Gnostic - Grace without Faith

Though we have already covered the Gnostics roots of Calvin's TULIP, we will look a little deeper into the Grace that the Gnostics believed that have recieved. The reason being that the Scriptures are clear that it is by faith that we recieve Grace, yet the Gnostics taught that they recieved a special grace that decended from above.

Irenaeus [A.D. 120–202.]

Against Heresies: Book I
Chapter VI.--The threefold kind of man feigned by these heretics: good works needless for them, though necessary to others: their abandoned morals.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.ii.vii.html

 

4. And committing many other abominations and impieties, they run us down (who from the fear of God guard against sinning even in thought or word) as utterly contemptible and ignorant persons, while they highly exalt themselves, and claim to be perfect, and the elect seed. For they declare that we simply receive grace for use, wherefore also it will again be taken away from us; but that they themselves have grace as their own special possession, which has descended from above by means of an unspeakable and indescribable conjunction; and on this account more will be given them.