‘But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there will be false teachers, who will surreptitiously bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.'
Just as false prophets had always arisen in Israel, to oppose the true prophets described in 2 Peter 1:19-21, so now they also must expect false teachers who will seek to lead them astray. They will make a pretence of being Christian, but will really deny the very heart of Christian teaching, and will introduce destructive heresies. The expectancy of the rise of such false teachers was emphasised by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-5; Matthew 24:11-12; Matthew 24:23-25 and parallels. See also Acts 20:29-30. Significantly in the light of chapter 3 they are also signs that Christ will come. The very fact of false teachers points to the coming of Christ.
The word for ‘heresies' basically means ‘things that men choose to believe in' in contrast with the truth. It has in mind things that people want to hear and believe.
These destructive heresies would in this case appear to include a denial that ‘the Christ' really became flesh and died for us. They deny ‘the Master Who bought them.' (Compare Jude 1:4). For the concept of being bought by Christ compare 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Corinthians 6:20. For similar heresy see also 1 John 4:1-6.
This denial arises because they have not recognised the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. To them He is not an historical figure. Rather He is one of their illsusions. They have not recognised Him as He is. He is just one of a number of intermediaries. And there is nothing historical about Him. The world goes on as it always has. God has not broken in.
Many modern heretical teachers follow the same line for the opposite reason. They overstress Christ's real humanity and deny the necessity for redemption. To them Christ is little more than a man. To them it is not God's beloved Son Who has come. They too have not seen His power and coming.
Alternately he may be saying that they claimed to be redeemed and accept Jesus as Lord, but denied it by walking in a way that was exactly the opposite of His teaching. In other words they had not believed in Jesus as He really is. For it is not enough just to ‘believe' (James 2:19). The life also must be turned in the right direction. In other words it must be a genuine belief.
‘The Lord (despotes) that bought them.' If they have been ‘bought', does this then mean that these people were Christians? The answer is probably ‘no'. The thought is rather that Christ's redemption is offered to the whole world for it to accept or otherwise, but is only effective for those who do accept it. Compare ‘He gave His life a ransom for all' (1 Timothy 2:6). ‘He is the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe' (1 Timothy 4:10). In other words He is potentially there for all, but effective only for those who respond to Him from the heart. Those whom He redeems and saves will necessarily become ‘reformed' people. But these men have rejected His redemption. They pretend to present a ‘lord and saviour' but they have totally diminished Him.
The word for ‘Master' occurs in the New Testament in 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Tit 2:9; 1 Peter 2:18, where it is rendered ‘masters'; Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; Revelation 6:10, where it is rendered ‘Lord', and is applied to God; and in Jude 1:4, where it is almost certainly to be regarded as applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no good reason therefore for denying that that is true here also. The idea is that He has bought us as a master buys his slaves, and that He therefore has full rights over us, so that to reject His ways is therefore a grievous sin. But these treachers have denied that the Master has come.
So by their behaviour what these people are doing is bringing on themselves swift destruction. And this, along with the delivery of the truly righteous, will be the emphasis of this chapter.