What is Gnosticism and how is it corruptible to sound Christian doctrine? Gnosticism Means Secret Knowledge or Special knowledge. Paul, Peter and John battled the polluting influence of these worldly philosophies in the first century. Understanding this issue will help us more fully perceive what the NT writers were doing in their letters. New gospels were being preached. These gospels that plagued the church were from Gnostic cults. The seven churches mentioned in Revelation were also plagued with these secrets and special knowledge doctrines. Zondervan NIV lists elements that comprise the Gnostic doctrines. They are not exclusive, as Gnosticism has several overlapping branches. Some of them are:
1. Salvation via Secret Knowledge
2. Asceticism
3. Depreciation of Christ (lowering him in name and in glory)
They claimed that Jesus either did not really suffer for he was not human, or he was not divine just a great man. Both ideas are demonic. If Jesus were not both divine and human his sacrifice is diminished. If he was only human he could not have paid the price for all mankind's sins. If Jesus were only divine then he did not really suffer. Both scenarios diminish the sacrifice of Jesus. Gnostic's were mystics who taught that the physical realm (our bodies) are intrinsically evil and that the spirit in us can be freed from its bondage to the physical through attainment of secret knowledge (or gnosis). Some of them denied that Jesus became flesh. They denied redemption saying that sin is not a moral failure, since we do it in the flesh which does not affect our spirits. It is simply a lack of secret spiritual knowledge that is needed. It would allow one to sin all he wanted, and could just assign the act only to his body but not his spirit.
1 John 4:2-3 NKJV 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
If Jesus was not really human and could not bleed and fear then his sacrifice was not difficult, It was not real suffering and He and the Father did not really pay a high price for us sinners. It diminishes God's love for us.
2 John 1:6-7 NKJV 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
I am not saying that all worldly false teachers know that they are under evil influences.
2 Peter 3:17-18 NKJV 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
The Apostle Peter warns us to remain safe and steadfast in what we now believe. We need to grow without being led away by clever false teachers. False prophets will lead some astray appealing to their vanity and desire to be free of restraints from God’s perfect laws.
2 Peter 2:18-19 NKJV 18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
Some pagans preferred the opposite of asceticism which is hedonism. These latter epistles clearly show the growing encroachment of false concepts upon Christian beliefs. Some Gnostic's claimed that our flesh is totally sinful and beyond hope so why try and obey the law. This is a clever form of teaching lawlessness. What is the truth?
1 John 1:7-9 NKJV 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Believers need to admit that we all have weaknesses and sin sometimes and need the cleansing blood of Jesus. But believers can repent and make progress in obeying and following God.
1 John 2:1 NKJV 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Note that John is writing to them so they will not sin not to give them an excuse to sin all the more.
1 John 2:14 NKJV 14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one
John is happy that they have overcome the sinful world. He says you know the truth stay in it.
1 John 3:9-10 NKJV 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
Believers were not practicing sin as a regular lifestyle and they loved their brothers unlike the false teachers.
1 John 3:13-15 NKJV 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Also the Gnostic were sort of like radical rebels in our day trying to undermine America are full of anger and hate. Their hatred was a marker, a spiritual marker, that evil was motivating them. Anger and hatred are spiritual markers that they are under Satanic influences and we should avoid their teachings.
We need to be very careful to remain with our base doctrines first delivered to us.
Any new doctrines that do not fit with our base should be considered dangerous. Paul believed in all that the Old Testament prophets gave us. Note Acts 24:14. Any doctrine that allows grace to become a license to sin is dangerous. These dangers grew in strength and power toward the end of the Apostolic age when possibly, only John was alive.
APOSTASIES GAINED MOMENTUM AT THE ENDING OF THE APOSTOLIC ERA.
False teachers often with worldly philosophies were a real threat to the church and the epistles in this time period.
1 John 5:16-17 NKJV 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
John is encouraging the brethren to pray for other who slip back into the grip of some sin but tells them not to pray for those enemies of the truth. We can assume that the brethren would know who are the ones pushing false gospels. John is telling them not to aid or pray for these deceivers. These are people who probably left the christian fellowship for antichrist groups. John even has to give advice to brothers who have been thrown out of the church. The church has been co-opted by one of these false teachers with a lot of political ambition. Some of us remember the WWCG having been taken over by those who led them back into the deceived world.
3 John 1:9-10 NKJV 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. 10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.
It is obvious that apostatized congregations eventually became the groups that made up the church that Constantine made the official religion of the Roman Empire. The church that became the universal (Catholic) Roman Church was from such groups. The real church of God was driven underground and was mostly unknown in history.
Jude 1:3 NKJV 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
All believers need to realize that at end of the Apostolic era brethren were warned to strive to keep the gospel they had first been taught. Therefore we should be very suspicious of anyone coming to us with new doctrines especially that do not fit within what we already believe. This our end time period may also include great deception as well. Please know our bibles and be prepared to strive diligently to keep the truth.
