It was meant to be a criticism. The apostle Paul said "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual...Are you not acting like mere men?" (1Corinthians 3:1,3).

The humanist celebrates the virtues, values and capacities of the human being as if they were 'the ultimate'. Paul argues that such vision is short-sighted. Left to itself the human race is bound to a course of self-destruction. Envying, strife and divisions sabotage its progress on every front. Governed by self-interest we aspire to be giants and prove ourselves to be moral and spiritual midgets.

For spiritually regenerated human beings to behave as merely human is a step back in the story of human development. Woe unto us if we live only on life's surface, confined to the dictates of the spirit of the age. Woe unto us if we become overly comfortable with materialism, too much at home with daily routines and the mere functions of the various personalities in our lives.

We were made for more than this. Life without the Spirit is life without depth and life without power. The Spirit of truth, Jesus said, will guide His followers into all truth, all beauty, all wisdom and loveliness.

The Japanese grow dwarfed trees and shrubs known as Bonsai plants. They have learned that you can stunt a tree's growth so it can be kept in a pot in the parlor by tying off the main taproot. This forces the tree to live on the nourishment from the surface roots alone. Without the taproot the tree receives just enough nutrients to live but not enough to grow. Whenever the taproot of the Holy Spirit is tied off we are forced to live on surface roots alone. The result is that we inherit shallow living.

Christianity has a greater vision for humanity than humanism. On the grounds of Jesus Christ's perfect work of redemption, God is salvaging the humanity of those who avail themselves to Him through faith. He is restoring the human being to its true function to be His special representative in the world. His intention is that we rise as cities set on a hill; that we be as Everests among the foothills of mere human beings.

Are you just existing by feeding on life's surface instead of the depths of God's hidden resources? Have you put your roots into only that which is temporal and illusory? Are you dwarfing yourself spiritually? To dwarf a tree is an novelty. To dwarf a human being is a tragedy.

Get rooted and grounded in Christ (Colossians 2:7). Cry out against the cultural sterility of our age. Resist shallow living. Draw deep from the infinite well of God's wisdom and strength. Loosen the tap root by faith and be filled with the Holy Spirit.