2 Peter 2:1

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

In chapter 2 of Peter’s second epistle, the Apostle addresses the problem of false teachers in the church. He characterizes and analyzes the motives and methods that false teachers typically employ when engaging in their heretical practices and false teachings. He ends this section of this letter with a sober assurance of their destruction in judgment, made worse by their having heard and rejected the true gospel and then introducing heretical teachings to lead the vulnerable astray.

This first verse presents us with a difficult phrase that I would like to focus on; the clause “even denying the Master who bought them”. The word bought is the same Greek word (agorazo) used to describe the redeeming work of Christ for example, in Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,. The word ransomed in Revelation 5:9 is the same Greek word translated here as bought.

So how is it that these false prophets have been bought by our Lord? Is it that they are as much blood bought as true believers? Or is it that they were once Christians who lost their salvation?
Frankly, the second interpretation may be rejected outright because scripture conclusively establishes the permanence of salvation in true believers in many passages including Psalm 138:8, Ecclesiastes 3:14, Isaiah 46:4, Jeremiah 32:40, Romans 11:29, Philippians 1:6, 2 Timothy 4:18, John 6: 39-40, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:28-31, Romans 8:35-39, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 10:14.

I believe that the first interpretation as well, given the light of the whole council of scripture, can safely be denied. Again, the bible speaks explicitly in many passages of the particular nature of Christ’s redemptive cross work, that is to say, that the redemption price paid secures the salvation of those redeemed: Matthew 1:21, Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:28, John 10:11, John 11:50-53, Acts 20:28, Romans 8:32-34, Ephesians 5:25-27, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:28, Revelation 5:9.

So what does it mean that our Sovereign Lord bought these heretics? Well, I think there are a couple of possibilities given the context, and both are based on this observation: the false teachers are operating within the church. They are professing to be Christians, redeemed Christians. And so the first possibility may be that this verse is referring to the profession of these false teachers; while claiming to be bought or redeemed, are actually denying the Lord they claim has redeemed them.

The second possibility, and the one I am inclined towards, is that these heretics have entered into the covenant community of the church and have enjoyed many benefits of belonging to that community, while never actually being saved. I get this from the Old Testament passage which Peter eludes to in this verse:
Deuteronomy 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? (emphasis added)

I quoted from the King James Version because it translates the Hebrew word qanah as “bought”, which is one meaning of the word, but now compare with the English Standard Version text of the same verse, which gives another definition of the same Hebrew word which carries a better sense of how it is being used in this context:
Deuteronomy 32:6 Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you? (emphasis added)

The word “created” is another meaning of the same Hebrew word and I believe also carries the meaning of the word translated “bought” in 2 Peter 2:1; the idea of having been established, created, redeemed from the world and established within the covenant community of the church. In the same way that Israel was redeemed out of Egypt and established as the covenant people God, though there were many unbelievers within Israel. It is then therefore their relationship with the church that is the sense in which unbelievers are considered bought, having enjoyed the benefits of belonging to the covenant community of God in the same way that unbelieving Israelites were ransomed out of slavery to Egypt and given the promised land as their inheritance along with believing Israelites.

Be careful when reading difficult passages such as 2 Peter 2:1 that you do not abandon the teachings of clear passages of scripture in favor of an obsure verse which on the face of it seems to contradict the clear passages. It seems so obvious, but quite literally denominations have been built upon such poor interpretive methods. Scripture never contradicts itself, so when a difficult passage seems to contradict the majority of passages, you must dig deeper than the surface to discover the meaning.