The Marcion Heresy

Bob

Ecc 1:9 (NIV) - "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

The German philosopher Georg Hegel famously said, “The only thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”

I became intrigued by a 2,000 year-old heresy that still exerts a strong influence upon contemporary Christianity. Specifically, it is currently fashionable to speak of the "unconditional love of God." But only someone who does not know their Bible can think that God's love is unconditional. Throughout both the OT and NT, God blesses and curses. He rewards the righteous but punishes the wicked. He takes some to Heaven but sends others to Hell. His love is very great, but there are limits to His patience and mercy. The Bible clearly shows that God's love is conditional. So why do so most contemporary Christians believe otherwise?

Erich Fromm, a german psychoanalyst, coined the term "unconditional love" in 1934. He associated it with motherly love, in contrast to fatherly love, which he defined as conditional. His premise was that a mother would love her child regardless of its actions, while a father would only cherish it on the terms of good behavior and accomplishment.

The notion that God's love is unconditional is an ancient heresy that started with Marcion in the earliest days of the Church (circa 100 AD). Paul, the Apostle John, and all of the early church fathers warned against the false doctrines of Marcion. Marcion taught that there are two different Gods in the Bible: the bungling angry God of the OT vs. the kind God of unconditional love in the NT . Marcion also taught that the OT was made void by the NT. He rejected all of the OT, from Genesis to Malachi. Marcion also rejected most of the NT as well, retaining only a highly modified version of Luke's gospel plus 9 of Paul's letters. To top it all off, Marcion denied the incarnation of Christ. He was really a bad dude! Nevertheless, Marcion had many followers and his heresies continue to influence many churchgoers (and not a few pastors!) today in a milder, less recognizable form.

  1. Instead of believing in two separate Gods as Marcion taught, many Christians mistakenly believe that God’s character somehow changed from wrathful to loving (or that He went on Prosac*) somewhere between the OT and NT. This is a watered-down version of Marcion's two-Gods teaching.
    (*Prozac increases the levels of serotonin in the brain and has a good influence on mood, emotion and sleep.)

  2. Marcion’s rejection of the Old Testament persists in the modern church as a widespread belief that the Old Testament is inferior and less worthy of study than the New Testament. But you can't properly understand the NT without the OT; it's one continous story. Modern Christians also struggle to understand the book of Revelation. This is partly due to the fact that there are approximately 400 OT references in Revelation. If you don't know the OT, Revelation will be harder to understand. Unfamiliarity with the OT has also led to a modern worldview of Christianity that favors the rational and rejects the supernatural.

  3. Finally, Marcionism has led to a modern resurgence of "universalism," the belief that God's love is unconditional and consequently everyone will go to Heaven- regardless of how they lived on Earth.

But Jesus said (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV),

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

According to Jesus, Heaven is a minority destination. But pastor Rob Bell wrote a popular book in 2011 called "Love Wins" that argued strongly for "universalism," the belief that everyone will go to Heaven. He was widely applauded by woke Christians and liberal divinity schools. Compare what Bell says (below) vs. what Jesus said.

"A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in Hell with no chance for anything better. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus' message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.

Rob Bell is simply selling the old Marcion heresy using contemporary modern English. IMO most American Christians have (thoughtlessly) accepted the unconditional love heresy. Google lists 25 million hits for the phrase "unconditional love of God." There is nothing to fear from a God of unconditional love, who will allow us to do whatever we want and still give us a good outcome. We can have our cake and eat it too! This is one reason why the doctrine of unconditional love is so popular - both in the time of Marcion and now. But a God of conditional love is a bit scary because with this kind of God our choices have consequences. His mercy and love have limits. He curses and blesses. He punishes and rewards. He is someone to love but also to fear. A good outcome will not happen "automagically" with this kind of God. Instead, we must live according His rules and ways.

Sloppy Agape - Belief in a God of unconditional love encourages "sloppy agape" in the contemporary church - the belief that we really do not need to deal with our sin because God won't hold us accountable. Therefore, many feel safe to live sloppy lives, obeying God only when it is convenient or self-serving. Some day they will regret their decision!

Summary - Like weeds in a garden, heresies appeared as soon as the early Church began 2000 years ago. And they didn't automagically disappear over the years. In particular, the heresies of Marcion (circe 100 AD) continue to influence Christian beliefs in our time. Now you are equipped to recognize them. Look for people or churches that teach:

  • Sloppy Agape
  • Angry OT God vs. Loving NT God
  • Universalism (everyone goes to Heaven)
  • OT outdated/replaced by NT