You know what the Bible says, “In the valley of shadow of death, light has dawned.” Remember? Now you understand how dark the land was, how dark the world was. The occult was everywhere. And Jesus comes and Jesus says, “I am the light of the world, not Lucifer, not that light bearer. I am the true light of the world.” And Jesus performing so many miracles, gathering so many people around him, and the message of the Gospel going to the four corners of the world, the occult movement immediately went under the ground because nothing can withstand the power of Jesus. And if you don’t know, I can tell you that there is only one reason the Antichrist is not showing his face yet. It’s because of the power of Jesus that is in us.
The only time the occult will immediately show its true, unleash its true supernatural manifestation, is when we are gone. And I want you to know that as long as Jesus was here and as long as the disciples were here, and as long as the Apostles were here throughout the first century, the occult was underground. But the minute the second century came, they immediately lifted up their head again and a new movement was erected. And that is Gnosticism.
Most of us have seen a TV show about actual events where the announcer says, “The names were changed to protect the innocent.” When it comes to heresies creeping into the church, we could say something similar in that there is nothing new under the sun. The names of the heresies have changed but the goal is still to deceive the innocent.
Such is the case with gnosticism, it has changed names multiple times down through the centuries and continues to deceive many today, even to the degree that some have called it “Christian Gnosticism.” The truth is there is nothing Christian about it. In its most recent form it is called antinomianism, a big word which means “no law”. In other words, like ancient gnosticism, many today teach that because we are saved by grace, the actions taken in the body are of no consequence and there is no moral law for the Christian to live by.
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Holiness, by definition, is the state of purity. If we are to pursue a state of purity, then impurity has to exist and be defined. Thus, according to scripture, what we do in the body does matter. We also need to be careful of slipping into the other direction, which is legalism. Because we are saved by the manifested grace of God and by God’s grace, we can live a life that is representative of His saving grace expressed in our behavior.
1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
We may not hear the term Gnosticism thrown around much today, but you can be sure it is alive and well and just as dangerous as ever. What we do in our bodies does not determine our salvation, but it does impact our usability and believability when we teach the freedom that can be found in Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,