The Dangers of Special Knowledge in Christianity

Over the past few weeks, we explored several heresies that arose in the early church. Each of them is still around today. Due to my schedule, I was unable to write last week, but I want to pick up where we left off.

Picture this! It is a beautiful sunny morning in the rural mountains of northern Appalachia. The little stream is bubbling, and the birds are singing their morning song. It is a beautiful place to commune with God. A young man is walking among the trees, crying out to hear a word from the Lord. His heart is tender, but his knowledge of God’s word is rudimentary at best.

Suddenly, an angel of the lord appears and reveals a secret message written a thousand years before. These messages are for this young man’s eyes only. No one else will ever see them, but in time, millions will take him at his word and follow this special revelation.

This is an illustration of Gnosticism, a heresy that the early church confronted. Gnosticism is from the Greek word gnosis, meaning knowledge. The word gnosis indicates a special or secret knowledge. Gnostics believed God revealed special knowledge to them. Therefore, they were at a higher spiritual level than those in the early church, including Paul.

Gnostics believed that the spiritual and the material were separate, and that salvation brought freedom from the material world. In other words, everything that is in the created world is bad. In one form, this would lead to the idea of mind over matter, Christian Scientism.

As it pertains to Christianity, Gnostics believed that an infinitely holy God could not come in the corruptible form of a human. Therefore, they denied the hypostatic union of Jesus (fully God and fully man). I touched on this in a previous blog titled, Understanding Arianism: The Danger of a Created Jesus.

Like most of these heresies, I could write a lengthy series, but time is limited, so let’s move on. As many of you may have recognized, the brief story I outlined at the beginning is that of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Mormonism is shrouded in secrecy. No one has ever observed the gold plates or the magic glasses that Smith claims to have found. There has never been one shred of archaeological evidence that Jesus appeared in ancient Mesoamerica. Yet, this special knowledge continues to deceive.

Lest I only accuse the Mormons and Christian Scientists of this heresy, I will also point out that much spiritual abuse has occurred in the Church. Gnosticism, at its core, is special knowledge. Meaning, it is for me, not you. This, in and of itself, is spiritual manipulation, but on a broader basis, it denies the nature of the Trinity. God the Father longs for a relationship with humanity. Jesus, our Savior, came to reveal the Father to us and to redeem us through His blood. “Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?” (John 14:9) In addition, it is the Spirit’s job to reveal Jesus and to lead us into all truth (John 16:3).

I grew up in church and just passed my 26^th Anniversary in full-time ministry. I have seen a lot in my life. A lot of well-meaning people who, out of exuberance, misunderstand what God is saying. I have seen many who want spiritual authority badly enough that they will manipulate spiritual gifts to gain “special knowledge.” In that way, they seek to gain control or authority over the local pastor. I want to affirm here that I am not enamored with my authority, but I will ask anyone to leave our service who attempts to usurp it, especially on the grounds of, “I’m a prophet or apostle, you’re just a pastor.”

So, then, how do we protect ourselves? It’s actually quite simple. Know the Word of God. If Joseph Smith knew the Word, he ignored it; if he didn’t know the Word, he should have.

1. Gal 1:8-9 “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.”
2. Ps 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
3. Deut 4:2 “Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.” Rev 22:18-19 “And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.”

Any of the four of these verses should have stopped Smith. He should have recognized that what is contrary to the Word of God is always wrong. The entire situation contradicts the revealed Word of God. “Special Knowledge” brings power to the one who possesses it and servitude to those who do not. That is the opposite of what Jesus lived and taught.

As a classical Pentecostal, I want to assure you, no matter what you have heard, read, or believe, we do not hold prophecy or the interpretation of a tongue to the same level as Scripture. Instead, we follow Paul’s admonition, “Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.” (1 Thess 5:20-21).  Does God still speak to His people? Yes! However, it should align with the Word of God and the doctrines we hold so dear. It should always be given in a spirit of humility. It should never be used to manipulate or to advance an agenda. Those who do such things are denying the very nature of Christ, which is the root of Gnosticism.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate comments, likes, and shares.