Earlier in the year I wrote three articles in which I alerted readers to
the creeping influence of Gnosticism within the evangelical community.
These articles can be read at the following links:
- Salvation as Escape from the Body (Gnosticism & Evangelicalism 1)
- Resurrection and the Sanctification of Matter (Gnosticism & Evangelicalism 2)
- Raised a Spiritual Body (Gnosticism & Evangelicalism 3)
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| The doctrine of resurrection has cultural, economic, ecological and political consequences. |
In the first
of the above articles I defined Gnosticism and suggested a number of
areas where the tentacles of this ancient heresy reach down to us today.
In the second
article I focused on the Gnostic tendency to denigrate the created
order and to detach spirituality from our experience as embodied beings.
The third article took a closer look at the Bible’s teaching on bodily resurrection and how this challenges some of our Gnostic assumptions.
Last week I published a fourth article in the series, looking at the practical ramifications of the doctrine of bodily resurrection. If we reject Gnostic assumptions about the body and
assert hope in a future resurrection, what difference does this make to
our lives now? In the article I argued from scripture that just as belief in our own personal resurrection should spur us to
righteous living in the present (1 Corinthians 15:29-34), so belief in
the future renewal of the whole earth (Revelation 21:1) should act as a
catalyst for us to work to make the world a better place in the present.
The doctrine of new creation therefore has cultural, economic,
ecological and political consequences. To read my thoughts on this subject, click on the link below:
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