Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In lecture five of our Church History series we will be examining the emergence of the first heresies which attacked the purity of the gospel in the first two centuries. Firstly legalism, the adding of law and rules to grace as necessary for salvation, an issue Paul confronts in his letter to the Galatians, and secondly, Gnosticism in its various forms which is addressed in 3 New Testament letters.
The line between a legalistic church and cults is very thin, and sadly, some cross that line. In Gnosticism, self-appointed prophets and apostles claim a higher level of spiritual knowledge, that they have the power to impart spiritual gifts and anointing power, to bring ordinary Christians to a new level. Sound familiar.
In lecture five we explore how these heresies manifested in the early Church, and point out how they have re-emerged today in various denominations.
00:01 Introduction and Definition
02:04 Early Heresies: Legalism
05:48 Early Heresies: Gnosticism
06:37 Gnosticism: (1) Exclusivity (Secret Knowledge)
11:21 Gnosticism: (2) Dualism
13:12 Gnosticism: (3) The Gnostic Gospels
16:30 Gnosticism: (4) Docetism
18:24 Gnosticism: (5) Marcion
19:36 Responses: (1) Scriptural Defence
21:17 Responses: (2) Role of Tradition and Canon of Scripture
22:58 Responses: (3) Learning from the Past
In lecture five of our Church History series we will be examining the emergence of the first heresies which attacked the purity of the gospel in the first two centuries. Firstly legalism, the adding of law and rules to grace as necessary for salvation, an issue Paul confronts in his letter to the Galatians, and secondly, Gnosticism in its various forms which is addressed in 3 New Testament letters.
The line between a legalistic church and cults is very thin, and sadly, some cross that line. In Gnosticism, self-appointed prophets and apostles claim a higher level of spiritual knowledge, that they have the power to impart spiritual gifts and anointing power, to bring ordinary Christians to a new level. Sound familiar.
In lecture five we explore how these heresies manifested in the early Church, and point out how they have re-emerged today in various denominations.
00:01 Introduction and Definition
02:04 Early Heresies: Legalism
05:48 Early Heresies: Gnosticism
06:37 Gnosticism: (1) Exclusivity (Secret Knowledge)
11:21 Gnosticism: (2) Dualism
13:12 Gnosticism: (3) The Gnostic Gospels
16:30 Gnosticism: (4) Docetism
18:24 Gnosticism: (5) Marcion
19:36 Responses: (1) Scriptural Defence
21:17 Responses: (2) Role of Tradition and Canon of Scripture
22:58 Responses: (3) Learning from the Past
