Marcion’s Heresy and the Occult

Ken Fish discusses Marcion in his presentation “Occult Spiritual Warfare” as an example of someone the early church identified as a heretic for his teachings and the outcome.

• Marcion’s Beliefs: Marcion, who lived in the western part of Turkey near Ephesus, was a figure in the early church who rejected the Old Testament. He believed that the God of the Old Testament was mean and different from the good God of the New Testament. Marcion also had a selective view of the New Testament, accepting only the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and some of Paul’s letters, while rejecting the Gospel of John, the letters of Peter and John, and the book of Revelation. He discarded these books because they spoke of an angry God and judgment, which did not align with his idea of a good God.
• Church Response: The early church councils excommunicated Marcion for his views, because he was not preaching Christianity. The church took a firm stance on the importance of the Old Testament as a foundation for Christian.
• Relevance to the Church Today: Fish highlights that Marcion’s ideas are echoed in some parts of the church today. He says that some modern theologians hold similar views, where they diminish the importance of the Old Testament and emphasize a view of God that is only loving and not also just. He mentions Greg Boyd as an example. Fish says that these ideas are not new, but a recycled version of Marcion’s heresy. Fish makes clear that Christians are grafted into the original “Jewish” tree and should not discard the Old Testament, but see it as a foundation of understanding for the New Testament. He goes on to say that although Christians are not required to follow the Mosaic law, there is wisdom and models in the Old Testament. Fish states that understanding the Old Testament is important to correctly understand the New Testament
• Theological Implications: Fish explains that if you are a Christian, you are also a Jew, grafted into the original tree. This means Christians are called to be strict monotheists, avoiding any form of idolatry and polytheism. He emphasizes that the Old Testament contains wisdom and paradigms for believers. He references the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, noting that he also addressed the issue of idolatry, indicating it is a major area of concern.

Fish uses the example of Marcion to warn against rejecting the Old Testament and emphasizes the importance of understanding that the same God exists in both the Old and New Testaments.

• Title: Occult Spiritual Warfare
• Speaker: Ken Fish
• Start Time: 46:30
• End Time: 48:22

Orbis Ministries – Link to Ken Fish’s Ministry material.