2 Peter 1:3-4, 20; “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph…
I often wonder if Mr. Smith ever read one of the most important verses in all of the Bible; that being 2 Peter 1:20, as seen in our example today. The attitude Mr. Smith portrayed is reminiscent of the Gnostics in Peter’s day.
In the early Christian church, groups of Gnosticism emerged causing schims amongst the body of Christ. They were built upon the premise that secret knowledge is what guaranteed salvation. Some of the key theological points in the groups are as follows –
God is transcendent, meaning He is outside of time or space and is removed from creation
Jesus is not God incarnate
Earth and mankind being made up of matter is evil, thereby making it impossible for God to be the creator of earth
God is incapable of creating evil
Only divine persons are capable of interpreting scripture
Thought and knowledge distinguished people from matter, thus knowledge was imperishable
Holman Bible Dictionary says this about Gnosticism. As you’ll see in their definition, their narrative touches on the heretics of the day and while Marcion isn’t mentioned in this section, he was definitely one of the most prominent figures in the Gnosticism movement –
“Importance of Gnosticism The significance of Gnosticism for students of Christianity has two dimensions: the first is its prominence in the history of the church, and the second is its importance for interpreting certain features of the New Testament. Gnosticism emerged in schools of thought within the church in the early second century and soon established itself as a way of understanding Christianity in all of the church’s principal centers.
The church was torn by the heated debates over the issues posed by Gnosticism. By the end of the second century many of the Gnostics belonged to separate, alternative churches or belief systems viewed by the church as heretical. Gnosticism was thus a major threat to the early church; and the early church leaders, such as Irenaeus (died about 200), Tertullian (died about 220), and Hippolytus (died about 236), wrote voluminously against it.
Many of the features of Gnosticism were incorporated into the sect of the Manichees in the third century, and Manichaeism endured as an heretical threat to the church into the fourth century.
Gnosticism is also important for interpreting certain features of the New Testament. Irenaeus reported that one of the reasons John wrote his Gospel was to refute the views of Cerinthus, an early Gnostic.
Over against the Gnostic assertion that the true God would not enter our world, John stressed in his Gospel that Jesus was God’s incarnate Son. Other interpreters of the New Testament understand Gnosticism to be crucial at many other points in interpreting the New Testament as will be discussed to follow.”
Also see: Theopedia.com/Gnosticism