“And especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.”
They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.
“Dignitaries” in this context are angels, as seen in the next verse (2 Pe 2:11). The point is not that God is a bogeyman who demands people fall in trepidation before Him. The argument is against apostates who are so arrogant that they do not show respect for any “glorious beings,” that is, for anything supernatural.
These people do not fear dignitaries. They have no respect for others who have developed authority in their fields. The Greek word behind “speak evil” is the word from which we obtain our English word “blasphemy.” “Speak evil” carries the idea of slander. These apostates love to slander people with biblical authority and have seriously studied the Bible.
False prophets are not afraid to speak evil against the Ultimate Dignitary, God Himself. This has to do with the way they treat the Bible. They leave innuendos and inferences about the Bible’s lack of trustworthiness. They speculate that the Bible came from man, not God. These people are not afraid to blaspheme God.
PRINCIPLE:
Irreverence for the supernatural is at the heart of apostasy.
APPLICATION:
The Bible tells the truth as it is. The ugly picture in this verse concerns religious leaders whose lives revolve around themselves, around their inflated view of themselves. They are “false teachers” (2 Pe 2:1) representing Christendom but not true Christianity. These baptized infidels occupy many pulpits of Christendom. They throw out the authority of the Bible and substitute it with New Age philosophy or the prevailing philosophies of the day. Their motivation is for themselves.
To listen to blasphemy about Jesus Christ is like listening to someone calling your mother names. You do not stand for that. That is not open to debate. Blasphemy is not open to debate because it flies in the face of the Word of God. Do you rebel against God? Do you disregard His authority at His expense? Do self-interest and self-spun philosophy dominate your orientation to life?
Mere religion cannot help human nature. People will revert to type naturally. They do what comes naturally. Are you so bull-headed and stiff-necked that you cannot recognize any authority but your own?
