The Delusion of Progress
The delusion of progress is a false idea that humanity can achieve salvation and true progress without God, and that human reason and intellect are sufficient for salvation.
Horatius Bonar warns against the antichristian delusions that have existed since the days of the apostles, where false Christs arise to undermine the true Christ. He emphasizes that throughout history, these antichrists have distorted truth, promoting human intellect and goodness while dismissing the need for divine regeneration. Bonar argues that what humanity often perceives as progress is merely an illusion, as true progress can only be achieved through the Holy Spirit. He calls for discernment in recognizing the difference between worldly advancements and the spiritual growth that God acknowledges. Ultimately, he stresses that without regeneration, humanity cannot attain genuine progress.
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Antichristian delusion had begun in the apostle's days. Men were arising to deny Christ; to set up another Christ of their own,--a Christ of the intellect, a Christ of the sense, a Christ of the imagination. Long ere the first century closed there were many antichrists,--pretended Christs,--substitutes for the Son of God. Every age has produced its antichrists, all of them earnests of, and preparations for, the greater antichrist of the very last days, when perilous times shall come.
In and by all these antichrists Satan is working, not only to exalt himself, but to dishonour Christ,--working even by means of men who laugh at the existence of an evil spirit. He is working by means of error,--pure error; also by error in connection with truth, and truth in connection with error; exalting the natural at the expense of the supernatural; raising science above Scripture; denying human evil, upholding human goodness; setting creature-hood in opposition to Godhead, intellect against revelation, self-improvement against regeneration by the Holy Ghost, worldly refinement against the example of Christ. Everything in the shape of human 'progress' is welcomed, without considering what it is or whence it comes. But the progress of the natural man is, after all, an illusion. So long as humanity remains unregenerate, there can be no progress which God can recognize. The one true progress is that begun and consummated by the Holy Ghost,--a progress quite distinct from all that man calls by that name.
-Taken from Light & truth: Bible Thoughts and Themes, Vol. IV, The Lesser Epistles, 1870.
Sermon Outline
- The Delusion of Progress
- The Apostolic Era and the Antichristian Delusion
- The Rise of Antichrists
- The Work of Satan Through Error and Humanism
Key Quotes
“The progress of the natural man is, after all, an illusion.” — Horatius Bonar
“So long as humanity remains unregenerate, there can be no progress which God can recognize.” — Horatius Bonar
“The one true progress is that begun and consummated by the Holy Ghost,--a progress quite distinct from all that man calls by that name.” — Horatius Bonar
Application Points
- Recognize the illusion of human progress without God and seek true progress through regeneration by the Holy Ghost.
- Be aware of Satan's work through error and humanism to lead people away from Christ.
- Seek to understand the true nature of human progress and the role of God in it.