Jonas Yanthan
There is prevalence of a wrong understanding of humanity, the world and more so on personhood even among Christians influenced by an anti-Christian ideology called Gnosticism. Gnosticism sprang up around 100 AD to 200 AD. Gnostics consider the world and human beings as evil. Influenced by this wrong unchristian ideology, many commit the misconception of looking down upon oneself as wretched, filthy, pitiful, miserable, worthless and inferior creature. Some even condemn the world as evil. This is anti-Christian understanding because it is not only unbiblical but also an insult to God, our creator. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Based on this text, it is wrong to condemn ourselves and the world as evil besides, even rationally also evil does not come out of good. Good begets good while evil begets evil. In addition, for instance, if your son or daughter were to tell you that he or she is wretched and a filthy creature not worthy even to be alive, what would you feel? Any parent would feel terrible and sad. In the same way, imagine how our loving God who created us in his own image and likeness must be feeling whenever we condemn ourselves as wretched while praying or preaching. Asking God to forgive our shortcomings and wrong doings is correct but considering ourselves as worthless is against our creator.
Gnosticism is a false spiritual movement that taught that the universe is made up of two realms; the good, pure spiritual realm of light and the corrupt, evil material world of darkness. They believe that the Supreme God is unknowable who did not create the universe but that the material universe was created by a demi god called Demiurge. They taught that Jesus was a divine messenger of wisdom rather than a physical redeemer. Since they consider that matter evil, they believe that Jesus only appeared to have a human body and did not actually suffer or die on the cross. Gnostics called discovering this understanding as the secret knowledge to salvation.
The Apostles and the Fathers of Church points out Simon Magus, a Samarian religious leader, a first century convert who was baptized by Philip the Evangelist for spreading this nonsense. Magus practiced magic and tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the Apostles. It is from this instance that the English word ‘simony’ which means the evil act of buying or selling of church offices or spiritual roles is derived. The followers of Simon Magus were called Simonians. Simonian sect has died but their ideology still lives on in Mormonism and Jehovah Witness denominations who believe that Jesus is not God because he was created. Luther believed that Jesus is God but condemned human beings as filthy and incapable of doing anything good in the eye of God which brands him equally gnostic and an anti-Christ. Gnostic teaching was condemned by the Apostles and the Fathers of the church as heretic. 1 Timothy 6:20 says, “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.”
It was rightly condemned as heretical and as anti-Christ because even logically speaking if we say that the physical world and human beings are evil and only the spirit is good then Satan or devil who exists in spirit will be good and we know that Satan can’t be good but evil. Moreover, the Gnostic teaching that Jesus is only a spirit who came only to save our divine souls trapped inside our sinful body or physic is not only illogical but also utterly against the Bible. Illogical, because God did not create a sinful body and inserted a divine soul but He created a person with dignity as his children. What is evil in the world is generated by human beings who live willfully with bad or evil intend. Gnostic teachings are condemned as ‘Anti-Christ” and rightly so because anti-Christ is not a ‘number’ but any false teaching other than the true biblical teaching is Anti-Christ.
The true Biblical teaching is that Jesus is the Word who created the universe and all the living beings and one who became flesh, was born of the virgin Mary, dwelled among us, taught us how to live and attain salvation and even died for us on a cross. John 1:1 & 14 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,…” Jesus’ salvific mission to save humanity would not have been complete if Jesus were only a spirit, as Gnostics hold, or only human, as Arius, an Alexandrian priest held. The begotten son, Jesus was God incarnate in human person because he cannot be either or. For example, a drop of honey in a cup of water remains as honey; it does not become water. Likewise, Jesus did not lose his godhood by becoming man and that is why Jesus is truly human and truly God. Other than this truth is heresy. If Jesus, as the Gnostics maintain, was only divine it would mean that humanity and the world will only be an illusion; not real. But because humanity is real; Jesus took on flesh to redeem us from our follies and sinfulness. This free and generous gesture of God is called ‘grace’ and by this grace alone we are saved. However, our salvation to be effected, God’s offer of free gift called grace must be reciprocated by our belief in Jesus and faithfulness to his teachings as revealed in the four gospels; Mathew, Mark, Luke and John along with the instructions given in the Acts and letters of the Apostles and following the Apostolic traditions. Why reciprocate to God’s free offer is because we just can’t receive the free gift of grace and keep it in our pockets and do nothing about it. Doing so will only amount to blatant disregard to the gesture of God’s generosity.
This brings us to the truth of our salvation that if Jesus, our God, did not ascend into heaven both in person as human and God then our salvation story would have been a lie. That is why, Jesus ascending into heaven in flesh affirms that the mortality of man has been conquered. This accomplishment of Jesus is to assure all believers that their earthly life is not in vain for anyone who faithfully lives by his teachings and dies will reap the reward of eternal heavenly bliss as promised by Jesus.
