The Gnostic conception of Salvation, is quite the opposite of the atonement theology of “institutional Christianity.” Atonement theology basically postulates that God created a good world, which then became corrupted and “fallen” when the first humans sinned by disobeying God. Their sin brought suffering and death to what was originally a perfect paradise. Redemption is brought about by Jesus Christ who is sent into the world by the Father in order to suffer and die on the cross thereby making up for our sins. Salvation is a sort of vicarious arrangement based upon believing that Jesus died for ones sins. Gnostic soteriology rejects this atonement concept completely. The Gnostic view is that the world was created flawed by a lower level flawed creator, a false god referred to as the Demiurge. Because this being imprinted its own flaws and limitations upon creation, this world is a realm of suffering. Ignorance of our own innate primordial nature, in other words, the radical alienation and separation from Authentic Reality a.k.a. God is the root of our suffering. Gnosis is knowledge of God and the means by which we may obtain salvation.
Does this mean that Gnostic Christians do not regard Jesus as their redeemer or savior? People who are only superficially acquainted with Gnostic Christianity often conclude that to the Gnostic salvation is an individual experience that does not require the intervention of a savior. We are not capable of salvation or liberation without transcendental assistance from messengers of Light sent to us from the highest Godhead. In the Gnostic Christian tradition, this is the Christos, the Logos, the Soter, who unites with us, making salvation, gnosis possible. It is through Christ and his resurrection that we awaken to the consciousness of who we are, where we come from, and where we are going, we have arrived at knowledge of the things that truly are. To the Gnostic Christian, Christ's resurrection is the mysterious inducement facilitating our own resurrection or awakening.
