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“Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” Proverbs 11:21
Notes For The Christian Humanist
By Dan Li
Sept 5, 2022
Most Christians today would not think of themselves as humanists, they think of themselves as Christians. But what many Christians today do not realize, is that most of them are tainted with humanism. This tainting is not trivial, but rather causes a person see the whole world, themselves, and others, through a tainted lens, and thus affects everything about them. Humanism is the prevailing belief of this age. Like people of centuries ago who thought the Sun revolved around the Earth, and that the Earth was the center of everything; or like a child who thinks the world revolves around them, the humanism-tainted Christian thinks that God revolves around them, that they are the center of what this world and Creation is all about- man is the center.
They are taught that humans are so lovely to God that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die for them. The Bible does not teach this. But, a mix of this humanist age with original genuine Christianity, does teach this. What the Bible does teach is that God, who is Love, and is great in mercy and compassion, did so love the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for them. Do we recognize the difference in those two statements? One centers on man, the other centers on God; one glorifies man, the other glorifies God. God did not set His love upon mankind because mankind is so lovely, or even that mankind will be so lovely, but rather because of the greatness of God and His love and mercy. Mankind is not deserving of God’s love at all! Mankind is deserving of God’s wrath and to perish in their sins for eternity. But God, who is Love, in mercy had compassion upon mankind. “Though your sins be as scarlet…” means red-handed mutiny against God and deserving of God’s wrath, not His love and mercy. But God, who is great in love, mercy, kindness, and compassion, took pity upon us undeserving sinners, and God put His love upon us, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.
For those who think God’s creation is about man, we can consider a few instances recorded in Scripture for us, to bring us to sobriety and truth. 2 Peter 2-3 has warnings for those with humanist taintings in their heart:
1) The world was chock-full of people (humans) in Genesis 6. They had become so very wicked that God became sorry that He even made man (humans). The Bible says that even the very imaginations of all their hearts were continually evil- and God, of course, could see it all. So, He became so grieved with their sinfulness, that He decided to destroy them ALL. Does that sound like all of creation is about man (humans)? No. But, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That means that God kept Noah from becoming part of that very evil generation of humans, from their wickedness, as well as their deserved punishment for their wickedness. Had Noah not been kept from being part of their wickedness, the Bible calling Noah “a preacher of righteousness”, God would have destroyed Noah along with the rest of mankind that had become exceedingly evil. How did God keep Noah from the wickedness? – by His Grace. Not that Noah was sinless, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come you and all your household into the ark; for you have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.” (Gen 7:1). Noah believed God, and by faith, Noah obeyed God and built the Ark as God commanded him. We know that faith, that is, believing God to the point of obeying Him, is counted as righteousness (James 2:20-24). We know from the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, “that without faith, it is impossible to please God. For whoever comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. By faith, Noah obtained God’s grace (Heb 11:7). Only 8 people, Noah’s family, were not destroyed- the rest of the entire Earth full of people perished- in their sins. Now, do we still think that creation is all about man? God hates sin.
As an important side-note, there are many “Christians” today, entrenched in their humanistic beliefs of this wicked age, who would dare to judge God as mean, cruel, unjust, or evil, because God destroys wicked mankind, including women and children. Women and children, and babies also perished when God deluged the world with the Flood- millions or probably even billions of them – animals too (for those who wrongly think animals are equal to people). Humanistic-tainted Christians would dare say God is wrong, unjust, or evil for doing so. However, it is the humanistic-tainted person who is the wicked one, by judging God to be evil. “Do not be deceived my beloved brethren. Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:16-17). We do err, that is, we are walking in darkness and deception when we even dare think God to be evil, even a little. God is only good, only right, always righteous, always true, no shadow of darkness or wickedness whatsoever, and He is unchangeably so- always good. Some folks confuse the fact that God is only good, always, as to mean that God is always good in the sense that what He does is always good in outcome to all people. That confusion is a grave mistake. God says “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy”, thus it is God’s choice, not man’s, not even an individual person’s choice whether they will be saved. (Ex 33:19; Deut 7:2; Deut 13:17; Joshua 11:20; Romans 9:13-23).
2) There were 2 twin cities that grew-together into one massive ancient city, named Sodom and Gomorrah. Today, we still have twin cities, one of which is Minneapolis-St.Paul in Minnesota (not that they are like Sodom-Gomorrah, I don’t know). So, Sodom-Gomorrah became very wicked, to the point that the Lord came down to judge it. The day of the Lord came for Sodom-Gomorrah that day, and when God found not even 10 righteous in it, but found only one righteous man named Lot, God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah – only Lot (and Lot’s family) were rescued out of it before God destroyed the twin cities by fire. Even Lot’s wife perished with the city because she looked back, lingering – she still had a love for Sodom-Gomorrah in her heart. The perverse twin cities had women, children, and babies (and animals (for the animal worshiper, who denies God’s created order))– and they all perished together. God is all just and all wise, and good. Goodness destroys wickedness. Goodness and wickedness don’t live long together. Sodom-Gomorrah was full of violence and sexual immorality – sexual immorality to the point that men were having sexual relations with men. Thinking the 2 visiting angels to be men, the men of Sodom wanted to have sex with them. The angels blinded the perverse men, who then groped around blind, still trying to get to the 2 angels to have sex with them! The Bible tells us that God destroyed Sodom-Gomorrah in judgment, as an example and warning to those who would come after them, that includes us humans today – not to do as Sodom and Gomorrah did, not behave as they did, not to become perverse (Jude 1:7).
Today’s humanistic world is described in Romans 1:17-32. Humanism glorifies and worships humanness, man. Humanism, being a religion in its own right, does not worship God, in truth, it worships mankind. Humanism comes from a root of pride – the pride of life (described in 1 John 2). Pride is an abomination, and abominations are a type of sin that brings God’s quick and destructive judgment. Homosexuality is also an abomination type of sin. All sin will result in God’s eventual judgment, but abominations draw down God’s wrath quickly, rapidly.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not appropriate/proper;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Using Romans 1:17-32 (above) as a biblical definition of humanism, we can deduce the various forms of humanism present today.
Evolution refuses to acknowledge God as Creator – Evolution is a form of humanism, and most humanists hold belief in it, and even some Christians have been drawn to it through of one’s own intellectual pride: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools”.
Marxism, and its children: Communism, Socialism, and Fascism, are all humanism done on a government-scale, by their rejection of God as Creator, usually adopting the compatible belief of Evolution also, and believe in the essential goodness of mankind. Man is not innately good at all, but rather tends towards evil naturally, from birth. These believe in making a kind of heaven or Utopian society on Earth, apart from God as head. These humanisms, have murdered and starved hundreds of million people to death during the 20th century (Stallinist Russia/USSR, Nazi Germany, Mao’s China, Pol-Pot’s Cambodia, Vietnam, etc). The word “humanism” sounds so pro-people but the word does not derive from being pro-people, but rather from its worship of man instead of God. So, while sounding good and pro-people, Humanism is from the Devil and it kills/murders people, humans. The Tribulation time will be marked by murderous humanism done on a world-goverment-scale, something that has never happened before. Jesus describes it this way: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21-22). It will make the horrific time of Hitler, Stalin, Pol-Pot, and Mao, look minor. But Humanism done on the individual level is love of self (the self-man, the self-human, the self-idol). On the individual level, the time of the last-days and the Tribulation, has been described by the Scriptures: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” (2 Tim 3:1-8). This description of last-days people very much describes much of today’s present society – we are in the last-days, days of wickedness that are quite similar to the time of Noah just prior to the Great Flood.
Human Philosophies: These believe in the advancement of mankind into greatness (think Tower of Babel), usually glorifying man’s collective intellect and abilities, and apart from any acknowledgment of the need for God. Philosophies are beliefs that are a form of religion that refuses to acknowledge God but believes rather in the sufficiency of man, or mankind- man is the idol, man/self-man is the strange god. The Bible warns about holding these in Colossians 2. Human philosophies are all humanistic. Strangely, despite the Bible’s warning against Philosophies of man, many “Christian” universities teach these and integrate philosophical principles into all their instruction and methods as if valuable, which acts as a stumbling block to immature Christians who enter these schools, subverting the faith of some. “Ph.D” means Doctor of Philosophy. Human philosophies are not only false doctrines, but they also engender intellectual pride- pride in one’s own intellect or natural human reasoning.
“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:4-11). How many Pharisees (PhD’s in Theology of Paul’s day) came to know Christ as their Savior?- very very rarely- the majority of these died in their sins, their pride. What does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul? “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Cor 1:26-29)
But, Christian humanism is the worst kind of humanism that exists, because it claims to be Christian, claims to be light, yet all the while it is a doctrine of devils that worships man- thus it is deceptive and anti-Christ.
“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” Luke 11:34-35
To look Christian, it ‘christianizes’ humanistic concepts/ideas. For example, Christians hold worship services, where songs of praise and thanks are sung unto God, focus is on God, and glorifies God. However, Christian humanism sings songs that sound Christian but the focus is on man, and man’s feelings. These can usually be recognized as humanistic by asking one’s self, “who is the focus of this song – God or man” and “who/what is being glorified in this song- is it God only?”. Christian humanism teaches that God’s primary goal is good things for man. Shock! It isn’t. “God will not share His glory with another” and “…You shall worship Him with all your heart and soul and strength, and Him only shall you serve”. God has devoted sin, and all who practice it, to eternal destruction. Those who hold man (mankind, humans, and self) as elevated, worshipped, or glorify man, are idol worshippers – and man/humanism is the god. Forms of Christian humanism include (but not limited to) Prosperity doctrine, Word-Faith/Word-of-Faith, Seeker-Friendly churches (compromised to please man instead of God), Self-help Christianity, and Psychology and psychological methods/ways taught as if Gospel/biblical concepts from God. “You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, “This people draw nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt 15:7-9), from “Therefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” (Isaiah 29:13-14). Commonly, these folks also teach human wisdom as godly wisdom, not making a difference. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…” and “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness”. And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” Therefore let no man glory in men.” (1 Cor 3:18-21).
When dealing with lying spirits and false doctrine, the Bible does not instruct us to fight this using our own natural intellect or abilities. The Devil has been deceiving mankind now for 1000’s of years and is most probably of much higher intellect than humans (Ezek 28:2-3). The Bible tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” – you cannot deal with the Devil using carnal means, such as human intellect. We must put on the full armor of God, which is spiritual armor – it is putting on Jesus, and that by faith. The hope of our salvation, knowing you are saved, and that by the faith of Christ (Gal 2:16), is our helmet that protects our mind (Eph 6). The shield of faith (the faith of Christ) to stop the fiery darts of doubt. The breastplate of righteous (not our own righteousness, but Christ’s) to protect our heart and vital organs, etc. “By faith we understand…” means that we gain spiritual understanding not by intellectual prowess or abilities to mentally work through pros and cons, or likelihood probabilities, but by faith – by faith we understand, “but we have the mind of Christ”. Question: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith” (that is fleshly natural abilities of man, or by faith)? “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2-3). Having started out as a genuine Christian by the hearing of faith and being born-again by the Spirit – that is hearing about Jesus and receiving Him by faith and the drawing of, and the indwelling by the Holy Ghost, are we now made perfect by using natural giftings, mental prowess, human intellect, or human efforts and abilities? No way- perfection does not come by the flesh, the natural, and God does want us to go on to perfection, that is the perfecting of one’s faith in Jesus- there is a need to grow in Christ Jesus. “Therefore leaving the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit. (Hebrews 6:1-3). That perfection is a work of the Spirit, not a work of the flesh or the natural- it is a work of God in one’s life.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Ask yourself, “Is there anything in my life that I can claim credit for, that I’ve done, except for believing upon Jesus Christ, having been drawn by God? Is there anything I can boast about myself?”. If the answer is “yes”, you have confidence in the flesh instead of God.
One cannot be a humanist, whether in name, or by heart, or by actions, and also be a genuine Christian. In our world today, many do say they are Christians, but so very few really do love and serve God only, in Spirit and in Truth – most are humanistic.
Get rid of the humanistic tainting: “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:16-18)
Romans 1
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.
