This week's epistle text is from 2 Peter a letter that offers both admonitions and advice to a Christian community facing new challenges and situations. Two distinct issues are at the heart of this epistle.

First, a considerable time has passed. The first generation of Jesus followers is passing away, with no arrival of the promised parousia. Second, the appearance of false teachers (pseudodidaskaloi) within the Christian community threatens the unity of community by the teaching of destructive heresies (2:1). These false teachers advocate a lifestyle that 2 Peter denounces as immoral (2:2) and are accused of lining their own pockets through their preaching (2:3). What is more, these false teachers are also attacking the traditional end times expectations of the second-generation Christia…