Playlist:

playlist Go to the Gnosticism (topic) playlist

Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Two: Defining Gnosticism

Article by David C. Grabbe

We can glimpse Gnosticism in Paul's epistles to the Galatians and Colossians, in which he combats Gnosticism's twisting of the truth of Jesus Christ.


Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part One: False Knowledge

Article by David C. Grabbe

Gnosticism is very much in vogue today in books and movies, and perhaps surprisingly, in the belief systems of many people who profess to be Christian.


Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's Three Heresies

Article by David C. Grabbe

When Satan confronted Adam and Eve, he fed them three heresies that Gnosticism incorporated into its parasitic philosophy and way of life.


Our Need for God's Law

Sermonette by Austin Del Castillo

Gnosticism, which had infiltrated the congregations in Galatia and Colossae, has dominated mainstream Christianity, causing it to reject God's law.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Ten)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The vast majority of Christian-professing churches has been saturated with pagan doctrines (like antinomianism and dispensationalism), derived from Gnosticism.


Deceivers and Antichrists (Part One)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

John's epistles are the only places the term "antichrist" is used. This word has taken on a life of its own, especially within Evangelical Protestantism.


Does Paul Condemn Observing God's Holy Days?

'Ready Answer' by Earl L. Henn

Galatians 4:9-10 is a favorite crutch of those who claim Christians no longer need to observe God's holy days. However, Paul's meaning is quite different.


Beware of Philosophy

Article by Mike Ford

In the end, philosophy is merely man's search for answers without God. Real truth is found in God's Word, not in the minds of self-important, fallible men.


What Is 'Antichrist' (I John 2:18)?

Bible Questions & Answers

There were many antichrists at the end of the first century. They pretended to be part of God's true church, but as John writes, '...they were not of us.'


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Colossian Christians were criticized by ascetics for the way they were keeping the Sabbath and holy days. Paul argues against a philosophy, not the law of God.


Testing the Spirits (Part 2)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

I John, addresses a congregation grounded in the truth but vexed from within by a number of anti-Christian teachings, including Docetism and Gnosticism.


Nicolaitanism Today

'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The end-time church is warned against Nicolaitanism, for it exists today. The Scriptures, plus some first century history, reveal who the Nicolaitans are.


The True Gospel (Part 6)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Paul marveled at the Galatians' turning away. It was only 20 years before someone perverted the gospel into something that was no longer good news!


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has given us His Law, which shows us the way of sanctification and holiness. God is in the process of reproducing His kind — the God-kind.


Paul's Letter to Titus (Part 1)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Paul encourages Titus to seek out teachers who have an ardent love of the truth, and warns him about false teachers who deceive the congregation.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Thirteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The elect are not immune to antinomian deception, including the doctrine of eternal security, the total depravity of man, unconditional love, and cheap grace.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Nine)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The cosmology of ancient Greece, saturated with astrology and Gnostic dualism, filtered into the doctrines of the early church, creating corrupt doctrines.


Themes of I Corinthians (Part 6)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Reminding us to stay sensitive to conscience, Paul suggests we become other-centered, doing everything to the glory of God, especially in our relationships.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Fourteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has sanctified no day other than the Sabbath. Sunday worship is a pagan deviation, perpetuated by Gnosticism, a movement that despises God's laws.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Eleven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Because of Dispensationalism, many believe there is an adversarial relationship between law and grace, as though they cannot be complementary.


Defining Logos (Part One)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Greek word 'logos' has been negatively loaded with unbiblical meanings. Its basic meaning is 'word' or 'saying,' yet it is really more complex.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Eight)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The yoke of bondage Paul refers to in Galatians was a combination of the code of regulations added by the Pharisees and Gnostic ritualism, not God's Law.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:9-10, Paul was warning against mixing Gnostic asceticism and pagan customs with the keeping of God's Sabbath and Holy Days.


The Colossian Heresy and Laodiceanism

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Colossae and Laodicea were susceptible to fast-talking teachers, whose plausible words eroded the true Gospel in favor of pagan thought and practice.


Sin Is Spiritual!

'Ready Answer' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Many people divide sin into physical and spiritual sins, but the Bible clearly says that all sin is lawlessness.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Christ will empower us, but will not live our lives for us. The marching orders for our pilgrimage derive from God's Word, containing His holy law.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The days, months, and times of Galatians 4:10 do not refer to God's Holy Days (which are not weak or beggarly), but to pagan rites the Galatians came out of.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In Galatians, Paul took issue with the Halakhah, not God's word. Halakhah was a massive collection of human opinion that placed a yoke on its followers.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Gnostics criticized by Paul in Colossians 2:16-17 were guilty of bringing in ritualistic ascetic discipline to propitiate demons.


Our Walk Out of Darkness Into the Light

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

After we accept Christ's sacrifice, we desperately need to come out of sin, walking in light rather than darkness, having continuous fellowship with God.


Was Jesus Christ Born Under the Law?

'Ready Answer' by Earl L. Henn

Galatians 4:4 says that Jesus was "born under [the] law." Some use this to say that while Christ had to keep all the rituals, we do not have to follow His example.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Twelve)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The early church was invaded by Gnosticism that denigrated the 'enslavement to Yahweh, His Law, and the Sabbath,' replacing it with Greek philosophy.


The Seven Churches (Part Five): Pergamos

Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christ severely criticizes the church in Pergamos for idolatry and following the doctrine of Baalam. To those who overcome, He will grant eternal life.


The Cross: Christian Banner or Pagan Relic?

Article by Earl L. Henn

Is it alright to wear a crucifix? As it turns out, the cross was a pagan worship symbol long before Christ's death, and was never used by the first century church.