2 Peter 2:20 - We Must Keep Focused On Jesus Or Sin Will Certainly Ensnare Us.

2Pe.2:20: We Must Keep Focused On Jesus Or Sin Will Certainly
Ensnare Us.

2 Pet 2:20 (NIV)  If they have escaped the corruption of the
world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again
entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were
at the beginning.

Some point to this passage as clear proof that a genuinely saved
person may lose his salvation. He knows the Lord; he escapes the
world's corruption; he knows the way of righteousness. Then he turns
away from the message and goes back to his old way of life. His
knowledge is said to have been genuine; his change of life was real; and
his return to his old way of life was not superficial. Others insist
that the knowledge of the Lord and of the way of righteousness could
not have been genuine. If the person had been truly regenerated, he
would have persevered in his faith. It is argued that the teaching of
Jn 10:27-30 (especially v. 28) and Ro 8:28-39 makes it clear that
no genuinely saved person can be lost. Thus, according to this
view, the persons described here could not have been genuinely saved.
[NIV SB]

A similar situation is found in Mat.12:43-45 were the garnished
house represents the self-righteous soul. Satan is driven out by
Christ. But he returned, in the hope of finding entrance. He finds the
house empty, swept, and garnished. Only self-righteousness is abiding
there.     Self-righteousness is a curse, a human embellishment, which
Satan uses for his glory. Those who garnish the soul with self-praise
and flattery prepare the way for the seven other spirits more wicked
than the first. In their very reception of the truth these souls
deceive themselves. They are building upon a foundation of
self-righteousness. 5BC1093

It is not enough to be emptied of evil; we must then be filled
with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's new purpose in
our lives. [Life Application SB]

Like a person sinking in quicksand who refuses to grab the rope
thrown to him or her, the one who turns away from Christ casts aside
his or her only means of escape.  [Life Application SB]

How dreadful is the state here described! Yet though such a case
is deplorable, it is not utterly hopeless; the leper may be made
clean, and even the dead may be raised. Is thy backsliding a grief to
thee? Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved. [Matthew
Henry Commentary]

The Way of the Cross (2 Peter 2:1-3, 17-22)
One early Roman commentator on Christianity, Galen (born around
A.D. 130) had no use for Christian doctrine. In one of his medical
treatises he took time out to discuss, and reject, Moses' treatment of the
Creation. But Galen was impressed that Christians, "in self-discipline and
self-control in matters of food and drink, and in their keen pursuit of
justice, have attained a pitch not inferior to that of genuine
philosophers."
This may have been the most impressive thing about the early
Christians to the pagans of their day. Certainly the educated pagan was put
off by the Christian emphasis on faith. The Christian doctrine of
Creation and especially of Resurrection seemed utter nonsense to those
brought up on the idea that matter was eternal, and that God was subject
to and not above natural law. And the pagans fiercely resented the
Christian's refusal to participate in public religious observance. Such
exclusiveness seemed tantamount to hatred of mankind itself, for the welfare
of the state depended on expressing piety toward the gods.
But then, there was that virtuous life. How could such ordinary,
mostly uneducated people attain the self-discipline and virtue thought
to be reachable only by the philosopher who dedicated his life to
study and self-mastery?
False teaching has no such power to help its adherents attain
godliness. In fact, one of the characteristics of false teaching is that it
appeals to man's lower nature. It promises freedom rather than demanding
self-control. It offers pleasures rather than calling for commitment. And many
a true Christian has, through the de-emphasis of godliness, been
led astray by teachers whose emphasis is utterly, tragically false.
So watch out if a teacher promises you "freedom"--and means that
you will be able to do whatever you want. And watch out if a teacher
promises riches and ease! Jesus has never led His followers to
Disneyland. The Jesus road winds off, over the hills, and there, ahead, you
can glimpse Calvary. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]