I would just like to say that everything in life doesn't come down to some super spiritual root of sin like pride or fear or whatever. Our spirit is a very crucial part of us and I believe so strongly in the reality of a spiritual realm that surpasses our own reality. But God is a down to earth God! ...literally! He came down to this earth and walked and talked. He had relationship with people and called the little children unto Himself. He never once gave the impression that knowing Him, knowing truth, was hard and complicated, mystical and deep...
Gnosticism was a form of heresy in the first century and afterward. It was a heresy built on pride - you had to attain to higher and higher levels of knowledge in order to know God.
Sometimes I think gnosticism is still around. ...as if you had attain to some higher and higher level of spirituality in order to know God and have intimacy with Him. Well, I think it is quite the opposite. I think we have to go lower and lower, and become as lowly and simple as little children in order to know God and experience intimacy with Him.
Those of us who come from Bible college face a real danger of falling into "gnosticism". We are blessed with so much spiritual knowledge, but also have insecurities that tempt us to compare our own spirituality with that of others.
O God, help us to know you in simplicity! Help us to meet you down to earth, lowly and contrite in spirit, and then let you take us in into higher places with you if you so desire.
