Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "gnosticism"
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 1
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, not matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that the Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 3 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is good) cannot mix with spirit (which is bad). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, not matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that the Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 3 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is good) cannot mix with spirit (which is bad). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 2
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depends on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depends on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 3
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 1
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, no matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 7 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is bad) cannot mix with spirit (which is good). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, no matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 7 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is bad) cannot mix with spirit (which is good). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 2
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depend on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed, however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depend on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed, however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 3
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 1
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, no matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 7 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is bad) cannot mix with spirit (which is good). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a boy I played games with the other kids. During school recess we played ball outside. After school we played soldiers with toy guns, or Zorro with sticks for swords. We were serious, mind you. We gave it our best effort at fighting the war or jabbing with the stick sword. But we weren’t really soldiers or Zorro. Nor were we NBA or NFL or MLB stars.
There is a point to this glance in the rear view mirror of life, dear friends. Reality is, well, real. Good intentions and sincerity doth not reality make. If I’m not Zorro, try and try as I might, all the swords in the world won’t make it so, no matter how sincere I might be about it. Fact of the matter is, the more sincere I am about being Zorro, the more self-delusional I demonstrate myself to be. And that’s not a good thing!
We folks in the churches are sincere, very sincere, no, even more sincere than that! We have good intentions too, let me tell you. But you know, all is to no avail in being right with God, if good intentions and sincerity are our guiding light. It is like playing church, just as surely as I sincerely played Zorro with a stick sword back in the day.
In the 1st Century A.D. there was this spiritual movement afoot in the Roman Empire. It seems to have been strongest in the area of what is now Turkey. The city of Colosse was located there. At the time this area was known as Asia, a part of the Roman Empire.
Anyway, this spiritual movement wore the epithet “Gnosticism”. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of its tenets. For our purposes in this study, suffice it to say that Gnosticism believed matter was fundamentally evil, while pure spirit alone was good or holy.
In the context of Christianity this denounced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christianity’s fundamental tenet is that the Son of God took upon true humanity circa 7 B.C. The Son of God is by definition God, and God is spirit. True humanity is by definition flesh, which is matter. Ergo, Jesus is the God-man, both God and man simultaneously.
Such a tenet goes counter to the tenets of Gnosticism because matter (which is bad) cannot mix with spirit (which is good). Accordingly Gnostics denied that Jesus is both God and man.
Some said Jesus wasn’t really a man at all, but as the Son of God He simply took on the appearance of a man. Others claimed Jesus wasn’t really God but only some angel-being distantly removed from God. This angel-being possessed Jesus for a while and performed the miracles. When Jesus went to the cross, the angel-being left Jesus, who was really only a man.
Oh, but we’re out of time already. Shucks. I am really having fun. Oh, well. We’ll return to this subject tomorrow. For today let’s enjoy time alone with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 2
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depend on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed, however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Christians of the city of Colosse were surrounded by a belief system known as “Gnosticism”. Gnosticism’s tenets included belief that matter is inherently evil, while only spirit is good. This tenet perforce rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ because Jesus is the God-man, both God (spirit) and man (matter) in one Person.
Once the Gospel of Jesus Christ is eliminated from consideration, all that’s left is some form of religion. The difference between religion and the Gospel is that religion promotes good works in order to be saved, while the Gospel insists on the grace of God as the only way to be saved.
The word “grace” means that God did the works on man’s behalf, and man is to believe God’s Word about this and by faith accept God’s free offer of salvation. God’s grace comes via the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was why the Son of God took upon true humanity in the first place, viz., in order to die to pay the penalty for man’s sins and be able to offer man this paid-in-full blessing free of charge (i.e., grace).
Whereas Gnosticism denied that Jesus is the God-man, they rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This left them with religion, some rules and regulations which their devotees were obligated to obey in order to be good and holy and acceptable to God. Gnosticism was rampant in the Roman Empire’s Asia (i.e., Turkey or Asia Minor of today). Colosse was located there. Ergo, Colosse was infested with Gnostics.
When the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Christians of Colosse (i.e., the Colossians), it was to address the system of works which the Gnostics promoted, so the Colossian Christians wouldn’t fall into the quagmire of gnostic beliefs. Evidently they were doing so and Paul wanted to steer them straight with regard to the Gospel.
Paul lumped the entire gnostic set of beliefs into one bag and labeled it “the elementary principles of the world”. It could not be otherwise. In the Bible the phrase “the world” is employed to refer to peoples and nations in opposition to God. The world stands in stark contrast to God and His Word. The world shakes the fist at God and says, “We won’t have this man to rule over us!” Jesus the Son of God is the man the world refuses to submit to.
Hence “the elementary principles of the world” by definition have nothing to do with God’s grace. This leaves the world’s people with only religion, and religion always promotes a set of good works to follow. The specific good works, the specific rules and regulations to obey, depend on which religion one belongs to.
Before going any further, permit me to note that the name Gnosticism comes from the Greek word “gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. Also, there was not just one set of beliefs with Gnosticism. Several schools of thought made up Gnosticism.
We will conclude this study on the morrow. We still have time to meet with Jesus before bed, however. Let’s do so, shall we?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Gnosis, Moses, or Gospel? – Part 3
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees?...These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence [Colossians 2:20, 23].
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Listen to how Paul in our text for this study depicted the world religious systems known as Gnosticism.
1. self-made religion
2. self-abasement
3. severe treatment of the body
I ask you, does that not sound like monks in a monastery? Indeed it does! Once man rejects God’s Word, all he has left vis-à-vis spiritual understanding is “religion”. Religion is any collection of beliefs about how to know God and relate to Him.
By definition any religion is “self-made”, aka man-made. Only God knows God. Man can only know and relate to God based on God’s Word. In His Word God instructs man about Himself and eternity and His requirements. Once man rejects this instruction, all he has left is his own imagination. Religion by definition is “self-made” or “man-made”.
In order to feel that he is basically “good”, man via his religion abases himself. The monks in a monastery hide from the wicked world behind walls of seclusion. They flagellate themselves to beat the wicked flesh into submission and make themselves behave according to the rules and regulations of their man-made religion. As Paul noted, this is “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body”.
Trouble is, it is nothing more than “will worship”. Man of his own will determined these rules and regulations. God didn’t. Ergo, by means of religion man worships his own will, not God. Man’s rgood works don’t satisfy God in any way. They only serve to convince man that he really isn’t so bad after all, and so God must be pleased with him.
The result of religion is that man becomes convinced God is pleased with him, while all along God most definitely is not! Hence religion serves to stupefy man, so that he never goes to God to get right with Him. Getting right with God requires the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not religion. It requires God’s grace, not man’s good works.
Listen to Paul’s summation of Gnosticism specifically, and of religious good works in general:
• have…the appearance of wisdom
• are of no value against fleshly indulgence
See, the trouble with monkery in a monastery is that the evils of the world stem from the sin in man. Hide as we might behind monastery walls, we cannot escape ourselves. We might keep the rest of the world out, but we are still inside and sin in us is present.
Sin inside man is his natural condition, his nature. Flogging the outer body does nothing to the inner man…except stupefy him into thinking he is now okay with God since he whipped his poor aching flesh! Such self-styled good works “have the appearance of wisdom”, you see, but they “are of no value against fleshly indulgence”.
Do you get it? How much gnostic blood runs through our veins today? How much of church attendance is composed of “the appearance of wisdom”, while the sin nature (“fleshly indulgence”) runs amuck in our lives. Not to worry though, since we have been stupefied by our self-made religious rites into thinking all is well with God!
Nay, nay, kind Christians. Let us flee religion and betake ourselves to the true City of Refuge, aka the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Religion is always a false route to take to God.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
