Welcome to The Church of Christ Within. We are Gnostics. Followers of our church are called Hammadians, and our religion is named Hammadism. Come find out who we are.
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the True God, who is the Father of the All.
We believe Jesus was sent from heaven as the image of the Father, the true God. We believe he became the Fullness of Heaven’s Kingdom here on Earth after the breath descended upon him at the River Jordan during his baptism. We do not correlate the Father whom Jesus speaks of during his ministry with Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew Bible.
We believe in the authority of The Nag Hammadi Scriptures, The new testament*, The gospel of Peter, and the books of jeu and the untitled text in the bruce codex.
The four scriptures mentioned above comprise our holy canon, with The Nag Hammadi Scriptures being the cornerstone of our faith and main pillar of authority. While we use the term *New Testament for the scripture, it is to be noted that Hammadism sees this as a misnomer, as we do not connect the teachings of the Old Testament with the Father’s ministry.
We believe Christ was sent from the Fullness to give Knowledge, or Gnosis, of salvation to the Father’s children.
We do not believe Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was an atonement for our sins. We believe he was crucified because of his persistence in teaching and sharing the Father’s truth fearlessly in an era when the Jewish Pharisees held great power. Hammadism believes salvation comes from understanding the knowledge, or more specifically the gnosis, Jesus Christ taught.
we believe the father is pure spirit and transcends the material realm.
As stated in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” We understand this to mean worshipping the Father through an inward and spiritual relationship with Him. We do not believe in the need for priests or preachers; we believe the Father is accessible to all His children when they come to Understanding.
We believe in the father, the mother, and the child, and reject Nicene Trinitarianism.
We believe three heavenly powers come from the Great Invisible Spirit: the Father, the Mother, and the Child. Therefore, we are not in alignment with the Nicene Creed, a mainstream Christian statement of faith created in the 4th century.
our official name is ‘The Church of Christ Within’, but, hammadian church works, too.
In official press releases and formal documents, the church will use its formal title: The Church of Christ Within. However, in social media, non-official documents, and other various bodies of published literature, the church may use Hammadian Church to refer to itself as well. Colloquially, Hammadian Church is fine, too.
followers are called hammadians and hammadism is the short-hand for our religion.
Followers of The Church of Christ Within are called Hammadians, and Hammadism is an acceptable shorthand for the name of our religion.
We are a gnostic religion.
Gnosticism is an ancient belief that a divine spark dwells within the children of the Father of the All. We believe He is of pure spirit, and His being transcends this entire material realm. While there are many different sects of ancient and modern Gnosticism, as with other Christian religions, we are mostly a Neo-Sethian religion. The church also accepts varying degrees of teaching from Hermeticism and Valentinianism. We recognize that The Nag Hammadi Scriptures are a unique collection of texts, with some varying views of the material realm. However, even through minor differences of scriptures, the Father’s children can come to Understanding, and know His Love. Hammadians believe that when we do this, we can return to the Fullness of Heaven’s Kingdom, and rest with the One forever.
We have no physical church.
We do not believe in the need for a physical place of worship, as the Father’s divine spark, His actual essence, dwells within us. However, Hammadians are free to congregate as they please.
We emphasize sobriety, but do not command it.
Hammadism is not a command-giving religion. However, we do believe the best way to know the Father of the All is through a sober lifestyle. Gnosticism requires an intrinsic degree of focus, and through dedicated study of our scriptures, we may gain the tools to liberate ourselves and return to the Fullness of Heaven’s Kingdom.
We read a specific kind of new testament called The unvarnished new testament.
The Church of Christ Within uses only The Unvarnished New Testament because it is the closest modern-day translation from Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament.
we will never try to sell you anything or ask for your money.
The Church of Christ Within will never ask for your money, place information behind a paywall, or ask you to purchase a subscription. If someone who claims to be associated with the Hammadian Church does so, please know that we are unaffiliated with them or their organization.
Anyone can be a Hammadian.
While we understand the unique nature of Gnosticism, any individual from any background is welcome to join The Church of Christ Within and call themselves a Hammadian.
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