The truth is, Gnosticism and Christianity are opposite in concept and in the behavior they produce—or should produce. Gnosticism produces lawlessness by regarding our physical behavior as being of little importance or else as being so evil that unscriptural ascetic practices are required. The Christian Scriptures regard righteous physical behavior as being of primary importance. We Christians, as will all people, shall be judged according to what we have done in our body.

Gnosticism, by its emphasis on the inherent evil of matter and the inherent good of spirit, produces lawlessness.

The second aspect of Gnosticism is the emphasis on specialized knowledge as the basis of salvation. It is this influence that fastens on such passages as Romans 10:9,10 and concludes that the person who holds such specialized knowledge and makes the correct confession is saved (meaning to make his eternal home in the spirit Paradise). Wrong goal and wrong way of getting there.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:10)

Many cults use the device of lifting certain passages out of context and building their own model of interpretation around them. Some of the current elements of Christian theology, such as antinomianism (lawless grace) and dispensationalism, are cultic. Christian theologians choose "key" verses and build a model of biblical interpretation around them.

Romans 10:9,10 (above) is an exhortation to the Jews and Gentiles concerning the nature of true Israel and is part of Paul's argument that we no longer are under the Law of Moses. Paul is saying we no longer are to gain righteousness by the Law but by faith in Christ. The two verses do not compose an inclusive formula that we are to take out of Chapter Ten of Romans and use as part of "four steps of salvation."

Paul would never teach that the Divine salvation does not of necessity produce righteous behavior. Paul's emphasis is that adherence to the statutes of the Law of Moses may hinder our gaining the righteous behavior that is the product of the Christian salvation alone, the righteous behavior that results as we put to death the deeds of our body through the Holy Spirit and are filled with Christ.

We cannot look to both Moses and Christ at the same time. Moses produces righteous behavior by obedience to what God has commanded. Christ produces righteous behavior as we offer our body a living sacrifice to God, counting ourselves crucified with Christ and living by His Life. Both Moses and Christ produce righteous behavior.

But Divine grace must never be considered an alternative to righteous behavior!

Paul's clearest exposition of what it means to live as a Christian is found in the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans. This chapter points out that if Christians choose to serve sin they will die spiritually. If all Christian leaders would preach the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans exactly as it is written our present article would not be necessary. It would be easy for us to detect the influence of the Man of Lawlessness.

To be continued.