Some things which seem very similar are actually quite different. There is a brand of margarine called “I can’t believe it’s not butter” which, as its name suggests, resembles butter in looks, taste and uses, but which is dairy-free. In other contexts, deceptive similarities can be dangerous, or even fatal. As a child I was warned strictly about the difference between tasty wild blueberries and the similar but highly poisonous deadly nightshade berries. “Not believing” in differences can be serious.
Humanism is probably the dominant philosophy in today’s world. Many people accept its principles without question. Some even assume that it’s the same as Christianity. What we’re going to see is that, despite apparent similarities, true Christianity is radically different from Humanism. There can be no compromise between the two.
Similarities
At face value, dedicated Humanists and devout followers of Jesus Christ exhibit similar behaviours. These include being kind, selfless, compassionate, generous and forgiving. Humanists often put me to shame. True Christians most certainly should aspire to be like this (Galatians 5:22–23). But that is where the similarities end, for Humanism and Bible Christianity are as different as deadly nightshade and blueberries in both their belief systems and consequences.
The Huge Difference
Humanists do not believe in God. Their focus is on the value of human beings, trying to promote justice, equality and well-being; relying on reason, evidence and human experience to develop a moral framework; and believing that it is in our power to solve the world’s problems. They do not believe in an afterlife.
In this last point, the afterlife, they are—at least for themselves—in agreement with the Bible. The Bible teaches unequivocally that the only way for us to be saved from eternal death is to believe in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) and, by implication, in God and His message to us. This is exemplified in the account of the Roman centurion, Cornelius. He was ‘a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God’ (Acts 10:2). But God required even more than this from him. Acts chapter 10 describes how Cornelius had to learn about Jesus and be baptised in order to be saved.
So, belief in God is a fundamental difference. But even belief in God is not sufficient. God asks for not simply an acknowledgement of “intelligent design” or “a loving God”, but belief in what He says about Himself and about us.
One God
Some people argue that since there is only one God, we all worship the same God, and one’s particular religion is simply a matter of personal preference. The Bible argues the exact opposite throughout. The One God, described as the ‘Holy One of Israel’ (Isaiah 43:3), must be approached in the way prescribed by Him. Compromise is not an option.
He is ‘jealous’ (Deuteronomy 32:21, 1 Kings 14:22, Psalm 78:58), because He has the inherent right to our undivided worship. We are told to have no other gods, but to worship Him alone, and woe betide anyone who infringes this. God is the only Saviour (Isaiah 43:11), and this salvation is effected through His son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ parables make it quite clear that those who are not true disciples of his, and who do not follow him in trying to obey the God of the Old and New Testaments, are destined to perish. Anything other than total allegiance to this God merits death (John 3:18). This is the explicit message of Jesus himself.
Divine Wisdom
Whether or not we like it, the Bible presents a God who might not match human expectations or even desires. He often does or says things that we might find difficult to comprehend and which, to us, may not seem “fair” or “just”. But this God sets the moral standards. His standards cannot be deduced by any form of human reasoning. I defy anyone to work out by any process of “reason, evidence and human experience” that a loving God who hated child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31, 18:10; Jeremiah 32:35) determined that His only son, a sinless man, should suffer terribly and die a cruel death in order to save us (John 3:16–17; Acts 2:22–23).
This foundational belief of Christianity defies human logic and our natural instincts. The Apostle Paul said as much, that the teaching about the cross was ‘folly’ to non-believers (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23). If we could not deduce this pivotal teaching, how can we deduce God’s divine moral system? As Paul said:
…it is written,“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart … Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
(1 Corinthians 1:19–20).
Centuries earlier God Himself said:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways (Isaiah 55:8).
Top Priority
So, we simply cannot work out a system of godly morality on our own. And the focus of our lives should be on pleasing God, not on pleasing other human beings.
Jesus stated this:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment (Matthew 22:37–38).
The most important commandment is about God. We are, most certainly, commanded to love other human beings (even our enemies, Matthew 5:44), but love of God must come first. And our love of and for other people must not compromise God’s standards or our loyalty to Him.
Even Christians doing virtuous things without the right sort of love counts for ‘nothing’ (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). This is because natural human love is not the same as divine love. We need to learn what divine love means.
Hard Messages
These are tough, stark messages. The Bible message is not always palatable; we might not like it, and we might not think it “fair”. But how can we challenge the authority of Almighty God? (Romans 9:20).
Admittedly, it is a huge step to move from believing in “a God” to believing that the God of the Bible is the ultimate authority defining right and wrong and all moral standards. But the Bible says that is what He asks of us if we are to please Him. That is why it is crucially important to determine what the Bible is.
The Bible humbles us in relation to this God. For example, the book of Job teaches that we cannot know the answers to everything in nature, let alone the ways of God (Job 37–39, 40:1–2, 42:1–6). It is foolish to believe that we can judge whether the God who made and sustains us and the universe is “fair and just”. We must not try to evaluate what He says or does by our moral standards. He sets the standards.
Different Behaviours
Consequently, the difference between Humanism and Bible Christianity is absolutely fundamental. And the different belief systems do result in totally different priorities and in different behaviours. The true follower of Christ will never want to upset God, even if this means upsetting other people whom they love. Jesus warned about this (Matthew 10:34–39).
The follower of Jesus has other priorities: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33).
Contrary to what many people think, and too many modern churches teach, the focus of Bible Christianity is not social well-being. Nowhere do any of Jesus’ inspired apostles mention social reform or justice. They didn’t appeal against the inhumanity of Roman rule even when they were being persecuted. They didn’t merge their message with current philosophy. They didn’t agitate for human rights, or engage in politics, or any form of lobbying outside the Christian church. Their approach was never, ever “Humanistic”. Their sole concern was the purpose of God in offering salvation through Jesus Christ: the hope of eternal life in God’s coming Kingdom, through humble acceptance of the Word of God (Romans 2:7). And for this they were prepared to die.
The difference between Bible Christianity and Humanism could not be greater. It Is like comparing blueberries with deadly nightshade.
The Bible standards are absolute and completely definitive. That is why there can be no compromise. The consequences are eternal life or eternal death. It is that serious, and—while we can—we need to resist human wisdom and standards (clever though they may be), and learn God’s wisdom and standards.
Anna Hart