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Gnosticism And The Da Vinci Code
Part 1
By Rob and Louisa Forrest
Dan Brown's book and the movie, The Da Vinci Code, have sparked much debate and interest both inside and outside Christian circles. What's important to remember is that The Da Vinci Code presents a different Jesus and a different gospel that is based on the age-old heresy of gnosticism. To take a look at gnosticism, we must start with its entry into the world, in the Garden of Eden.
"I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Exodus 20:2-3
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given the same choice that we are all given today. From the beginning of time, God clearly presented the way of life and the way of death.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Genesis 2:16-17
Satan entered the garden, and planted a seed - the lie -"Ye shall not surely die". Although this lie contradicted God's word, it appealed to Eve's curiosity. She was enticed, and her mind was opened to it. Then the serpent appealed to Eve's pride. "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3: 4b-5). Eve saw the tree was "good for food, and pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desired to make one wise." (Genesis 3:6). Eve was beguiled. She willingly joined Satan's rebellion, and Adam followed behind her. Satan had succeeded in undermining the truth of God's word in the minds of Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve freely discarded God's word and rebelled against God's command to obey it. As a result of Adam and Eve's choice, sin entered the world with far-reaching consequences. Sin took humanity captive, and death became our inheritance.
"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden,
to till the ground from whence he was taken."
Genesis 3:22-23
Consequently, all of humanity has been born with a sinful nature and separated from God. As a result, we spend our lives trying to find our way back to God. There is only one way back to a right relationship with God, and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. God has clearly presented this choice to all mankind. Sadly, most people will not do that. Most people will choose at some level to be gods themselves, and build their own spiritual road to heaven.
As with Adam and Eve, the quest for godhood and spiritual enlightenment has sparked the curiosity of many throughout the ages. These spiritual seekers have come to be known as gnostics and their belief system as gnosticism. Today gnosticism is known by many names, and it is behind all false religions and ideologies, including the New Age Movement. But New Age thinking is not new. It's spiritual roots are in the garden.
Gnostics seek a higher spiritual plane and find it through the 'divine spark' that they believe lies inherent in every human being. The problem, they believe, is not a sinful humanity, but a slumbering humanity who are totally unaware of the 'god' within them. Once 'awakened' to their own divinity, gnostics actively pursue the perfection of their souls through a smorgasbord of 'spiritual' foods readily available today in the marketplaces of our global village.
Gnostics are ever-evolving and ascending into the perfection of godhood. It does not matter where gnostics are in their spiritual journeys, for once they have been gloriously 'awakened', they become spiritual giants who walk among the common masses of humanity.
Gnosticism's appeal is timeless, playing to our human nature in two very important ways: by enticing our curiosity and by inflating our pride. This is the same deceptive trap Satan set in the garden. Once snared, the gnostic is given promises of knowledge and power. Gnosticism promises the revelation of deeper spiritual knowledge that is hidden from the less spiritual masses. Gnosticism promises spiritual power through the cultivation of personal divinity. Throughout the journey, the gnostic enjoys a spiritual 'elitism', gained by his/her willingness to turn away from the old, simplistic, spiritual beliefs and by his/her willingness to open up to the unknown.
Gnosticism is a spiritual deception that has been with humankind from the beginning. Gnosticism is a spiritual deception that the Apostle Paul battled in his time, and that Christians are still battling today.
""But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
2 Corinthians 11:3
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