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Original airdate: Monday, December 9, 2019
(unedited/draft show notes here, not a transcript)
Lead:
What is gnosticism, and how did John refute it?
Intro:
These days you never hear someone throw out the word “gnosticism” to describe a religious perspective, and if you hear that word it’s in reference to a historical period. Gnosticism, however, is still around, it just goes by different names. The root word, gnosis, means “to know” (just like “agnostic” means “I don’t or can’t know). In most cases related to Christianity, however, gnosticism means having some form of special knowledge that comes directly from God, and herein lies the root of the problem and heresy: it’s a claim that they’ve got something you don’t have. But that’s not how the Bible reveals God (who desires that all would be saved and reconciled with Him) or people (all of whom are with sin and without excuse).
Many, if not most scholars believe 1 John was written to counter gnostic influences in the late first century — people who claim to have some special brand of Christianity. In reality, they pirated Christian motifs and propagated the idea that salvation was because of some special knowledge. John’s counter? To teach the basics — truth, life and love, or true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion (as the ESV Study Bible puts it).
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Bible:
Passage: 1 John 1-3:10
Translation: NET (New English Translation)
Verses: 71
Words: ~1172
All Our Minds:
Wisdom:
Passage: Proverbs 20:16-30
Translation: NET (New English Translation)
Verses: 14
Words: ~224
Love you!
-R
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources: