Example Of Gnosticism

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith rarely publishes a document. However, two modern mindsets make the true salvation offered by the Catholic Church “difficult to understand” and necessitate a critique. A new letter aims to counter these mindsets and deepen our grasp of salvation.

When the Pope speaks about creation or mercy, people cheer. However, he is concerned that the actual responses to his calls are few and often shallow. As a result, the Holy Father asked the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to study more substantially some of his preaching. The Congregation recently released the letter “On Certain Aspects of Christian Salvation.” The letter outlines Christian teaching on how to find happiness and peace

It’s all up to you, or at least, it’s up to us.

The letter explains that these mindsets reflect a return of two ancient heresies. Pelagianism is a heresy that denies original sin and supposes that you can save yourself. Gnosticism is a heresy that sees Jesus as one of several beings in a divine hierarchy and proposes that you can achieve salvation by enlightenment.

Against the new Pelagians, the Vatican emphasizes that, indeed, Jesus Christ is our great teacher and example–but He is more than that. His forgiveness goes before all our efforts. God the Son loved us while we were still sinners.

Against the new Gnostics, the Pope insists that salvation is not just a spiritual, interior experience. Salvation is not liberation from your body or your history. Instead, it means that divine grace touches the real you, body and soul, with all your history. Not only is your soul immortal, and made happy by coming to know this, but also your body is raised from the tomb, and soul and body together produce the fruits of redemption, acts of mercy and