Welcome to the NECF Podcast, where we share our weekly sermons and faithfully interpret
the Bible to encourage and direct you on your spiritual path.
We are devoted pastors and special guests, devout to the depths of the Bible, exploring
its profound lessons and useful applications for your daily life.
Join us as we explore the timeless truth that have the power to change people's hearts
and minds, promoting a closer relationship with God and a firm belief in his promises.
First we touch on the truth.
I'll be reading from verse 15.
But sanctify the Lord God, that is, hallowed, sanctify, hallowed the Lord God in your heart
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is
in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience that when they defend you as evildoers,
those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
Now as we have started, one key important reason why we must understand the Bible very
importantly, carefully, soundly is that we will need to give a defense of the gospel.
We see a number of things, but one of them is that we must need, or there will be a need
for us to give a defense of the gospel.
Because we have different kinds of people.
There are people who are those who attack, whether they attack you or they attack the
faith you have.
And that's why I say, you understand, you are always ready to give a defense to everyone
who asks you a reason for the hope.
Some of them, that word ask doesn't mean that you just come and say, okay, what did you
believe?
No.
When they are trying to question, they hope that it's in you.
So that's the reason why we are taking time to study.
And I want to encourage you because I also heard when we are praying, that's why this
online system is not really good, so to say, for this kind of spiritual meeting.
You know, we are praying and some people are just talking.
Is a height of dishonor.
I mean, you are just doing anything you like.
So please know that this is very important.
Pay attention to what we are doing today, because there's no how you'll be able to
defend what you don't know.
We don't want you in the process to be even more confused because there are many other
people when they confront them.
We saw some few and that's why many people when they just, I mean, especially in Africa,
because of the kind of the gospels in which we have been taught, immediately you come
abroad, you just see some good things.
Things just that are humanly, you understand, because they have been telling you those things
are spiritual.
Then you come here and see them.
Then you just not see anything, I mean, any benefit of God or any benefit in following
the law.
So it's important to pay attention.
And that's why we will always encourage that the only way to do that is to ensure that
you accept you have a child that normally distorts, understand and all that, or you
are in a very, very noisy environment.
For example, maybe if you are staying in a house where you are sharing with someone and
then some of those kind of things like that.
But if you are there, you're supposed to be concentrating here and you're supposed to
be writing.
This is church.
Amen.
Okay.
Last time we discussed on the issue of, we ended our discussion looking at how each of
the books of the New Testament, each of the book were actually written and when, and we
look at a lot of number of things.
And we noted lastly that there are other writings.
There are other writings during the time of the apostles, even after they left during
the time of the early church.
After the apostles left or they died, there were still other writings.
Some writings are writings by what we call the church fathers.
Many of their writings, they are more or less like a commentary.
They are commentary on many passages of the Bible, just the same way like we have today.
We have many pastors writing books, you understand, just to help believers in this time and many
other things.
That is not to replace the Bible, but to help believers learn more about the Bible.
And then secondly, we have other writings that seems to challenge the thoughts, the
belief of the church.
And here we want to continue in that direction.
And one of them we are going to look at is what we call the Gnostic gospel.
But I'm going to go into that later as we proceed.
I want you to know something.
Let me revise something we have done.
I mean, probably at the early, the beginning of our message.
I mean, this series.
We noted first, before I get to that, just last week, we noted that the end or week before
last, we noted that the New Testament, what the section of the Bible we call New Testament
today, I've been reading, it was completed in between AD 40 and AD 100.
This is a time whereby every writing from Matthew to Revelation.
So I want you to note that very importantly.
Now secondly, we also noted that at the beginning of our message, that during the early church,
when the apostles were writing, they will write, they will pass it to the next church,
so the recipient church, that is the primary recipient church.
And then the apostles sometimes will ask that when you read, pass it to the other neighboring
church.
And we saw that way.
But to pass it, of course, definitely, they won't just carry the entire original manuscript
and pass it.
They will have to copy their own and then pass it to the next.
And we also noted that as even the original one, because it's liable to damage, because
the material they use as a dent to write actually are also prone to damage.
We saw the issue of they use different reeds, they use animal skins.
So they will also copy the original into another one.
And we saw through that many manuscripts were passed from one church to another, from one
church to another.
So to us today, we have about almost 6,000 Greek manuscripts.
So that means because when I mention Greek, I'm talking about that means it's also about
the New Testament alone, meaning from different times that were copied from one place to another.
About 5,800, there are about 6,000 just in Greek alone.
Then we have other manuscripts of the New Testament also in Latin, because we saw that
when we are dealing with Bible translation, we saw even how the Bible was translated into
what we call the Latin Vulgate.
Now about 10,000 Latin manuscripts we have today.
And other languages we have about 9,000, more than 9,000, let's say 9,300 or thereabouts
manuscripts.
In other languages, because we have plenty of languages also, which means that there's
a proliferation of this manuscript from one place to another.
Now that's beside other writings which I've mentioned, the writings of the Church Fathers,
what we call the Church Fathers, and then of course, other writings in that day or in
that time.
So the New Testament was not a single book.
That's just what I'm trying to communicate.
How we have it today in a Bible in a particular place, it wasn't like that.
This manuscript, maybe John is in one place, Pili Mo is in another place, and so on and
so forth.
So we have them all scattered.
But again, with the number of the writings in circulation at that time, it became also
necessary that these sacred writings by the apostles, you understand, or their associates
must be put together, because they can be with the same authority as others.
There was a need in the Church.
So we have to put all those things together.
Remember, by that moment, before even Jesus arrived, already what we call the Old Testament
has been put together.
And that was why Jesus said, beginning at Moses and in all the prophets, he expounded
onto them the things concerning himself.
As Luke chapter 24 says, the law of Moses, the prophet, and the Psalms.
So at that time already, the Old Testament has been completed.
It's already in one place.
But now we have now the part we call the New Testament, which we have been able to prove
why we call it also the New Testament.
I mean, what we call it scriptures, or why we can consider it scripture.
Now one thing I wanted to note, very important here, is that this mixture of the sacred writings,
and of course, and other writings that are in circulation, was not the early thought
that it wasn't a good thing.
We need to put all those things together.
So the first time, and of course, the process by which the New Testament texts came together
as one, has been a problem.
Initially, it wasn't like 27 texts.
They were added again and again over time.
First, maybe you say, OK, we recognize this one.
Then another manuscript will pop up, then they will add the other one.
But I think we did this teaching sometimes in, I think, at Artismos 20, is it 2022?
Something like that.
Or 2021, I forgot.
2022, I guess.
So you might likely get the other ones.
But I don't want to go back there again.
I want us to note at the beginning when the 27 books were first acknowledged that they
were the authority, the sacred writings, which the apostles left.
Now the 27 books were first acknowledged at 367 AD.
That is in the fourth century.
367 AD.
Now it was first acknowledged by an African bishop.
That 27 books is called Athenitios.
Athenitios, that is A-T-H-A-N-A-S-I-U-S. A-T-H-A-N-A-S-I-U-S.
Is a bishop of Alexandria.
So Athenitios is a bishop of Alexandria.
And in the letter, in a very critical letter he wrote, because of course it was evident
that there were a lot of proliferation of some texts that are anti the gospel.
So he wrote a letter to all the churches throughout Egypt under his jurisdiction.
Throughout Egypt.
And said, these are the sacred writings.
And they are the only sacred writings we will accept.
So as far as we're concerned in nature, up until that time, there are many texts of the
scripture that have been accepted.
But this 27, this was a time they were first accepted.
And from then, every other person around the world accepted the 27.
Every other person.
Every believer.
As I'm talking now, there is no contention on the 27.
Every believer in the world.
Whatever sect.
Catholic, the orthodox, Coptic, whatever, Protestant, everything.
There is a great consensus that it is the 27 books that can be considered with authority
that they are also scriptures.
Now what were the criteria?
With something we call canonicity of scripture.
What were the criteria they used to be able to put these 27 books together?
Now as we have already noted, that was a criteria when we are dealing with the issue of why should
we consider the section now, the section of the Bible we call the New Testament also scriptures.
We noted two important things.
But that was the major thing they looked at as the major criteria.
That if any writings, any writing that must be considered sacred must pass these two.
The top two.
One, that it has a singularity of message.
And that it is consistent with the prophecies of the prophets, the teachings of Jesus and
of the apostles.
Because of course it cannot deviate.
Because the teachings of Jesus and of the apostles are actually based on the prophecy
of the prophets.
So that means it must have singularity of message.
It must be about Christ and Christ alone.
Or it must be about salvation through faith in Christ alone.
That is the first criteria.
So any book that is being suggested that it could be sacred, it has to pass that that
book in question, does it have a singularity of message or does it contradict the message
of the gospel?
The second thing is that it must have been written by an apostle or at least a companion
of an apostle, which means that not a third generation, for example, if let's say Pasochidi
is an apostle, the early apostle, and then Pastor Custin was his companion.
And Pastor Custin is the only person which is the first.
If Pasochidi did not write anything, now Pastor Custin, if he writes anything, it can be accepted.
But not the disciple of Pastor Custin, because that is a second generation.
No, no, no.
So that means is either you are an apostle or you are an associate, which means that
you were together in ministry together, which means that whatever you write definitely is
the gospel taught by the apostle, because everything as at that moment, it was the apostles
who taught it.
So anyone that is an associate, you understand, or a companion, so to say.
Now, remember, I'm not even talking about I'm using the word very carefully.
Companion or associate is different from a disciple, so to say, you understand.
So the associate is not really like someone whom, yes, he definitely was obtained his
message from the apostle, but he's not more or less like someone who was just trained,
so to say, from the scratch.
You understand.
He must be someone who worked together as partners with the apostles.
And then, of course, the message definitely must have come from the apostles.
So these are things.
So you can find out, for example, Luke writing, because he was a companion of Apostle Paul.
Mark.
Yes, he worked with them also.
Hebrews, remember we read last week in Hebrews chapter two, verse two, particularly verse
three, he said, which was confirmed to us by those who saw him, meaning that the writer
must have been an associate who had, just like Luke, who received his message from them,
who were with him.
Good, OK.
Now, having understood this, the question is that what are Gnostic's gospel?
Just the same way we treated Apocrypha in the Old Testament.
Let me just take some time to just run some few things so that we get to understand.
Now Gnostic's gospel, let me just put some thought here.
The Gnostic gospel are ancient religious writing.
Now it was just a term used now to just categorize ancient writings, the ancient religious, their
religious writing actually, that falsely claim, please note that word, they are majority of
them.
I'm coming, I will note some things.
But majority of all the writings as in classical as Gnostic gospel are actually ancient religious
writing that falsely claim to be written by famous biblical figures.
So that means they just put the names of either apostles or some prominent biblical figures
on those writings so that they could gain acceptance.
But they falsely claim that they were written by those people.
For example, Peter, Thomas, Mary, you understand.
So that's the first thing you have to know about the Gnostic gospel.
That is up to today, we don't know and we don't have an idea who wrote them.
But many of them carry the title of prominent biblical characters.
So which means that they are trying to assert that those biblical characters were the one
who wrote it.
That's one thing I wanted to know about that.
The second thing I wanted to note is that, of course, before the discovery of these writings,
there are some already, I mean, before the majority of the Gnostic gospel were found,
there were a few that have been here and there discovered by different scholars.
But in 1945, what we know today as the Gnostic gospel so much gained clarity by the discovery
of some documents in 1945.
They are called the Nakamandi Library.
Nakamandi is H-A-G, H-A-G, then H-A-M-M-A-D-I, Nak, then Hamandi.
They call it Nakamandi Library.
There are collections of materials that have been discovered in Egypt.
Why they call it there, because that is a town, Nakamandi is a town just near the place
where they were discovered, the documents.
So these documents, they are a collection of about 13 books.
And these books contain about 53 Noxist texts, 52, 52, there are about 52 particularly.
So you can see that they are much.
They are really much.
So now, however, although they are called the word gospel, Gnostic gospel, actually
there is nothing gospel there, because the evidence in them already shows significant
deviations and theology and even contradict events completely.
So all their evidence, so we don't even need to look elsewhere to know that these actually
material are actually Gnostic.
We don't need to look elsewhere, because in the material themselves, there are evidence
that they can show to us that these materials are not written by the name that they carry,
and they cannot be inspired by God.
They cannot be inspired by God.
So what is Gnostic or Gnosticism?
From the word Gnosticism.
Gnosticism is spelled G-N-O-S-T-I-C.
G-N-O-S-T-I-C means Gnostic, or if it is a religion, it's called Gnosticism.
Now Gnostic is a term that is synonymous to ambiguity in the sense.
It's like an ambiguous religious sect, very difficult to know what is their stance.
In fact, until 1945, when we had those documents so much, it was very difficult to really grab
what is actually their belief.
Most of the religion in the world, you can clearly say, this is what they believe, this
is what they believe, this is what they believe.
But the Gnosticism or the Gnostic religion has more than 50 sects.
So the emanate is a combination of different ideas from different religions, many different
religions put together.
This religion, if you use the word, in fact, let's just clarify the term Gnosticism or
Gnostic.
Actually, Gnosticism comes from the word Gnosis, that is G-N-O-S-I-S.
It's a Greek word, Gnosis.
I believe that those of us who have heard Buster Custin and other things, and I think
Basochidi also talked about it, Epignosis.
You know about Epignosis.
Yes.
So Gnosis in Greek means knowledge.
If you look at it just broadly, Gnosticism has to do with attaining salvation.
That's what they believe.
Attaining salvation through esoteric knowledge.
So it's not just only just knowledge, but the knowledge is esoteric.
What is esoteric?
They believe in a special kind of knowledge or a secret or hidden knowledge that is not
given to everyone.
That's all we mean.
When you say something is esoteric, E-S-O-R-T-E-R-I-C, you are talking about something that is not
common, that is something that is only given to special people.
So when you said Gnosticism, you are talking about people who believe that salvation can
be earned through that kind of special knowledge, but the knowledge is given just for some special
people.
You understand?
So they can add all kinds of things here and there.
So I want to remind you also that we have not yet finished with this problem because
today we still have people who believe that God can still reveal something to them specially
about himself that has not been revealed in scripture.
So already when you hear a person saying something like that, you know that he is also a practicing
Gnostic or is in Gnosticism.
Meaning that he is a person who wants to accord to himself a special class in Christianity,
meaning that everybody is not the same now.
Are we together?
So don't think that we have finished with the problem.
No, Gnosticism is still here up to today and I'm going to show you as we continue.
Also it's important to pay attention.
So remember what I said that it promotes or emphasizes the idea that salvation can be
obtained through that special knowledge.
So they promote it.
So they believe in everything spiritual because they are talking about this special knowledge.
Of course, it cannot be physical.
It cannot be common.
It cannot be what you can just get anyhow.
No, no.
So you can see these people or those in practicing Gnosticism in this way.
So they teach that all material things including body, your body, this one, every material
thing that you see today, they are bad.
That's what they believe.
And all spiritual things are considered good.
All spiritual things.
So anything that is, again, I want to know today, if you are a type that just believe
that some things are just evil because they are physical, then you see you are also a
practicing Gnostic or one who is practicing Gnosticism because that's what they believe
that everything that is physical is bad.
So they see this body, listen to this one, they see this body as an enemy.
That is, they are like a prison that trapped your spirit.
And the only way you can be freed from it is only by having this special knowledge because
you can be freed from your body when you continue to engage this special knowledge.
I hope you are getting me.
I want to show you where Apostle Paul was dealing with that problem also.
Are we together?
So glory to Jesus.
Amen.
So they believe that we are trapped.
Like some people are confused also that they are a male trapped in a woman's body.
That's a special Gnostic demonstration.
Are we together?
So what am I trying to say?
So the knowledge that you acquire, that special knowledge that you acquire was the key to
freeing your body, sorry to freeing your spirit from this bondage you call body.
So because everything material is evil.
That is a complete divergence or is an anti-message of scripture.
Now let me show you some places where Paul was addressing some of these problems.
So remember, this does not emanate now.
In fact, Gnosticism started even before the time of Jesus.
It only became rooted during the early church, became prominent.
Are we together?
Good.
Now I will show you later on how it became prominent.
Now look with me Colossians chapter 2 verse 9.
Let's read verse 8 then I'll read 9.
Beware!
Lest anyone cheat you through what?
Philosophies.
So please note that word philosophy.
An empty deceit according to the basic principle of the world and not according to Christ.
So there were some philosophical ideas at that moment and they are deceptive.
So Paul noted it, he said be careful.
They sound very good to the ear.
He said be careful.
He said they are based according to the tradition of men.
According to the basic principle of the world and not according to Christ.
Verse 9.
For in him dwell all the fullness of the Godhead.
Now when you see four, they are together.
That means, can you see some relation?
That means that philosophical idea or ideology that Paul was warning the Colossians.
Are we together?
He was warning the Colossians.
It has to do that there is some special revelation that is beyond the incarnation.
Because when you say four, in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Meaning that that idea is trying to dis or play or downplay the incarnation of Christ.
Seeking for a higher revelation, a higher meaning.
Now we said they are all concerned about some esoteric knowledge.
Are we together?
So Paul was warning.
Now look at me, go to verse 20.
Therefore if you die with Christ from the basic principle of the world, why as though
living in the world do you subject yourself to regulations?
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concerning things which perish with
the using, according to the commandment and doctrine of men.
These things indeed have an appearance of what?
You see that?
You see why Paul is warning them?
He says these things have indeed or indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed
religion.
You see that thing?
Self-imposed religion, false humility and what?
A neglect of the body, but of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
See this is an idea here.
Because the body had to be neglected, need to be tormented because the body is termed
as the enemy.
Actually this is a twist on Paul's teaching concerning the flesh in Galatians.
You remember Galatians?
So you see most of this religion are actually a twist from the real thing.
Remember in Galatians Paul was talking about, maybe let's read that please, Galatians chapter
5 in the same.
Look at verse 17, for the flesh lost against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh
and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.
But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.
This seems to be that is a twist of this message that okay since the flesh is contrary to the
spirit, let's deal with this flesh.
But which flesh is Paul talking about?
Remember, come with me.
Look at Peter, 2 Peter chapter 3.
Peter actually talked about these people who twist Paul's message.
In 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 15, he said, and consider that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation as also our beloved brother Paul according to
the wisdom given to him as written to you.
Verse 16, as also in all his epistles, in all his epistles, speaking in them of the
things in which are some things are hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people
twist to their own destruction as they do also the rest of the scripture.
Now please read this place very carefully.
Paul did not say that his letters are hard to understand, but they are hard to understand
to some people.
Who are these people?
They are people who are unstable, untaught.
Speaking in them of the things in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught
and unstable people twist to their own destruction as they do also the rest of the scripture.
So I feel that this Gnosticism, Gerut, remember they say as other scriptures, as of this time,
they are describing other scriptures as the Genesis to Malachi.
So these people now have seen Paul's letters and say, aha, this one, that what he's teaching
is not correct.
And then they twist it.
Then they keep twisting it as they do other scripture.
So we can see Paul was warning that be careful.
Look at, let me read maybe two scriptures again, where he was in this time around warning
Timothy.
Look at Timothy.
First Timothy chapter six, verse 20, first Timothy chapter six, verse 20.
Oh Timothy, God what was committed to your trust, avoiding profane and idle babbling
and contradiction of what is falsely called knowledge.
I want you to know that.
So Paul identified there is something, a knowledge that was prevalent at that time.
And Paul regarded that that is a false knowledge by professing it, some have strayed concerning
the faith.
Grace be with you, amen.
Let me read the last one.
But let me read in Corinthians.
Corinthians, first Corinthians one, verse 20, first Corinthians one.
Where is a wise, where is a scribe, where is the disputer of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleases
God through the foolishness of the message, preached to save those who believe.
For Jews request a sign and the Greeks after what?
Now I want you to know the word Greeks after wisdom.
The Jew require a sign, but the Greek seek after wisdom.
And remember what we have been discussing is more of philosophies, knowledge, wisdom,
all that.
Because narcissism, you will see that it is actually an injection of Greek philosophy.
So the Greek seeks after wisdom.
But we preach Christ crucified, you see that?
Because he was talking about where are those who talk about wisdom?
Understand, has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world for sins?
Verse 21, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God.
It pleases God through the foolishness of the message of message, preach to save those
who believe.
For the Jews request a sign and Greek seek after wisdom.
And we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greek foolishness.
But to those who are called both Jews and Greek, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than
men.
So heresy did not start today.
Culture did not start today.
You can see how culture can contaminate the gospel.
So although the early church didn't even use the term narcissism, the idea were actually
all that idea blossom during their time.
That word, narcissism or Gnostic is a modern coinage.
In fact, credited to one 17th century philosopher called Henry Moore.
He was the one who coined that word Gnostic or Gnosticism to describe heretic writings.
So the discovery of this MacHarmandy library in 1945, gave more light to these Gnostic
idea because we now have a lot to read about those writings.
It should be noted, as I said earlier on, that not all those scriptures categorize or
writings, not scriptures, writings categorize as Gnostic are explicitly, I mean, like clearly
or very vividly Gnostic.
You understand?
There were about three, particularly, particularly three that were Egyptian wisdom texts.
So some of them were just three, but majority are actually against the message of Christ
directly.
And so each of the book that has been found to be called the Gnostic text have been found
to be in Coptic language.
That is, they were written in Coptic.
Some of them actually few are Greek.
But however, there is a reason to believe that they were all translated to Coptic because
Coptic is actually a language that is related to Greek and ancient Egyptian, but because
Coptic is an Egyptian language, so to say.
So you could find out that some of these texts that were found, you see them actually translated
in Coptic, but they are heading is actually Greek.
Of course, there is one particular, they call it the secret book of James.
The author acknowledged that it has been written in Hebrew.
So that means it was written in Hebrew.
That's also show an idea that this idea of the Gnosticism started even probably before
the church.
So that means that the secret book of James, I don't know why they titled it that way.
The secret book of James, you understand, it was written because the author in described
that he wrote it in Hebrew.
So it must have been translated to Greek and then to Coptic.
So as we all talked about it.
Now you could see that clearly where we read last here in first Corinthians, when Paul
was talking about wisdom, where are those, you understand, where are those?
I wanted to see it please quickly.
Look at what Paul was talking about here.
Verse 20, he said, where is the wise?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the disputer?
He said of this age has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Now that means he's capitalizing on philosophies and wisdom of men brought about, which we've
seen many things.
He warned Timothy about it.
He said falsely knowledge or falsely called knowledge.
And then later on he was talking about, he said, for Jew requested a sign and the Greeks
after wisdom.
So this idea of was made more profound by the injection of the Greek philosophies, understand,
which now began to seek because they are the one who seek for higher knowledge.
In fact, that is the origin of what we call class in society.
All these, all these, all these class we are talking about.
In fact, that's the idea if you study many, I do that, that's the idea of slavery.
Where it came that some people are believed to have higher wisdom above others.
That is naturally the, when they were created, they were created as nobles to the aristocrats,
you understand, to rule generally, never actually to walk.
They are just to sit down and be thinking.
Then other ones that are from Africa, they are the one that should be working for those
ones who are meant to be thinking, who are meant to be noble.
That is where the idea of slavery came from, that the Western world now grabbed it and
then continue to implement.
So what am I trying to see?
I'm trying to know that in fact, there's one German theologians, his name is Adolf von
Hammack.
In fact, he called Gnosticism an acute Hellenization of Christianity from the word Hellenist.
You know, remember we talked about Hellenistic Jews, those people who left their land scattered
around that area, you understand, because the word Hellenism or Hellenization is talking
about the spread of the Greek culture.
So he was talking about that this issue of the Coptic, I'm sorry, the issue of the Gnostic
or Gnosticism is actually the infusion or the contamination of Christianity with the
culture of the Greek or the Greek culture.
And that is what we have whereby some special kind of knowledge, you understand, is promoted
that is based on philosophies promoted that is a way out of to give a man salvation or
to give a man salvation from the miseries of the physical life because the physical,
anything physical is looked about as bad.
So as I conclude for today, you understand, why did the Gnostic gospel carry the name
of biblical figures?
As I have noted earlier on, they do that for validation, for credibility, you understand,
but in the material themselves contains evidence that contradicts the stance of even the biblical
figures in which or whose names have been used to actually name those writings.
However, just to note to you again, all Christians, Catholic, Orthodox Christians, Protestants,
all of them consider the Gnostic gospel that they are not inspired, they are not divinely
inspired and should or cannot be among the canon and not be among the canon.
Thus, all the different Bible translation we have to be all of them.
None at anything they have a they have an consensus and an agreement that the 27 books
are the inspired Word of God.
They are the inspired Word of God.
Now I want to just read before we just conclude, I want to read something.
Let me project it for you just to have a test of really how some of these Gnostic gospel
are actually bizarre.
Oh, like I said, they are actually out of term, you understand.
You can find them online, you know, as I did during the apocrypha, I just read some few
things in the sand that you can answer this by giving arms.
Let me show you another one.
Yeah, but in the case, okay, I'll leave the secret book of James.
Maybe I'll just let me let's let's go to Peter.
They say the gospel of Peter.
Yes, gospel of Peter.
Oh, can you see my screen?
Or is it okay?
He has gone again.
No, I have to read this one.
He doesn't want me to read this Gnostic gospel.
Yes, so I was telling us here if you see all the various ones that have apocrypha, for
example, the Catholic, the Eastern Orthodox, and all that remember, see under here, we
have 27 books, 27 books of the New Testament, 27 books of the New Testament.
So this was they are not even the protestant the protestants, of course, as we noted, have
36 books of the Old Testament.
That's nice.
Sorry, that nine and then 27 of the Old Testament.
But then you can see that even though this one's have apocrypha, but when it comes to
the New Testament, they actually agree that it is 27.
Then let me show us the.
So this is the this is a first 11 the Gnostics text before before the Normandy Library discovery
in 1945.
You will see the Act of Thomas, the Act of John.
We have other ones up down to what we call the Amatica.
In the sun, they are by 11.
So this were actually known we have in the Gospel of Mary.
In the sun, we have the wisdom of Jesus Christ is on the O's yet.
Yes, saying that it was Jesus that wrote it.
I don't know that Jesus wrote anything.
But we now know that Jesus didn't write anything.
Anything that we do, we are written by some people concerning.
Amen.
OK, let me.
So these are the they are divided based according to the Codex.
By now, you know what Codex means.
So you can see the prayer of Apostle Paul.
We even have another one, the prayer of Apostle Paul.
Then we have the Gospel of Truth.
Of course, we have the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip.
And we have Exegesis of the Soul.
And all that Codex three, we have also some of them you can see that is a petition.
The reason because different codex, I think there has been some copying also just the
same way you note in this this this one will copy from this.
This one will copy from the so the Codex that we have found some of them carries the other
ones.
That's why you're seeing a petition.
This is according to Codex.
Let me show you the last part.
Yes, this one they are also so they are about as I said, they are about 52.
You have to understand different.
I mean, 52 writings.
So let me just.
As I said, lastly, let's let me read this in a time.
This is the Gospel of Peter versus starting to 42.
The Gospel of Peter.
Now, I want you to when I read just just just feel whether it is because I was writing this
in a time.
But study was a noun.
When the morning of the Sabbath down a crowd from Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside
went that they might see the grave that had been seen, that is, they are talking about
the great grief of Jesus.
So before Jesus resurrected according to Peter, not Peter, the Gospel of Peter, that the crowd
when they had to see in the sun, but 35.
But during the night before the last day down, while the soldiers we are standing or we are
watching two by two as guards, there was a great voice in heaven.
First 36.
And they saw the heavens being open and two men descended from there, having much radiance
and they approached the tomb.
But the stone, which had been placed at the mouth, rolled away by itself and made a way
made way in parts and the tomb was open and both the young men went in.
You see that?
So the young men went in.
I hope you are following me.
Yes.
Was that it?
Then those soldiers seeing it woke up the centurion and the elders because they were
there to keeping guard.
And while they were explaining to them what they saw, again, they saw three men.
Remember how many men went in?
Remember how many when they say went in?
Look at here.
They said two men went in and suddenly now three men.
You see that three men coming out of the tomb with the two supporting the one.
So presumably the third one is Jesus.
So they are supporting Jesus.
And a cross following them behind.
So they were supporting and so the cross was walking, following them behind.
And the head of the two, that's the two men who came in, reaches as far as heaven.
But that of the one being led by them reaches beyond the heavens.
That's the third person.
And they heard a voice from heaven saying, have you proclaimed to those who sleep?
And the response was heard from the cross.
So the cross say yes.
You know, the cross that was following the cross, I was only behind that answer and say
yes.
That's 43.
Then those men decided to go with each other and report these things to Pilate.
That's 44.
And while they were still considering, again the heavens were seen being opened and a certain
man descended and went into the grave.
Did Jesus return to the grave again?
That's 45.
Having seen these things, those with the centurion poured by night to Pilate, having left the
tomb, they were watching and described all that they saw being greatly distressed and
saying, truly he was the son of God.
That's interesting.
You can imagine there by just titling it the Gospel of Peter, presumably that was Peter
who wrote this.
Hallelujah.
So you can see how confused some of these things can be.
Now what are we trying to say in general as we, because my time is up, you can know that
you can give it a title, maybe you give it a subheading, you know the Bible that gives
subheading.
Maybe you give subheading to this one.
I don't know what you give it.
Whether you say it's a walking, talking cross, or you say the man that descended and ascended
into the tomb, whichever one you give or quote.
Now what are we trying to see?
I'm trying to make you to appreciate that the idea of writing bizarre things didn't
start today and it will end.
This is what the apostles have to stand against, the early church facing.
Today we are facing it.
When people come with all kinds of ideas, unfortunately, this is why sometimes we have
to scrutinize what we believe.
We have to scrutinize what we are teaching.
We have to scrutinize where is it coming from?
Who taught it?
By who?
Where is the idea coming?
These days you hear some people say, especially sometimes our music ministers, it was given
to me from heaven.
I mean you just wonder what is the meaning of that?
Just to sound special, just to sound that it was a revelation uniquely given to them.
And then you are wondering that is a Gnostic practice.
It is a common faith, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
It is there's nothing unique to you.
You cannot privatize revelation.
You can't.
You cannot privatize revelation.
Not at all.
That is another religion coming into.
So even now we have to be careful.
Our music ministers, sometimes in the world they know how to chant, rap and do all those
kinds of things.
We have tongues.
If you speak in tongues, you don't need to do one incantation, incantation, incantation
again.
So today we are even, it is a very thin line.
You don't even know whether the music minister is singing incantation or he's actually praying
in tongues.
So you don't even understand.
We are gradually bringing all those things into the church.
So we have to be careful what we teach while it is being done in church.
Our practice must be founded on the scripture.
Every revelation has been revealed.
We just need to read.
Amen.
So when we come next time, we will ask because there are some arguments that the, because
there are some arguments in the Bible, there are some books that are, that even the apostles
make mention and they are not weird to be found.
You understand?
For example, he told the Laoduchians, you understand?
He said he was telling the Corinthians, take this letter to the Laoduchians and also collect
the one from the Laoduchians and bring it to lit.
But today we don't have any letter to the Laoduchians.
So where is it?
So some of some unscrupulous element entered the church creepily, I mean, without knowing
and they are arguing that some of these lost writings, part of them is the north.
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