The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14
A Humanist's View of Man
Humanism teaches that the superior being of the universe is man. It teaches that we are creatures of the highest dignity, value, and esteem. It teaches that mankind inherently possesses virtues like goodness, honesty, selflessness, and integrity; and that we seek to uphold human rights at all costs and strive to protect the "dignity and righteousness" of mankind all over the world.
If you ask a humanist “where does all of this human dignity come from?” - he will simply have no answer. That's because at the same time the humanist is claiming just how noble and dignified human beings are, that same humanist is telling us that man also emerged as a random cosmic accident out of the abyss and is moving incessantly towards nothingness.
The humanist’s beginning of man is as insignificant as his destiny of man. However, somehow in between those two points of man's existence, the humanist believes that man has all of this dignity and moral value, worthy of honor and praise.
"Humanism is nonsense, but it’s persuasive nonsense because it speaks to a need in the human heart. We want to believe that we have significance and dignity and that our passions matter and aren't useless. We want to know that there’s more than just the abyss of nothingness. See, the humanist lives on borrowed capital. Humanism could only emerge from a society that had previously been committed to a meaningful origin and a meaningful destiny to the human race. What humanism has done is rejected Christianity and tried to replace their secular worldview in what they have rejected, not realizing that they have rejected the very foundation for the humanity that they seek to extol." - RC Sproul
Humanism is based on sentimentality. It has no metaphysical support, no epistemological support, and no theological support. (See below for descriptors of these elements). Humanism is an anthropology without any foundation, based on human sentiment, personal preference, and the choice to not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ; which is also known in Scripture as disobedience to God. In the Bible, the words "disobedience" and "obeyed not" come from the same Greek words as "unbelief" and "believed not." The writers of the Bible used "unbelief" and "disobedience" as synonyms throughout all of Scripture. They are the same word in the original Greek. That being said, we cannot rightfully say we believe in God while living in disobedience to His Word and His commands. It's a contradiction. So when the humanist chooses not to believe in God's simple Truth of the gospel, he is flat out disobeying God and going against the will of God.
All in all, humanism does not have any foundation or basis to support its ideology. “The humanist has both feet firmly planted in midair." - Francis Schaeffer
A Christian's View of Man
"The Christian worldview teaches that man is totally depraved; that mankind is the most wicked creature on this planet, apart from the visitations of Satan himself here. It teaches that out of all the creatures that inhabit this world, man is the worst. The Christian sees that the ecological problem with planet earth is not because of an overabundance of rats, but an overabundance of people. It’s people who have plunged the world into ruin. The whole creation is under a curse because of sinful mankind. And the moral judgement that God gives to mankind is that "there is none righteous, no not one. There is not even one that does good. No not one" (Romans 3:10,12). (Every good thing we do is only by the grace of God, not by our own human merit or achievement alone). People don’t want to hear that. That’s one of the reasons they reject Christianity. And not only Christianity in general, but particularly Reformed Christianity because Reformed Christianity talks about the total depravity of human beings. We are born in sin, in original sin." RC Sproul
Below are the elements of the Christian worldview. If you ignore any one of them, it will give you a distorted view of the world and of your own life.
The metaphysical question:
What is the truth? It’s questioning the “is-ness” of something. What is real, ultimately?
The theological question:
Who is the truth?
The anthropological question:
How does the truth relate to me and define me?
The ethical question:
How does the truth command me?
The epistemological question:
How do you know the truth? Who’s telling the truth?
*Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.
This is why we are all desperately in need of a savior. We all need Jesus. Only a humble and contrite heart can accept Christ as its Savior, see the light of the gospel, and come to true saving faith in Jesus Christ by God's grace. Just as pride is the root of all sin ad what ultimately blinds us from the Truth, humility is the foundation in which all other virtues flow and what helps us accept the Truth with eagerness, like little children. Humility is the very essence of Christianity and of true saving faith, which leads to eternal life with Christ and all the Saints.
There is only one road that leads to heaven - one small gate - one narrow path - one difficult way - and that is through Christ, and Christ alone. But there are many roads that lead to hell - a big broad gate - a comfortable path - a fun and easy way, yet in reality, the road to hell is only deceptive and damning. And amongst all of those roads that say heaven but really lead to hell, pride is the basis of most all of them.
I once was super blinded by my own pride, and I had no idea I was even being self-righteous in the slightest. It never even crossed my mind to think about whether I was humble or proud. I don't think I even grasped the true meaning of either of those words until I became a Christian. I was just as ignorant as I was prideful. I truly had no idea I was that blind! I had no idea I was even lost. I only knew I was lost for all those years when I was finally found and came to the light of the gospel in Christ. It's seriously crazy how our own pride can be that blinding and keep us away from the only thing that is good, right, and true - the only thing that saves our souls - the Truth of Jesus Christ. Only by God's grace did He open my eyes to see the light. Praise You Lord for choosing me and saving me from what I truly deserve - eternal torment in hell under God's wrath for how sinful I am. Now, I am at peace with God through faith in Christ. I am right with God through Christ. There is nothing to fear anymore! All glory goes to You!
Lord, I know You hear my prayers for the lost. I will never stop praying for souls to come to repentance and the full knowledge of God. I have such an angst and a sadness for the lost, the deceived, and the self-deceived. I can relate because that used to be me - all three of those! I am thankful for that angst You have burdened me with because it drives me to share the gospel and share the truths of Scripture for others to find the light. Lord, I pray that You soften their hearts and open their blind eyes to see the light of the gospel. May You call them to repentance and to trust in Christ as their personal Savior and be saved. Lord, just as You shined light into this world, I pray that You may shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Love,
Jenna
(Notes taken from RC Sproul's lectures on "What is Truth?" and "Who is Truth?" Check out the full lectures below)
Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning. C.S. Lewis
Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice, for "The Devils also tremble and believe." - Charles H. Spurgeon
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. Ephesians 4:18
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12