NOVEMBER 18 READING…1 JOHN 1
Very early in the history of the church a group of pseudo-intellectuals began to teach Gnosticism (to know). This philosophy basically taught that salvation comes through a special level of knowledge. For them, since salvation came through a special knowledge, then a person’s actions did not matter. Your mind(soul) was separate from your body, so the body was there to be used anyway one wanted and it had no impact on a person’s salvation or relationship with God. This, of course, is heresy. John used his three epistles to combat this damnable philosophy in the church. We don’t usually see John as the direct and confrontational Apostle, but he certainly stands firm and speaks straight in dealing with the Gnostics in the church and the impact of their false teachings. John begins by speaking of the fact that he and the other Apostles heard, saw, and touched the Incarnate Christ. He does this because the Gnostics then, and the neo-Gnostics today, want people to believe that the Christ is a “consciousness” and not a real flesh and blood person. John then tells the readers that if someone believes they are right with God, but walk in the darkness of sin, then God is not in them. If one claims to have fellowship with God and walk in the darkness, they are liars. It is our walk in the light that proves we have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus. You see it is not a matter of some special knowledge…it is a matter of how we walk and live our lives, and yes, what we do with our bodies. So, what do we do if we sin? We are to confess our sins, and the Lord promises to forgive our sin, and cleanse us. If we never confess our sin, by claiming that we do not sin, or we cannot sin, because we are part of the gnosis…we are lying, and we are making God out as a liar.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…1 JOHN 2
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