A Gnostic Looks at Jesus

Prior to the time of Constantine the Gnostic Christian Church lived side by side with the Literal Christian Church. When accused of heresy, the Gnostics responded that they believed in the same Jesus that the Literal Church did. The difference between the Gnostic and the Literal Christian, was in the scope of that belief. The Literal Christian looks to Jesus for salvation. There is no reason to believe that both Jesus (along with the Holy Spirit) means to make good on that belief. In short, it is not wrong to be a Literal Christian. The mistake, from a Gnostic point of view, is that it does not go far enough. The Gnostic believes that God, in the long view, means to save everyone, not just a chosen few. Those who do not believe as the Literal Christians do are not left out; as Jesus said, God has many mansions in His eternal home. The pathway to God includes not only salvation but "gnosis" or knowledge of God within oneself. Had the Gnostics been left alone in the time of Constantine, the Gnostic Church could easily live side by side with all of the Christian Churches which today are diverse, far flung and numerous; there are,among others, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, St. Thomas, Coptic, Ethiopian, Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and the many Protestant Churches, not forgetting the Mormons and other branches that have arisen from time to time. The Christian Church is a very big tent and today is far more diverse than in the time of Constantine. The one thing that unites all of these numerous off shoots of the Early Church of Jerusalem is a belief in Jesus Christ, although these beliefs vary greatly. Everything goes back to the Pentecost and the foundation of the Church by Paul, Peter and James the Just. The Gnostics were there at that time, and are still around today; many of them living within the framework of the Literal Church. No one has to deny their current beliefs to be a Gnostic. All you have to bring to the Gnostic Way is a desire to find God within yourself. This is the same message that Jesus brought when he said that the Kingdom of God is within us all, although most of us are unaware of this fact. It was Jesus' message then, and it is the Gnostic message today.