Common Ways Gnosticism Masquerades as Christianity

One aspect of Gnosticism is the belief that the God who created the material world is not the Father of Jesus Christ. First John begins by rebuking the disconnection of Jesus Christ from the God which created all things in the Book of Genesis. Many, many professing Christians don’t think they need to heed the Old Testament. First John’s introduction simultaneously rebukes the Gnostic concepts that the material world is evil and that Jesus did not have a physical body. We therefore have at least three Gnostic heresies refuted in a single Bible verse.

1 John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…”

Though it is not uncommon to hear Gnosticism exposed to this extent, there are other aspects of Gnosticism which masquerade as Christianity that are not as commonly discerned and exposed.

1 John will go on to rebuke the Gnostic belief that the human body is hopelessly corrupt. This is a consequence of the belief that the physical world is evil. In mainstream churches of many varieties, anyone who comes against the assertion that the human body is hopelessly corrupt and bound to sinning will be called a deceiver and regarded as a heretic. When people believe that it is normal and expected to be defeated by sin until you die, even when one has authentic faith in Jesus Christ, they are infected by Gnosticism masquerading as Christianity. 1 John emphasizes over and over that we must walk in the light of God’s Word (His Word from the very beginning of the Bible) in order to be cleansed and forgiven of our sins by the blood of Christ. It also makes it clear that this must be an actual victorious walk in one’s physical, mortal body.

1 John 2:1-7: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.”

New Age ideology correlates strongly with Gnosticism. It promotes the concept that people ought to become aware of the alleged divinity within themselves. To the more blatant Gnostic, as with the New Ager, Jesus’ supremacy is not in that He is the eternal and unique Son of God but rather in that He came to this alleged self-awareness better than any other person has. However, the common teaching that Christians have the personal righteousness of Christ imputed to them is a clever, less blatant spin of this aspect of Gnosticism. Rather than claiming that all people have a spark of divinity already inside them, the imputed righteousness of Christ concept tells people that they are esteemed as divine in God’s eyes through the imputation of Jesus’ personal righteousness. They teach that this estimation stems from a one-time transaction rather than through an awareness of what was already so like the New Agers teach. Yet either way, people are emboldened to sin. Whether you believe that you are inherently divine or you believe that you are regarded as divine in God’s eyes because you have the personal righteousness of Jesus imputed to you, practicing sin couldn’t change that you are flawless in your spirit and beyond the wrath of God. This is immensely deceitful.

Closely related, those who think that death will solve their bondage to sin are deluded and won’t be ready to meet Christ when He comes again. John reminded the Christians he wrote to of how faith in Christ actually works; and he shows what is necessary to do in order to have a hope in Christ which is solid rather than vain.

1 John 3:1-8: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth (or, practices) sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Gnosticism also claims that there is spiritual enlightenment through knowledge which one should obtain outside of the Biblical testimony. Though a modern group which is a blatant example of featuring this aspect of Gnosticism is the Freemasons, any group is guilty of this which claims that it has spiritual knowledge which no one else could possibly obtain through studying and obeying the Bible. Likewise with any group that claims to have attained to knowledge which they cannot use the Bible itself to prove to others as being from the Lord. This describes any and all groups which put the writings and/or councils of their leaders above or on par with what is written in the Bible. Groups which officially or unofficially believe their top leader or leaders to be infallible or even beyond the possibility of ever requiring significant correction are also corrupted by Gnosticism.

Another common way the preceding aspect of Gnosticism is expressed is through the idea that subjective impressions are just as valid or better than direction from the written words of God in the Bible. People are essentially practicing Gnosticism when they neglect what is written in the Bible for their own subjective impressions. People often say “The Lord showed me” or “The Holy Spirit led me” while expecting others to believe this for no good reason. It is obvious that the Apostle John knew of many who even denied Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and/or denied His divinity who were troubling the churches which he oversaw through their subjective impressions. They labelled these impressions as “secret divine knowledge.” John rebukes this Gnosticism in the following words as He speaks directly to Christians who love Jesus Christ and keep His Word.

1 John 2:20-29: “But ye have an unction (or, an anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ (or, Messiah)? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

John is not saying that you do not need faithful Christians to teach you things which align with the Bible and which stand up to scrutiny from the Bible. He is rebuking the concept that a Christian would need to go outside of the Biblical revelation to understand and know the true God. The epistle of First John concludes with the following as John continues to rebuke Gnosticism in speaking directly to Christians already following the real Jesus by walking in the light of His Word.

1 John 5:19-21: “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

Asceticism is also a potential product of Gnosticism due to how Gnosticism teaches that the physical world is evil. Though many Gnostics have gone in the other direction of indulging the body in sinful pleasures and excess, some have rather gone into the realm of Asceticism. While the Bible certainly teaches the need to restrain the body in accordance with God’s law and the need to train it diligently to be one’s subject rather than master, Asceticism is unnecessarily strict austerity and unnecessary deprivation. When the Bible speaks of carnality in relation to sin, it is speaking of being committed to inclinations to transgress God’s law. It is not teaching that being concerned with things like health, nutrition, and exercise are bad nor does it mean that there is no such thing as lawful pleasure in relation to the physical body. The law of God defines what is right and what is wicked. Fasting can be a good thing, yet It is carnal to try to fast for 5 days to one up those who have fasted 4 days as much as it is carnal to exercise and care for the body with the goal of excelling others in terms of looks. There are ways to stray from the real Jesus which have an appearance of wisdom, humility, and that involve severe treatment of the body which are imposed by man and have no actual value against the indulgence of the flesh.

1 Timothy 4:1-3: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”