Granpa, your interpretation of II Peter 2 is completly wrong, the text itself shows you this. Please take a look:
Notice what it says these false teachers have done
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world <----If the "escaped teh pollutions of the world, then it implies they were once God's people.
There is no such thing as an unsaved person that has escaped the pollutions of the world, otherwise he would not be unsaved.
So his being unsaved shows he still is polluted with the world (except those who have never heard, in which clearly these false teachers do not fit).
So if they escaped, then they were saved.
It does not say they "Almost escaped", or "could have escaped" but that they did escape them.
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, <----If they are "again entangled" in the world, then this implies they were once Untangled through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Again there is no such thing as an UNSAVED person who has been untangled from the world through the knowledge of Christ. That is impossible.
and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. <------ They are said to "over come", You cannot "turn from" where you have never been.
They "knew the way of righteousness", accepted it, and turned from it, and this disgusts God, because they forsake him.
The word "turned" in this passage gives the idea of reverting back. Implies they were converted.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire
So the false prophets were once:
1. Escaped from the pollutions of the world - Escaped meaning to be free from the bondage
2. Untangles from the world, over came through the knowledge of Christ, and knew the way of righteousness before they could TURN from it.
3. and "turned" reverted back to a life of sin, implying conversion at one point.
Again is it possible for one to (escape or) be FREED FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE WORLD (SIN), and still be unsaved?
Notice the Greek word that is used when it says to TURN from the holy command:
G1994
ἐπιστρέφω -----"TURN"
epistrephō
ep-ee-stref'-o
From G1909 and G4762; to revert (literally, figuratively or morally): - come (go) again, convert, (re-) turn (about, again).
They turned, which according to the Greek, means they "returned", "reverted" back.
In order to "revert" back to something, you had to first CONVERT to something else. In which they did, Christianity, yet Satan found a weakness in them, and used it.
This is the same thing and the same word used in describing the Galatians apostasy:'
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn(Same word in II Pet 2)ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. <--going back to the law of Moses
Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. <---In vain because if they did not repent, they would fall from grace and Christ would become of no effect to them
Gal 5:4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace
I am trying to show you, that sin is sin, and it will cause us to fall from grace (reject our salvation) if we do not repent.
Those false teachers described by Peter, are still here in many "churches" everywhere preaching for the same reasons false doctrine.
If these men were never saved, and never really converted, then the word used does not make sense, saying they "reverted back", because the inspired writer would have known that they were never really converted in the fist place, so why did the HS use a word that implies they were converted?
Anyone reading these passages without any preconceived Ideas would not come to the conclusion they were never saved, based on the words, "escaped the world, turned from the command, known the way of righteousness, through knowledge of Christ" etc.
the only reason one would say they were never saved is to attempt to remain consistent with a certain teaching.
yet we should not change what is easily understood to fit our doctrines, instead, we should change our doctrines to fit what the Bible says, and what is easily understood.
