Docetism and the Mandate for Dominion

Docetism denies Christ’s true incarnation and, in doing so, empties Christianity of its power in history. By treating salvation as escape from the material world rather than deliverance from sin, it undermines God’s law, Christ’s kingship, and the biblical call to exercise dominion.

The incarnate, crucified, and risen Christ redeems flesh and history, restoring His people to righteous rule under God. Dominion is not unspiritual—it is the fruit of the true gospel lived out in obedience.

Docetism: The Crippling Heresy

Docetism denies the full humanity of Christ, treating His incarnation as a mere appearance rather than real flesh and blood. Scripture condemns this error plainly: “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh” (2 John 7). By spiritualizing Christ, Docetism also devalues God’s law, history, and the physical world, leading to retreatism and powerlessness in the church.

A Christ who is not truly incarnate cannot truly redeem. The gospel is not escape from the world, but Christ’s victory in the world—body and soul—calling His church to faithful obedience and dominion under Him.

Modern Gnosticism

Modern Gnosticism repeats an ancient error: it elevates elite “knowledge,” symbolism, and changing ideas above the plain Word of God. It rejects the literal meaning of Scripture, especially Genesis, downplays God’s law, and scorns ordinary believers as naïve, while adapting Christianity to current philosophy, science, and cultural fashion.

Whether in theology, art, politics, or even conservatism, modern Gnosticism replaces God’s unchanging truth with evolving meanings set by the spirit of the age. Yet Scripture remains clear: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot extinguish it” (John 1:5).