>>23895 I don't know much about gnosticism, but the NT itself does a perfectly-good job of explaining the purpose of the OT law and that justification by faith alone was always God's plan, even before the law was ever given: >"16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Galatians 3:16-25 KJV >"1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. 10How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." Romans 4:1-12 KJV

>>23895 That isn't what Gnosticism was or is. A principal reason it's a heresy is that it denies the original goodness of God's creation, which Protestants don't do. Neither does Protestantism premise itself on special mystic revelation that is achieved by occult rituals (quite the opposite, in fact). Marcion wasn't a Gnostic either but he was wrong in his own way.

>Neither does Protestantism premise itself on special mystic revelation that is achieved by occult rituals Neither do gnostics >A principal reason it's a heresy is that it denies the original goodness of God's creation But that doesn't contradict OP at all, if his zoomer proties are going to throw out the while of the OT. t. gnostic

Gnosticism is probably the most abused word in the modern world. Nearly all of its uses in modernity rip it out of its historical meaning and context to use it as some sort of theological bludgeon, and this is no exception. Gnosis is NOT faith, it is not any kind of faith, gnosis refers to a secret esoteric knowledge which enables the pneumatic who discovers it to escape the material wold and return his divine spark to the pleroma. There is absolutely nothing in common between the Gnostics and the Christian faith. Imagine if there was a transcendent world beyond this one, of which this one is merely a shallow copy, a perfect world which was distorted into this one by a creature-god called a demiurge. If you're familiar with church history you should know this is a description of the Gnostic heresy, but if you're familiar with the history of philosophy, you should also recognize it as a description of Platonism. That's because Gnosticism is a thoroughly pagan Greek philosophical construct which is descended from Plato's philosophy rather than the true religion, which merely stole a few terms and concepts from the latter. The founders of Gnosticism were probably those on Mars hill who scoffed at the resurrection. The Gnostic pleroma is based off Plato's realm of forms, and not anything in scripture. OP, you are a heretic. We believe in everything the Old Testament says because it is the word of the true and living God, the creator of all things in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Yahweh is God, and if you don't believe that, you are still in your sins and the truth is not in you. If there's no wrath of God in the cross, there's no mercy of God in it either. Repent and believe the gospel.

>>23898 >But that doesn't contradict OP at all, if his zoomer proties are going to throw out the while of the OT. Which makes no sense because the NT cites the OT as an authority. >>23899 To add on to this in my Bible study I found that Paul says: Knowledge (gnosis) puffs up 1 Cor 8:1 He differentiates faith from knowledge (gnosis) 1 Cor 13:2 Knowledge (gnosis) will pass away 1 Cor 13:8 (We know that that Christ's word will never pass away (Mat 24:35) https://biblehub.com/greek/gno_sis_1108.htm A Christian that's a gnostic is confused and needs to meditate on the word of God.

>>23900 Sounds like knowledge of the word of God can get in the way of faith.

>>23907 Gnosis is the knowledge falsely so called that Paul warned against. True knowledge of God is unto salvation, being an intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

>>23907 Depends but this anon is largely correct >>23908

>>23899 French writer Rene Guenon, who seemed to like the idea of the salvation through knowledge, and thus could accurately be called 'gnostic', objected to such names precisely because "there had been at least a dozen cults called Gnostic, some of those believed in diametrically opposed things".