Dealing with Humanism

     Another ‘ism’ very much active today is humanism.  Again, looking to Webster, humanism is defined as a philosophy that rejects the presence of supernatural influence in one’s life and stresses individual dignity and worth; the capacity for self-realization.  A humanist believes in the autonomy of the individual.

     One of the basic teachings in the Bible is the sufficiency of God’s provision for His people.

     “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land…to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant…then beware, lest you forget the LORD…”  Deuteronomy 6:10-12a

     Note the warning to Israel not to forget the source of their manifold blessings.  All is contingent on obedience to God’s revealed standard of righteousness and justice.  Adherence brings untold blessings while disobedience or forgetting God’s commandments brings untold curses.

     “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”  Deuteronomy 8:18

     This verse reminds the Israelites again that they would not achieve, rather it is God who would give, even the power to get wealth.

     Regarding the autonomy of the individual, King David addressed the sovereignty of God and His presence and influence in the life of the individual.

     “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”  Psalm 139:8-10

     The Spirit of God is not only present with man, the Spirit of God is within all who not only recognizes the sovereignty of God but commits to that sovereignty.

     Further in that same beautiful Psalm David reveals more about God’s presence and oversight of those who love Him.

     “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb…Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”  Psalm 139:13, 16

     So much for abortion and the autonomy of the individual.

     Another major tenet of liberalism and humanism according to Webster is the ‘basic goodness of man.’

     However, the Bible reveals quite the opposite, i.e., the need for Christ was based on the innate depravity of man.

     King David also addressed the issue of the depravity of man.

     “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”  Psalm 51:5-6

     David’s son Solomon confirmed his father’s wisdom.

     “For there is not a just man on earth who does good…”  Ecclesiastes 7:20

     All men are born into sin and can only be found holy before God after God quickens his heart to recognize his depravity.  God can then make known His wisdom and reveal His plan of redemption for the contrite heart.

     The New Testament reaffirms the depravity of man and the need of a Redeemer to solve the problem and reconcile man to God.

     “So Jesus said to him… ‘No one is good but One, that is, God.’”  Luke 18:10

     The Apostle Paul addressed the issue and confirmed the need for Christ to remedy man’s seemingly irresolvable dilemma.

     “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”  Galatians 3:22

     Therefore, humanism is in total conflict with Biblical teachings.

      The objective observer finds it perplexing that while nearly 75% of Americans profess Christianity, many more than 25% support abortion and other widely accepted tenets of humanism.  The numbers just don’t add up.

     In addition the concepts of the autonomy of the individual and rejection of supernatural intervention in one’s life have no substantiation in the Bible.

     Is America forgetting God unintentionally or deliberately choosing to ignore His commandments in favor of pleasing the electorate?

    

Evaluating Progressivism

     Progressivism is an ideology advocating social progress to keep pace with secular trends and technological change.  Furthermore, proponents of progressivism believe such social progress should be engineered and effected by government intervention.  That school of thought fostered the idea that continual social progress would ultimately result in social perfection.

     When campaigning for president for his first term, Barack Obama’s major campaign issue was ‘fundamental change’ which would transform America into a better place.

     The Bible, however, clearly didn’t support Obama’s grandiose agenda.

     “My son, fear the LORD and the king; do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly…”  Proverbs 24:21-22

     The Bible teaches that God’s standard of righteousness and justice does not change, i.e. they are immutable. 

     Consider the instructions for Israel just prior to entering Canaan.

     “…if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments…”  Deuteronomy 28:1

     “So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day to the right or the left…”  Deuteronomy 28:14

     The instructions were to obey all God’s commandments and not turn aside in either direction.

     Throughout the Old Testament God pleads with Israel to return to following His standard of righteousness and justice from which they had strayed and in the last book of the Old Testament He reiterated the basic truth of His immutability.

     “For I am the LORD, I do not change…yet from the days of your fathers you have gone astray from My ordinances and have not kept them.  Return to Me, and I will return to you…”  Malachi 3:6-7

     In the Hebrew language the word ‘return’ is synonymous with ‘repent’ and ‘turn’.  The basic meaning is to go back to the point of departure.

     Perhaps the most well known scripture expressing that thought is:

     “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:13-14

     As would be expected the New Testament confirms the Old Testament teaching of returning to the basics of God’s immutable word. 

     In fact the concept of repentance is not just necessary for the success of a nation; it is required for the individual.

     The initial message of John the Baptist was of repentance.

     “In those days John the Baptist came preaching… ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’”  Matthew 3:1-2

     Likewise, Jesus began His earthly ministry with the same message.

     The consequences of not being willing to repent will result in destruction.

    

     “…but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  Luke 13:3

     The hearts of those who choose not to repent will grow colder and colder.  During the approaching great tribulation with its terrible accompanying catastrophes, those not initially killed will cling to their rebellion.

     “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.”  Revelation 9:20

     The non-repentant will continue to cling to their self-appointed gods and subsequently be thrown into the everlasting lake of fire.

     So then, will those who attempt to legislate ‘progress’ by executive order designed to satisfy the desires of the current generation prosper, or will those who ‘turn’ back to the basics fare better?

     Perhaps the wisest man in the world answered that question.

     “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”  Proverbs 14:12

     Therefore, the concept of progressivism unwittingly attempts to usurp God’s authority.  While man’s logic and technology may change, God’s standard of righteousness and justice does not.

     According to the Bible God will have no tolerance for those who attempt to ‘transform’ His original and immutable instructions in the name of progress to accommodate contemporary special interests.

The Seed of the Woman is the Son of God

     Let’s take a week’s break from the study of ‘isms’ to celebrate Christ.

     During this season there will undoubtedly be many shallow discussions about the exact month and date of Jesus’ birth.  Such discourse serves only to detract from the fact of His incarnation.

     The major aspect of Jesus’ birth was that while He was the Seed of a woman, His Father was God Himself.  That great truth was an absolute necessity.  Only the God/Man Jesus could fulfill the purpose for which He was born.  Jesus’ purpose was to redeem fallen man and impute to him the required righteousness of God so man could, once again, be found acceptable to be in God’s presence.

     The announcement of the future Redeemer was made to Satan in the Garden of Eden after he deceived Eve into disobedience.  God told Satan that his sin of deception would be reckoned with permanently in due time.

     “So the LORD God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.’”  Genesis 3:14-15

     The Hebrew meaning of ‘bruise’ in the above includes crush or break in pieces.

     The work of redemption by Jesus Christ is the scarlet thread that ties all the pages of the Bible together.  It is the most significant doctrinal truth in the Holy Scriptures.

     Several millennia after the original announcement God confirmed to His chosen people, the Jews, the future birth of the promised Redeemer.

     “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  Isaiah 7:14

     “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called…Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:8

     Other of the Prophets even provided the exact place of birth for the future Prince of peace centuries before the event.

     As the New Testament opened, the virgin lass chosen by God to conceive and give birth to the Prince was revealed and the angel Gabriel told her of her chosen role.

     “…Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son’…Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’   And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’”  Luke 1:27-35

     The Apostle John also announced the incarnation.

     “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…as the only begotten of the Father…”  John 1:14

     The Greek base for ‘Word’ means in essence the visible manifestation of the reality of God.

     The Apostle Paul provided more detail about the mission of the God/Man Jesus.

     “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”  Galatians 4:4-5

     “For what the law could not do…through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…”  Romans 8:3-4

     Jesus succinctly summarized His mission on earth.

     “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law…I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”  Matthew 5:17

     Then Paul closed the loop originally announced in Genesis 3:15 relative to Satan’s future at the hands of the Seed of the woman.

     “...And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.”  Romans 16:20

     The Greek for ‘crush’ means the same as the Hebrew, i.e. to bruise, shatter, or break in pieces.

     Another suitable title for this column describing Jesus’ incarnation might have been ‘Born to Die.’

Are 'isms' Destroying America?

     An ‘ism’ can be broadly thought of as a doctrine, theory, or cult.  Isms, according to Webster, are made up of those who adhere to a system or class of principles.

     It is interesting to note that the major religions of the world end in ‘ism’ except those that adhere to the Christian faith.

     Charles Krauthammer, a well respected political commentator, recently suggested to a national audience that liberalism in America is dying.  Krauthammer, who is considered to lean to the right, previously espoused liberalism during the 1980s.

      It is interesting to listen to someone who espouses an ideology in direct opposition to positions previously held.  Typically people who significantly redirect their worldview can usually provide substantive reasons for their change.  Conversely, those who were born and brought up in a particular belief system are more likely to function instinctively rather than by consistent application of a set of philosophical principles.

     Liberalism is usually associated with the Democratic Party.  Inasmuch as ‘liberalism’ is not a Biblical term, the dictionary will need to be consulted for a working definition.  However, the secular definition will enable us to compare its meaning with Biblical teachings.

     For example Webster offers several offshoots associated with the political philosophy of liberalism. 

     One primary tenet of liberalism is the belief in and support of progress.  Liberals likewise support the premise that social and economic progress for the citizenry should be included in the list of duties of government.

     This ideology is called ‘progressivism’.

     Another primary tenet of liberalism is the belief in the essential goodness of man.  This philosophy basically rejects supernaturalism and stresses reliance on individual inner strength, dignity and self worth.  Each individual, therefore, has the capacity for self-realization and the opportunity to pursue and achieve the ‘American Dream’.

     This ideology is called ‘humanism’.

     And a third component of liberalism is that all classes in a society from the proletariat to the elite should share equally in a nation’s resources.  There should also be equality with respect to social, political, and economic rights and privileges.

     This ideology is called ‘egalitarianism’.

     Therefore, in the next several weeks, the basis of each of the three ‘isms’ included within the broader ‘ism’ known as liberalism will be compared with Biblical teachings to see if Krauthammer is on to something.

     But before we go there, it would be beneficial to review the Biblical definition of the role of government.

     “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”  Romans 13:1-2

     These two verses explain that government is sanctioned by God, and all government leaders have been appointed by God.  Oft times God’s reasons for choosing leaders are not initially understood by those governed.

     “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.  For he is God’s minister to you for good.  But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”  Romans 13:3-4

     All government authorities have been appointed to maintain law and order in accordance with God’s standard of justice and righteousness.  Such have been granted authority to punish those who break the law.

     “Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.”  Romans 13:5

     Obeying the law is required not only to escape punishment, but also because one’s conscience should direct such obedience.

     “For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.”  Romans 13:6

     And lastly, taxes are assessed and collected for the purpose of maintaining law and order. 

     In the coming weeks, we’ll see if any of the ‘isms’ associated with liberalism require tax revenue over and above that required to support the function of government as defined by the Bible.

     To be continued.