The RICHES OF
GRACE
Òhath appeared to all men.Ó Titus 2:11
Robert
W. Reed
October
2017
Gnosticism
ÒBeloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.Ó Jude 3
+ Enlightened
Ones +
Gnosticism is probably
the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first
three centuries and is still a threat to Christianity today. Gnosticism is a
twisted form of Christianity. It refers to a wide variety of beliefs and
practices that are contrary to Biblical Authority. Defining Gnosticism is not
easy for it has many forms. It is not one specific religion, but is manifested
even today in most religious circles that oppose orthodox Christianity. It is
an umbrella term because it is not a single movement. Its teachings are in
liberal churches, cults, the occults, new age, yoga, eastern religions,
Hollywood, freemasonry, educational system, music industry, and even politics.
"Until the middle
of the twentieth century, most information concerning Gnosticism came from the
church fathers who opposed it. However, in 1945 a collection of Gnostic scrolls
were discovered in Nag Hammada in upper
Egypt which shed more light on their teaching. This discovery confirmed the
accuracy of the church fathers in addressing the subject." (Quote)
In this brief article,
we will consider the meaning of Gnosticism, the gospel of Gnosticism and the doctrine
of Gnosticism. For more information on the subject listen to the sermon I
preached on Gnosticism.
The Meaning of Gnosticism
The apostles condemned Gnostic teachings even though
they did not use the term in Scriptures. Early church writers in the first and
second century rejected the teachings and writings of the Gnostics. They wrote
extensively on the subject.
Gnosticism is a mixture of apostate Judaism, Greek
philosophy, pagan mythology, and Christianity. It changes the gospel into
philosophy. Gnosticism refers to a system of teaching that emphasizes inner
knowledge (the awakening of the soul). The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek
word Gnosis which means knowledge, which is a
distinguishing mark of their beliefs. A Gnostic is one who thinks they know secret
things that no one else knows. They claim to be the knower of truth. Gnostics
believe they are the elite, enlightened ones, the philosophers who have the
spiritual understanding that the masses do not have. Gnosticism is to know what the average
Christian does not. Gnosticism is a very prideful way to approach religious
matters.
Gnosticism teaches that salvation is this special
knowledge or enlightenment, looking to inner self. The Lord Jesus is Savior to
them in the sense of being one who provides for spiritual wholeness, by curing
us of the sickness of ignorance to the Gnostic. In general, they reject the
sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the sins of humanity. They also believe
Gnosticism was the earliest form of Christianity, but we know this is
misleading. Gnosticism is a corruption of orthodox Christianity. (1 John
4:1-2, 2 John 7-11)
The
Gospels of Gnosticism
The Gnostics have their own gospels. These Gnostic
gospels were written in the second and third century, not the first century
when the New Testament was penned by the apostles. Some of these Gnostic
gospels are the gospel of Thomas, Philip, Mary, Judas, and Barnabas. There are
supposed to be eighty of them, and each one is filled with lies and corruption.
The DaVinci Code written by Dan Brown in 2003 says
some eighty Gnostic writings has been published in
English by Bart Ehrman in "The Lost
Scriptures." In this novel, the DaVinci Code,
Brown says the Bible was put together by Constantine,
and the gospels with human traits of Christ were omitted, and those gospels
that made Him (Christ-like) were embellished to promote the Divinity of Christ.
He says, these text...are the earliest Christian records and unaltered gospels
(page 245)." The problem with this is that the New Testament was written
in the first century and the Gnostic gospels were written in the second and
third century and were never a part of the Bible. The Gnostics not only wrote
their own gospels but also corrupted the gospels written by the apostles. In
the New Testament, there was much warning to the church concerning these
heresies (Galatians 1:6-12, Colossians 2:18, Jude 3-4, Acts 20:38-31, 1
Timothy 6:18-20, Titus 1:10-16, Revelation 22:18-19).
The
Doctrine of Gnosticism
There are a variety of beliefs with many variations
among Gnosticism, but most share three core beliefs. The first is a
denial of the authority of Scriptures. They not only made drastic changes to
Scriptures but considered their own writing as
inspired and superior to the Bible. As soon as the New Testament was written a
corruption began (2 Corinthians 2:17, 4;2; 2 Peter
2:1-3; 2 Peter 3:16). In the
Gnostic gospel of the Book of Judas, the one who betrayed is the hero rather
than the traitor. Many modern English versions of the Bible today are from a
corrupt line of manuscripts which have changed the
Scriptures. For example, the words ÒLord Jesus ChristÓ are changed or removed
438 times in the living Bible, 194 times in the New International Bible, 241
times in the Good News for Modern Man, 199 times in the New American Standard
Bible, and 209 times in the Revised Standard Version. This is unacceptable and
a good reason to stay with the King James Bible which
comes from an uncorrupted line of manuscripts.
The second belief is a distorted view of God. They say that the God of the Old
Testament who created all things is a lesser god than the god they follow which
is the Supreme God. They mock the God of the Old Testament as a minor deity who
made a mess of creation. In other words, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
the Creator of the world is not the Supreme being who
is good.
The
third belief is a distorted view of Jesus Christ. The Gnostic Jesus is
not God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), and came not in a
physical body, but was only a phantom spirit or ghost. Most Gnostics also say
that he did not give himself as a sacrifice for sin on the cross. In other
words, he is not the son of God, creator of all things
and redeemer of humanity through His sacrifice for sin. For example, in the
Gnostic gospel, the apocalypse of Peter "The man whose hands and feet they
nailed to the cross was not Christ because Christ did not have a body."
Their Jesus came to awaken out of ignorance, not to redeem mankind from their
sin (John 18:36, Luke 17:21).
Conclusion
Today, Gnosticism is alive and well. It is a distorted
view of Biblical Christianity. Those who follow its teachings will end up in
Hell. Please, put your faith in the God of the Bible, believing that Jesus
Christ is the Savior of the world, who gave His life so we could be saved and
have eternal life. There must be repentance toward God and faith toward the
Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).
ÒAnd without controversy great
is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.Ó 1 Timothy 3:16
October 2017
Victory Baptist
Church
Pastor Robert W. Reed
14473 Bellingrath Road
P.O. Box 257
Coden, Alabama 36523
(251) 873-4422