There is a dangerous line of thought whose history goes all the way back 2000 years. In our text Paul warned of such a thing. The object of our concern is a word unfamiliar to most people. It is Gnosticism or inner enlightenment. The concept seems appealing, even empowering. It invaded religion preaching that there was hidden wisdom or knowledge that was necessary for salvation but only available to a few people. In the literature of the second century there were numerous references. The word itself does not appear in the Bible. However, and more importantly, the warnings are there in blazing words It’s recorded in this 1 Timothy 1:4; 6: 20, as examples.
Gnosticism was built on Greek philosophy that taught matter was evil and the spirit was good. . . . So-called “Christian Gnostics” said since matter was evil, God could not really incarnate in a human body; He only appeared in human form and only appeared to suffer, but basically, it was an illusion. John Wimber was a Quaker who came into the charismatic movement. He eventually taught a famous course at Fuller Seminary, MC510 “Signs, Wonders, and Church Growth,” which launched a “signs and wonders” movement that spread Gnostic teachings throughout the Earth. Eventually, this movement became the Vineyard Fellowship.
Perhaps the premier proponent of Gnosticism in the evangelical and charismatic church these days is Bill Johnson, the senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Johnson’s church is the current version of the Toronto Airport Vineyard and Brownsville Assembly of God pilgrimage sites where people influenced by Gnosticism come to “experience” God.
Through Bethel and most notably through their worship team (a popular rock band called “Jesus Culture”), Bethel reaches hundreds of thousands with its Gnostic message of anti-doctrinal, experience-based, New Age-emulating “power” evangelism. This is one reason that the astute Christian must avoid their type of music.
One of the key points of modern Gnosticism is that we are little gods. We must release the divinity that is within us. We have the ability to project faith into a rational environment. The basic thought is to say it, and it will be reality. Famous television personality Joyce Myers has gone to the extreme of taking words of scripture out of context declaring that we are all little gods.
For the follower of Gnosticism anything done in the body, even the worst of sins, is not relevant, has no meaning, has no effect, because the only real life is in the spirit realm. They practice an extreme method of meditation and contemplation to get in touch with their inner divine self that is just waiting to be revealed.
Gnostics believe that the physical body of Jesus was not real but only appeared to be physical. Their claim was that his spirit descended upon him at baptism and then departed his body just prior to his crucifixion. This belief denies the Christian conviction that Jesus was fully God and fully human and of course, physically real. This philosophy thus releases its believers from guilt or shame. The biblical view of Jesus affirms both his full deity and full humanity. Thus, his death on the cross served as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins(Hebrews 2:14-17).
The Word of Faith movement and the prosperity gospel are modern redefinitions of Gnosticism. The concept is to be so in touch with the divine that hardships are automatically addressed and cured. Today’s televangelists such as Kenneth Copeland and Paula White endorse a Christianized version of Gnosticism. Other Gnostics in disguise include Peter Popoff, Jesse Duplantis, and the psychologist Carl Jung. In addition, they are able to gain great wealth. Unfortunately, Paula White is a spiritual advisor to President Trump. This was not just an issue in Paul’s time. It has gone into hiding and later resurrected itself frequently through the decades. As we await the coming of Christ, we must know the Scriptures well and discern the false prophets.
Christian Writer 