“And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:3 ESV).
The word “exploit” refers to the act of taking advantage of others in a selfish or unethical manner. The Biblical definition of this word relates to those who use a person or a thing for personal gain. (1) As a result, this passage associates false teachers with those who victimize others instead of fulfilling their responsibility to minister to those who have been entrusted to their care.
This portion of Scripture thus alerts us to the manipulative nature of these individuals. That warning was echoed by others within the ancient church who wrestled with such teachers as well. For example, Ignatius, the bishop of the ancient city of Antioch, is said to have delivered a message to the church of Smyrna that remains relevant to this day…
“Now note well those who hold heretical opinions about the grace of Jesus Christ which came to us; note how contrary they are to the mind of God. They have no concern for love, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the oppressed, none for the prisoner or the one released, none for the hungry or thirsty… Therefore, those who deny the good gift of God perish in their contentiousness…
It is proper therefore, to avoid such people and not to speak about them either privately or publicly. Do pay attention, however to the prophets and especially to the gospel, in which the Passion has been made clear to us and the resurrection has been accomplished. Flee from divisions, as the beginning of evils.” (2)
In light of these things, our text from 2 Peter 2:3 tells us that such teachers fail to acknowledge the inherent dignity of human beings who are created in the image of God. As a result, they feel free to conduct themselves in an exploitative manner. But the following excerpt from the book of the Old Testament prophet Micah reveals God’s attitude towards those who travel that path…
“What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so. When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance. But this is what the Lord says: ‘I will reward your evil with evil; you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose. You will no longer walk around proudly, for it will be a terrible time’” (Micah 2:1-3 NLT).
Therefore, we can be assured that those who abuse their influence or authority to exploit others under the guise of religion will answer to God for their actions.
(1) G1710 – emporeuomai – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1710/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) Holmes, M. W. (2007). The Apostolic Fathers. Baker Academic. pp. 255, 257