Gnosticism and canon are as different as contemporary theological liberalism
and biblical orthodoxy! Indeed, the latest versions of liberalism
seek to create a “new” view of Christianity shorn of any notion of creed
or canon and based precisely on the faith of their ancient Gnostic counterparts.
While the early church in its most ancient creed affirmed the validity
of Scripture (1 Cor 15:3–8), the Gnostics spent a good part of their
time reviling those Scriptures—opting for a “canon within the canon”—
and the God, the Creator, who inspired them. This perennial heresy
returns today in various spiritual forms of paganized Christianity, but
they will not prevail against the historic rock of the biblical canon.
