Discuss MikeC's answer to: Best Religion

I understand your Gnostic believes. I don't believe in them but I do understand your beliefs. AND I'm just showing that your Gnostic beliefs are not the word of God that is written in the bible.

thank you for your very kind and polite response.  i don't claim to be Gnostic and if my thoughts come across that way it is most likely because i have read a lot of books on Gnosticism.  However, I have never come across the things above that you say is Gnosticism.  Frankly, I do not like or agree with much of this, or perhaps I should say it doesn't sound like what I believe or think. 

To my knowledge, the reason the Gnostic Gospels were not included in the canon of 300ad, was because the Roman Catholic Church did not want it included.  (Then that begs the question: why?)  and of course, I have read the reasons for that and they are all negative regarding that all powerful and political Church.

Gnosticism is based upon a radically different view of Creation than is found in Scripture. According to this heresy, Adam was originally created as a “light body,” a “spark” of the “divine essence,” a pure spirit. In his original, perfect state, he was called Adam-Kadmon, the Heavenly Adam. Adam-Kadmon was not male, but male-female, or androgynous. In the course of time, this “first Adam” became attracted to materiality and incarnated into matter. As Adam-Kadmon descended into matter, this “divine androgyne” was divided into two sexes which took on material bodies, becoming Adam and Eve. As a result of Adam-Kadmon’s “fall” into the material realm, humanity is now trapped in matter.

 

After the first Adam’s descent into matter, Lucifer, who was co-creator of the world with God, offered the fallen Adam and Eve a means of release from their bondage in matter. They needed only to eat of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” which God had forbidden them to do. The forbidden fruit was “spiritual enlightenment” with the power to become “gods,” having the ability to transcend matter and to be reabsorbed into the “divine principle” from which they originated.  However, the other creator-God, rudely intervened in Lucifer’s plan in order to keep man trapped in matter and subject to Himself. To prevent Adam from taking of the tree of life, that he might achieve immortality, “The Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Gen. 3:24) 

 

In Gnostic thought, this God is an “evil Demiurge” and “Satan,” whereas Lucifer is the true God who is in a continuing battle with the evil Demiurge for possession of planet Earth. And so, Lucifer’s offer still stands for those who will receive “spiritual enlightenment”— the delusion that they can become “gods” and escape the control of the “evil Demiurge.”

 

Lucifer has many prophets who preach this false gospel, under various disguises. To protect future generations from Lucifer’s delusion, God has placed in the hands of His people the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Eph.6:17) Like the “flaming sword” at the east of the garden, “the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing under of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4:12). In other words, sanctification, not deification, is the portion of the Christian.

 

Lucifer’s emissaries on earth use the Word of God deceitfully to peddle his false gospel. Their books and sermons are replete with Bible verses, and a fair amount of truth is thrown in for good measure. But among the kernels of truth, false teachers stealthily sow heresies which take root in the hearer’s mind, become established and eventually overtake the truth. A little leaven eventually leavens the whole lump. If isolated and examined, the heresies will be seen to form a coherent system of Gnostic doctrine.

 

Love, the Law of the Angels quotes liberally from the Word of God, and even contains some truth, however, strategically placed throughout its pages are damnable heresies, doctrines of devils that will yield a crop of evil fruit in due time. This report will examine some of these heresies.

http://watch.pair.com/eth-s.html#gnostic

thank you for your very kind and polite response.  i don't claim to be Gnostic and if my thoughts come across that way it is most likely because i have read a lot of books on Gnosticism. or perhaps I should say it doesn't sound like what I believe or think. 

So... why does this matter?  Simply because in the Gnostic view, there was no representation of Jesus on behalf of humanity.   According to the Gnostic gospels, the Lord and Savior did not suffer and die on the cross --- "another Jesus" did this.  In the view of Gnostics the incarnate Word did not die on the cross and pay the ultimate price for the sins of humanity.  And in their view, salvation does not lie in faith in the Son of God who paid the ultimate price for our sins - it lies, rather, in our ability to grasp "secret knowledge" and become "enlightened."

Gnostic teaching regarding the person of Jesus, His work on the Cross, and Salvation is in direct opposition to what is taught in the four Gospels and in the New Testament -- which is why the early church fathers so vehemently opposed and fought this evil.  The New Testament and the early church believed in ONE Jesus who was with the Father from eternity.  Who became flesh, really lived among us, really died, and really rose again.  Salvation in the Gospels is by faith and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, not by achieving some level of "secret knowledge" -- As John's Gospel tells us "As many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become the children of God, to those that believe on His name." (John 1:12). 

NJOY your view is the same as the Gnostic view. It' exactly  what you believe and think. 


The Gnostic Gospels
http://www.evidencetobelieve.net/gnostic_gospels.htm

Well...AC...Ianswered  these posts of yours already, but will say again, just so you don't think I am choosing not to respond:  From what you are posting, it doesn't sound like what I believe.  The thing is:  I didn't come to my beliefs overnight and when my moment came, I was thrilled because I knew I had found what I knew intuitively to be the Truth of the matter....then I began to read old texts and old myths and ancient scripture and was drawn to learning so much more than i had ever been allowed to learn because I was taught not to trust myself, and that I read too much...the day I broke those chains was so liberating for me and I have not stopped conversing and reading and learning and don't intend to do so.  As I told you a few minutes ago, I do not lable myself.  I am who I am and I know my Lord and what is so wonderful is:  He knows me!  God Bless you and take care.  I have to go for tonight.  See you tomorrow?

NjoyTo my knowledge, the reason the Gnostic Gospels were not included in the canon of 300ad, was because the Roman Catholic Church did not want it included.

The Gnostic Gospels, the gospels  you believe were not included because they are not the word of God.

Gnostic texts are not evidence of an "alternative" Christianity.  Plain and simple they are evidence of an attack on the very core truths of Christianity -- an intense struggle by heretical sects against the teachings of Jesus, the apostles and the early church

The Gnostic texts for the most part promote the following ideas in their texts:

• Only certain Christians possessed special knowledge (or "gnosis"), and that this knowledge was only given to the spiritual, the few, the "insiders".  Not everyone had this "divine spark" -- only those "in the know" - the intellectuals.  Those lacking this spiritual knowledge -- well, they were doomed. According to Gnosticism, salvation is attained through the acquisition of special "secret" knowledge, not by grace through faith as the Bible teaches.

Gnostic teaching regarding the person of Jesus, His work on the Cross, and Salvation is in direct opposition to what is taught in the four Gospels and in the New Testament

The Gnostic texts tell of a different Jesus than the Jesus we learn of in the four Gospels.

A distorted view of Jesus, His work on the Cross, and Salvation.  Gnosticism promotes the notion that there were two Jesus persons - the Lord and Savior Jesus, and the human substitute Jesus.  The Savior was from the Father - a spiritual being who had nothing to do with the flesh, bodies or death.  The second being was an earthly, human substitute who represented the spiritual Jesus and died on the cross.  The earthly substitute suffered and was crucified; the heavenly Jesus laughed at the world's ignorance:

According to the true Gospels that you do not believe, that same Jesus suffered, was crucified on a cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day.  Not a second Jesus, not a substitute -- the eternal living Word of God who was sent from the Father:

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,"
John 1:14:  "And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Gnostic gospels are not new or "secret"- they were around during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, battled by the early church fathers as erroneous teachings that were attempting to draw away the faithful.

The Gnostic gospels promoted teachings in direct opposition to both Jewish and Christian teaching, which is why they were fought against so vehemently by the early church fathers.

The truth  thatyou do not believe is, we are all created to be in relationship with our maker.  But sin has broken this relationship.  We all have a "God-sized" hole in our hearts - a hole that we try to fill with all sorts of things - "secret knowledge" that were espoused by the Gnostics; possessions, success, money, sex, etc. But in the end none of this truly satisfies.  In reality there is only thing that can fill this void:  Jesus.  Why?  Because He bridges the gap between us and our Maker.  We were created to be in fellowship with Him.

 According to Gnosticism, salvation is attained through the acquisition of special "secret" knowledge, not by grace through faith as the Bible teaches. this is NOT what I believe AC

AC writes::Gnosticism promotes the notion that there were two Jesus persons - the Lord and Savior Jesus, and the human substitute Jesus. The Savior was from the Father - a spiritual being who had nothing to do with the flesh, bodies or death. The second being was an earthly, human substitute who represented the spiritual Jesus and died on the cross. The earthly substitute suffered and was crucified; the heavenly Jesus laughed at the world's ignorance:

never heard of this ac...therefore it is not what i believe...sounds weird to me

acwrites:::The truth thatyou do not believe is, we are all created to be in relationship with our maker.

  wrong, wrong, wrong AC. 

 you are saying things in your comments, telling me things that i believe, and these things you say I believe  are not true.  have you read my posts or are you just anxious to criticize???

I know, and have said over and over and over that we are all God's children(created to be in a relationship with our Creator)  And that something happened (sin=missing the mark)Big bang; Eve's behavior; Adam's behavior ...something separated us from our Creator and what we are all trying to do is find God again....get back to our ONE and only God/Source/Spirit.  We all come from the same source and all have the opportunity to say yes to God's Grace, which is offered to all of us freely, but some of us do not... yet...acknowledge that Grace.

ac, you need to stop insulting my faith in Christ in this way.  posting odd posts and saying they are what I believe.  Please stop doing this.  You do not show your own love for God in this way.  you show contempt for Christ when you do this.  That is my opinion of you.  You are definitely not "following His example"....

Njoy

 According to Gnosticism, salvation is attained through the acquisition of special "secret" knowledge, not by grace through faith as the Bible teaches. this is NOT what I believe AC

How is salvation  attained?

Njoy

 According to Gnosticism, salvation is attained through the acquisition of special "secret" knowledge, not by grace through faith as the Bible teaches. this is NOT what I believe AC

But a lie verses a lie equals a lie that appears to be the truth.

Njoy ac, you need to stop insulting my faith in Christ in this way.  posting odd posts and saying they are what I believe.  Please stop doing this.

I don't insult you. You do a great job yourself of insulting your own faith in Jesus Christ with your Gnostic gospels view if Jesus Christ.

Njoy wrote.Jesus Christ did not create anyone. God The Father created ALL. God the Father IS ALL. Christ Jesus was His son/child. Jesus created stories and fables and parables to describe a larger truth, which you evidently have not yet quite understood."

According to the Gnostic gospels, the Lord and Savior did not suffer and die on the cross --- "another Jesus" did this.  In the view of Gnostics the incarnate Word "Jesus Christ" did not die on the cross and pay the ultimate price for the sins of humanity.  And in their view, salvation does not lie in faith in the Son of God who paid the ultimate price for our sins

Gnostic teaching regarding the person of Jesus, His work on the Cross, and Salvation is in direct opposition to what is taught in the four Gospels and in the New Testament