Please give the basic tenets of Gnosticism and how 1 John answered this system of thought.

Question:

The Epistle of 1 John was written (among other things) to combat the heresy of Gnosticism. Please give the basic tenets of Gnosticism and how I John answered this system of thought.

Answer:

Firstly, the term Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word “gnosis” translated “knowledge”. It is this term that helps us begin our understanding of the positioning of the value found in its beliefs  –  that is in salvation gained through “special knowledge” (gnosis). So what is this “special knowledge” that supposedly helps us gain salvation?

We must begin with exploring the worldview of the Gnostics which removes the element of a personal God and makes Him unknowable. This is concluded from a simple and flawed logic based on the fact that God is by nature too perfect and pure for us. The origins of our being are also very different than the Christian worldview as Gnostics believe that God created lesser gods called emanations and in turn one of these tried to know the unknowable God via Wisdom. This mistake that seems to mark a loose parallel to Satan wanting to have God’s nature and humanity’s original sin of wanting to seek knowledge from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (God’s domain) seems eerily familiar. Out of this faulty goal came an evil god (demiurge) who created the universe and beings known as the archons who subdued us “mortals” to prevent our souls from returning to our intended state with God. Indeed, this is all extremely fascinating mythology …

Are Christians Obligated to Observe the Seventh-day Sabbath Today?

Key verse(s)/quote(s):

“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” - Romans 14:5-6

“Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” - Mark 2:27

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” - Colossians 2:16-17

Historical background:

The origins of Seventh-day Adventism can be traced back to the “Great Second Advent Awakening” which took place in the middle of the 19^th century. It was a time where the religious climate had reached a heightened focus and sensitivity around the matter of Jesus’ Second Advent was at its pinnacle. At this time, many Bible scholars were primarily studying Daniel and Revelation and deducing prophetical interpretations as to the timing of Jesus’ return. Jesus’ return was calculated to be at a mark of 2,300 years based on Daniel’s 2,300 evenings (Daniel 8:13) and as such many had expected Jesus to return in 1843. One such individual was William Miller (Baptist Minister …

Did Jesus Die on the Cross? Ahmadiyaa Muslims say “No! He just fainted.”

Founded in 1889, the Ahmadiyaa Movement is predominately Islamic in its beliefs with some variation. The mainstream Islamic community view the Ahmadiyaa as a breakaway sect and do not acknowledge it as a principle denomination such as sunni, shi’a, or sufism (To learn more about Islam please view my post “Islam and Christianity   —   Estranged siblings or polarized worldviews?”).

The Ahmadis agree with the majority of the six articles of faith in Islam however a significant variation comes in the adoption of its founder as a continuity of the prophet line. They directly contradict Islam’s traditional view of Muhammad as the final prophet by stating he was only the final law-giving prophet. The Ahmadis present their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as being a true prophet that several main religious prophecies foretold (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism). Oddly enough Mirza Ghulam Ahmad presents himself as the figurative summation of all major prophets which of course has resulted in negative responses by various Muslim governments around the world and disagreements with other worldviews as to the incorrect interpretation of their texts.

With this preliminary introduction to the Ahmadiyaa movement, I introduce the main focus of this post and that is to address a view commonly shared with main stream Islam that Jesus did not die on the cross. Mainstream Islam principally presents the Substitution Theory (claim: someone other than Jesus died on the cross) based on aya (verse) 4:157 in the Qur’an whereas the Ahmadiyya movement (and some mainstream Muslims) state that Jesus simply swooned (passed out) on the cross. They …

Islam and Christianity - Estranged siblings or polarized worldviews?

Key verse(s)/quote(s):

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” - Jude 1:3

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis

Key takeaway(s):

1. Although some similarities exist (as some Muslims would like us to focus upon) between these two monotheistic faiths - Christianity and Islam are indeed polarized worldviews.
2. Jesus is regarded as highly esteemed

…

Today’s Religions: There is no neutral ground.

Key verse(s)/quote(s):

“There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan” - C.S. Lewis

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  –  1 John 4:9-10

Key takeaway(s):

1. With such an array of beliefs how can all religions lead to the same point?
2. Objective analysis of a religion is key and sincerity alone has never been and should never be a mark of authenticity
3. All religions & cults seem to do one or more of the following…

• Strip the deity of Christ
• Bring God down to our level
• Lift us up to God’s level
• Focus on self and not God
• Negate God’s existence altogether
• Dismiss our sinful nature

Overview:

This topic requires a holistic evaluation of several fundamental questions. The 4 main areas that serve as a starting point for an introductory discussion on comparative world religions begins with:

1. Why are there so many religions?
2. Don’t all religions point to God?
3. What makes Christianity unique from other religions?
4. What does all this mean to you?

In order to objectively compare religions and understand what worldviews they present, one must read from their own texts. Each of the facts presented in this presentation will be readily attested to by each faith group as they are taken from their …