person was saved and lost again there are too many passages to teach the contrary so we must keep them in context when we read a passage thats eems to differ with them.

Many Jews in those days came close and may have hung out in the Church for awhile but left. Some left because of persecution but wanted to come back. Paul spoke to this in Hebrews. The Church did not want to let them come back at all or wanted them to get saved and baptized again.  Paul said that you can't do that.  If a person could fall way he could not get saved again because to do that would mean to crucify Christ again and put Him to open shame. (Heb 6)  Why?  Because that would mean that Christ's sacrifice was not sufficent enough to take care of that person and we know that He suffered once for sins.  That is why the Mass is an abomination.  They sacrifice Christ again and again as a means of obtaining and keeping salvation.  Once a child always a child but if a child you will receive chastisement and maybe an early call home.

I hope this has been of some help to you.  May God richly bless you as you study His Word!