How Gnosticism Misread the Bible

 Just imagine when you were in school and you were taught to read your alphabets from A-Z. You know that is the way by which you read the alphabet. This is not so when it comes to the system of Gnosticism reading of the text of scripture. There are two crucial areas by which many Gnostics within the professing church: that of "misreading" the context of the Bible to contextualize the meaning of the text and the "reframing" of the characters of the Bible through such allegorical interpretation. (2 Tim. 2:16, 17-18) Whenever there is a perversion of biblical truth it will have such disastrous effect by which to greatly impact the way many Gnostics view God and the world at large. The theistic God of creation is viewed as a inferior Being; the world in and of itself is viewed as as cosmic "mess" by which the "spirit" longs to be freed from its incarceration. It is the "spirit" by which it is imprisoned. Many Gnostics are encouraged to abstain from the corruption that is in the world through such asceticism: that of abstaining from the affairs of the world by which they live. The moral faulty vision of Gnosticism is that it remains to be in the world by which it indulge in what is in the world. Attempting to abstain from its moral propensities and corruption that are in the world yet many Gnostics finds themselves entrap by such sinful flesh. A person can castrate their human organs but cannot control their own sinful urges. They do not have the Spirit by which to subdue its sinful urges and inclination. Even Jude says, "They are sensual by which they do not have the Spirit." (Jude 10)

Throughout this article I will begin to address Gnosticism "misreading" of the Bible by which it interprets the scripture, God, and the world. The interpretive scheme of many Gnostics today is that of its allegorical interpretation of the meaning of the text of scripture and "reframing" of the biblical characters of the Bible. (Gen. 3) The monstrosity of such allegorical interpretation of the Bible within many Gnostic systems is its dreadful interpretation by which to turn the Bible upon its own head. (1 Tim. 6:20)

First, many Gnostics seeks to "unravel" God's divine mysteries as if they know the mind and heart of God. God's unsearchable knowledge and wisdom are beyond people's understanding. God is infinite; Man finite. It is impossible for people to know the depths of Who God is. People are "limited" in their knowledge and understanding of God. The Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God. Even Satan says to Eve by promising her that she will be like god knowing good and evil. As "little" gods Eve will will say and do what God does; the capacity of know such ancient wisdom and knowledge. That's the beachhead of Gnosticism: to go "beyond" what it claims to know by the act of knowing without knowing nothing. (Col. 2:18) Many Gnostics takes pride in what they claim to know through such knowledge ("gnosis'). They claim to know that which elevate themselves above everyone else if they some kind of "pipeline" from God. They also talk about what they experience by which they have no basis of what they claim to experience. Knowledge and experience goes hand in hand with Gnosticism experience. Whenever they are challenge by what they know and experience they become evasive and irrational. They also become hostile and bitter toward those who will question them about what they know and experience. Also, they isolate themselves from others by which they will charge them as "ignorant" and "unspiritual." The consider themselves as "pure," spiritually "mature," and enlightened. Those who are outsiders are labeled as spiritually "immature," "fleshly," "carnal," and "unenlightened." In so many words it is the have's and haven't. Many Gnostics have created a caste system by which to "separate" the truly initiates and those who are not truly anointed. It all bowls down to the kind of knowledge ("gnosis") by which to attain such knowledge. Such knowledge and experience precipitate truly what is a true "Christian" gnostic. The wisdom and knowledge by which many Gnostics possess is fleshly; not spiritual; the knowledge and wisdom of the Church is based upon the true knowledge of God. (Col. 1:9, 10)

Secondly, what are "ways" by which the system of Gnosticism "misread" the Bible? It is very important to point out that many "Christian" mystics "read" the Bible backwards by which to interpret God's Word from an "allegorical" perspective. They interpret and see things from a "different" viewpoint by which they end up "misreading" the text of scripture. It is always spiritual, spiritual, spiritual interpretation. They adversely turning the Bible on its own head by which to denigrate the God of creation, "reframe" the biblical characters of the Bible, and to set the "cosmic" world as a jungle by which the "spirit" longs to be freed from the incarceration and imprisonment of a corrupt fallen world. In order for the true Gnostic to take a flight out of the corrupt fallen world by which it was created by God is to go into outer world where there is perfection and peace. Many Gnostics have perverted the Fall of Man by which they deny the sinfulness of humanity as to say, "It was not the Fall of Man that brought about the sinfulness of people; it was they lost their divinity or godhood." The soteriological aspect of Gnosticism understanding of salvation is (1) Recognizing a person's "spark" divinity from within. (2) Recognizing by knowing who you are in Christ. (3) The Gnostic believer position in Christ. That's the avenue by which people are saved ("deliver") by which Gnosticism deny true salvation in the Person of Jesus Christ. (Rom. 10:9, 10) Also, when it comes to Gnosticism "misreading" of the Bible is to mischaracterize the biblical characters of the Bible. Eve had sex with the devil; the "serpent" on the Moses pole symbolizes Christ; creation itself is some kind of "cosmic" macro wave; the God of creation is a "unknown" God and fallen Being. These are a few examples by which many Gnostic seek to "spiritualize" the biblical characters of the Bible. Also, whenever Gnosticism attempt to interpret the canonization of scripture there is some "deep" hidden meaning that is "beyond" reading the bare text. It is always to interpret scripture from its allegorical interpretation without knowing and understanding the historical-grammatical structure of the text in and of itself.  Many "Christian" mystics also seek to "rearrange" the bedroom furniture of the truth of God's Word through such mythology, and deconstruction. Once the theological framework of the Church's understanding of Christian doctrines are truncated it also affect the morality of the believers moral life. (2 Tim. 2:16, 17-18)

Thirdly, the danger of how Gnosticism view the Bible is that of its denial of the authority and inspiration of scripture. (2 Tim. 3:15, 16) When it comes to the authority of the Bible and the inspiration of God's Word is (1) What we ought to believe and how we must live our lives. (2) The Bible is "inspired" by God by which God is the true Author of scripture. (2 Tim. 3:16) The system of Gnosticism seeks to "unravel" the deep mysteries of God through such allegorical of the context of scripture and the biblical characters of the Bible but also to seek such revelatory knowledge by which to read "beyond" the mere text of scripture and its anticipation by which to anticipate such a "mystical" experience. (1 Tim. 6:20; Col. 2:18) The playbook of Gnosticism is that of its understanding of the inspiration of scripture is as follows: 

1) Unfold God's divine mysteries. (Acts 1:7)

2) Seeking spiritual "revelations" beyond the boundaries of God's Word. (2 Pet. 1:20)

3) Mystical experience that is "inward" or some "inner" voice of the spirit. (Col. 2:18, 19)

"THE CHURCH MUST PRESERVE THE PURITY OF THE TRUTH FAITH

AGAINST SPIRITUAL PREDATORS WITHIN THE CHURCH TODAY."