Gnosticsm

John Stapleton Podcast

Title: Gnosticism vs. The Incarnation: Understanding the Truth of Christ

Introduction:

Gnosticism is a collection of ancient religious ideas and systems that originated in the early centuries of the Common Era. It encompasses a variety of beliefs, but certain common elements can be identified:

1. Dualism: Gnosticism typically posits a dualistic view of the universe, where the material world is seen as evil or flawed, created by a lesser, often malevolent deity (referred to as the Demiurge). In contrast, the true, higher God is considered pure and created the spiritual realm.
2. Gnosis: "Gnosticism" derives from the Greek word "gnosis," meaning knowledge. Gnostics believed that salvation comes through esoteric knowledge of the divine, which frees the soul from the material world and its creator.
3. Cosmology: Gnostic cosmology often includes complex mythologies involving multiple divine beings or emanations from the true God. These beings play various roles in the creation and governance of the universe.
4. Salvation: In Gnosticism, salvation is attained through acquiring secret knowledge that reveals the divine origin and destiny of the human soul. This knowledge allows the soul to transcend the material world and return to its divine source.
5. Mythological Elements: Gnostic texts often contain elaborate mythologies, including stories of creation, the fall of spiritual beings, and the soul’s journey.

I. Problems with Gnosticism

• Definition: Gnosticism was a diverse religious movement that emerged in the early centuries of Christianity. It consisted of a belief in a secret knowledge that was necessary to be saved.
• Key Issues:
  • Quotation: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31, NIV)
  • Quotation: "Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8, NIV)
  • Dualism: The belief that the material world is inherently evil and the spiritual realm is good.
  • Flawed Christology: Gnostic texts reject Jesus's true humanity, proposing that he merely seemed human (docetism).

II. The Incarnation in Christian Doctrine

• Definition: The Incarnation is the Christian belief that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
• Key Beliefs:
  • Jesus is entirely God and fully man.
  • The material world is good, created by God.
  • Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ, not secret knowledge.
• Key Scriptures:
  • "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NIV)
  • "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." (Colossians 2:9, NIV)

III. The Implications of the Incarnation

• Affirmation of Creation's Goodness: The Incarnation shows God values the material world.
  • Quotation: "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." (1 Timothy 4:4, NIV)
• God’s Nearness and Empathy: Through the Incarnation, God fully understands human experience.
  • Quotation: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)
• Salvation Through Jesus: Emphasize salvation through faith in the incarnate Christ.
  • Quotation: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12, NIV)

IV. Refuting Gnostic Beliefs with Scripture

• Material World is Good:
  • "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31a, NIV)
• Jesus’ Physical Resurrection:
  • "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:39, NIV)
• Accessible Salvation:
  • "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)
• God as Creator:
  • "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1, NIV)
  • "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:1-3, NIV)
• Holiness and Ethical Living:
  • "Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV)
  • "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)
• Authority of Scripture:
  • "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV)

V. The Inclusivity of Christianity

• Christian Community: Contrasting the elitism of Gnosticism with the inclusivity of the Christian faith.
  • Quotation: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, NIV)

Conclusion:

• Recap of Key Points
  • Gnosticism's emphasis on secret knowledge and the evil of the material world.
  • The Christian doctrine of the Incarnation affirms Jesus as God and man.
  • The implications of the Incarnation for understanding God’s goodness, nearness, and the path to salvation.
• Call to Action: Encourage the audience to embrace the truth of the Incarnation and live out their faith with confidence in God’s plan.