Another Primer on Christian Humanism

One of the failures of thought among some of the modern Reformed is the tendency of that some to absolutize the biblical vision for God’s glory. That is, this school of thought asserts the drama of world redemption was played out for God’s glory alone. Understood rightly, this is absolutely true.

However, the redemption of man for the glory of God is often emphasized in such a way that man is portrayed as incidental to God’s plan. To qualify my previous statement, this is what I mean by “one of the failures” of some modern Reformed thinkers.

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). I begin here because Paul’s letter to the Romans, while not a theological treatise, per se, is a letter chock full of theology and its implications for the new humanity. I’ll refrain from expositing the entire letter, but indulge me long enough to consider this outline of Paul’s thought and some of the implications that can be deduced. 

• 1:1-17 Introduction
  • 1:18-3:30 Chaos (Devolution of Humanity)
    • 4-5 Faith Saves
      • 6-7 Two Regimes
        • 8 The Glory of the Gospel
      • 9-11 Two Branches
    • 12-13 Faith Works
  • 14-15 Cosmos (Evolution of New Humanity)
• 16 Farewell

Now, consider the implications of chapter eight, for example:

• • 1-4 New Law
  • 5-8 New Mind
  • 9-11 New Life -What makes me different from other people is not my greatness, but God’s graciousness.
  • 12-13 New Debt
  • 14-15 New Relationship
  • 16-18 New Inheritance– Participate in the glory of Christ by being conformed to his image!
  • 19-25 New Hope
  • 26-27 New Access
  • 28-30 New Purpose (New Understanding)
  • 31-37 New Station
  • 38-39 New Persuasion (also 35-36)

Newness! The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus—the gospel according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4—is God’s signal that the new age has been inaugurated for a new humanity. The benefits of the power of the gospel is indicative of the fact that man is not incidental to God’s redemptive work. 

Humanity is the focus of it. Salvation (σωτηρία) in the breadth of all its meaning (i.e., delivery, curative, restorative, redemptive, etc.) can be realized—not only in it’s eternal function—but now on this earth through the administration of God the Holy Spirit in the lives of all who claim Christ—the power of God for (unto) salvation. (This is not an argument for a Christian utopia, incidentally).

This is the message of Christian Humanism. Consider, Jesus came to minster, not to be ministered to. He came that humans might possess life more abundantly. Therefore, Christianity is not just a “ticket to heaven;” the gospel has the ultimate purchase on the cultural questions for human flourishing. In no way does this diminish the glory of God; and neither does it make man the measure of all things.

When it comes to calculating currency, you can’t spend only one side of the coin. Both must stay together because they’re inseparable. 

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