Kristafal's Musings

An excellent book offered in Q & A form from a Reformed Christian perspective is 75 Questions Your Instructors Pray You Won’t Ask, by the late Dr. Gary North. I read this book several years ago, and last year during Christmas break I decided to pick it back up again to read through some of the material. I find North’s writing style to be entertaining, though I hear others do not enjoy his blunt speech and somewhat sarcastic tone. Perhaps, it is because I too suffer from being too blunt and sarcastic if the occasion calls for it. The book is free at garynorth.com under the free book sections if you’re interested. These short post shares a couple quotes with a few of my own thoughts. Nothing spectacular to be sure, but there are some poignant truths touched on. I’ll let you decide if its worth reading.

“Humanism comes in many forms: secular humanism (‘man is the measure of all things’), religious humanism (‘man is evolving into god’), and even self proclaimed Christian humanism (‘God’s laws and logic and autonomous man’s laws and logic really aren’t in conflict’)… Christian humanism has not yet been seen for what it is by most Bible-believing Christians” (Gary North, 75 Bible Questions Your Instructors Pray You Won’t Ask [Tyler, TX: Spurgeon Press, 1984] 1, PDF Ebook).

Each and every form of humanism has elevated man to a status that is undeserving of his station. To be clear, what I am saying is that man is undeserving of the station that various forms of non-Biblical humanism seeks to put him (or her) in. The different versions of humanism seek to confuse the station of mankind as something higher than it was delegated to be.

Yes, it is true that God made man in His image. After His likeness, He fashioned mankind. But therein lies the true problem. Not for God, but for us. We are made in His image, after His likeness. We are not the primary being to be looked at and reflected in this life. If mimicry is truly flattery, then only God is worthy of our flattery; what we might call glory if it is done in a sober and humble way.

Man is a speck of dust on the earth, therefore he cannot be the measure of all things. For he is a weak creature that withers and dies quickly upon the earth.

Man is a cracked pot, imperfect in all his or her ways, how then could any man or woman assume that they are capable of obtaining godhood of any kind. What can you do oh man, what are you capable of oh woman. You may be able to do many things and be capable of various feats, but they are minor things, tiny things in the vast universe in which we are born. What sort of arrogance is it to assume that you are capable of going beyond your natural limitations. Even if you could do so, it would be only temporary not permanent, and even still it would not be that great of a feat. Man is a creature, he has a beginning and an end, therefore, man can never obtain godhood–who is infinite (has no beginning and end, and now restraints that can hold Him), and is not limited by any power to bring about the desires of His heart since He is omnipotent.

The opinion of God is the standard by which all men are to live by. No man and woman can truly live in harmony with God–that is with faith and thereby experience His peace–if His opinion is not valued far above their own. This is what sets the Christian religion apart from all others. God has spoken His opinion–which is no mere opinion arbitrarily uttered–to His creatures in the hope that they will heed His authority in all matters.

All persons have opinions. This is a true fact. But, not all opinions should be measured and therefore valued the same. The differences in men’s opinions is the standard to which they appeal to. Foundations are the key to any building project. And the life of a man or woman is in a very real way a building project of sorts. In Deuteronomy 32 Moses’ words to the children of Israel before his passing into the realm of the dead challenges them on the “rock” to which they will be planted upon. He rightly identifies that there are two different types of “rocks” that men will appeal to in their life. And he correctly points out that the Rock of faith of God’s people is not like the rock of faith of other peoples. Just as it was the role of Adam in the garden to listen to the voice of the Lord God who made him and gave him life, so to was it the role of the Israelites who had been saved from Egypt and provided for in the wilderness for 40 years to trust the Word of God over and above any man. The same is true of every person who would dare call Jesus Christ their “personal” Lord and Savior.

North writes,

“God’s word tests God’s word. God’s word is the authority, not man’s puny attempts to test it. That’s where the Christian must start: with the sovereignty of God’s revealed word, the Bible. If this isn’t his starting point, then he is in sin, pursuing the old sin of Adam and Eve. The man who elevates his supposedly neutral logic or his experimental techniques above the sovereign word of God has committed a gross sin. We do not test God with our so-called logic; the word of God tests our logic” (North, 75 Questions, 15; italics in original).

Relativism states that truth is in the eyes, the mind, the mouth of the beholder. The status of a person and the reality in which they dwell, says relativism, is ultimately determined by the individual. Time changes things, people change things, circumstances change things, and so says the relativistic spirit: truth is what I make of it. Or, in the words of the current generation:

“You speak your truth, and I’ll speak my truth.”

Relativism denies an objective standard and believes that all things are in flux depending on the time (era) and the individuals in question. Relativism is built upon the lie that neutrality exists, that it exists in fields of thought like politics or theology. However, it doesn’t.

What relativism really seeks to establish is that human beings and the opinions they hold are of greater value than that which has been declared through the mouth of God. The concern is about mankind’s glory over and above all else. The humanist Christian, if it is not a biblically derived form of humanism that recognizes people’s true place in the created universe, has their ultimate concerns in mind.

Before I finish here, it may be in my best interest to explain the differences between Christian humanism (aka., latent antinomianism) and a truly biblical form of humanism. A biblical form of humanism sees mankind (male and female, men and women) as having dignity, purpose and ability that is derived from a right standing with God their Creator through Jesus Christ our Lord via the superintendency of the Holy Spirit as He moves and directs our thoughts in light of His holy word. Originally, man was given dominion in the form of prophet, priest, and king. Sin tarnished the image, but redemption has brought about the reconstruction of the sinner in light of God’s grace. The popular notion of Christian humanism, however, sees little distinction between what they believe personally in light of reason, logic, and conscience and a godly life. Even though, aspects of their life have been compartmentalized in order to avoid the clear implications of God’s Law-Word. Without seeking to be demeaning, such humanism, cherry-picks portions of Scripture that they find acceptable, while ignoring (rejecting) what also should be embraced in the form of conformation to the will of God.

Better off we would be if we took the following to heart and lived by it:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil" (Prov. 3:5-7; ESV).