Christian Hedonism. Why is it boring as a Christian?

Posted on by Adaeze Mbata

The Psalmists state in Psalm 84:1-2 (ESV): “How lovely is your dwelling place,  O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.“

The first time I read this, I thought it was such a beautiful verse but simultaneously wondered whether I had such delight and joy in the Lord and His presence, as the Psalmists expresses here. 

Another verse that sparks wonder in my mind about how much delight and satisfaction I should have in the Lord is Psalm 42:1-2(ESV): “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

It can be observed here that the Psalmists found much delight in the Lord, so much so that they longed for Him this much. Would you say you have the same delight in the Lord?

To delight is to take “great pleasure in”. Two of the most common Hebrew terms for the word “delight” include ‘hepes’ [,pej] which means ‘to bend towards, to be inclined towards [an object or person], and ‘rasa’[h’x’r], ‘to delight or take pleasure in’.

This concept of delight, joy and true satisfaction in God, is essentially what Christian Hedonism is all about. 

What is Christian Hedonism?

Christian Hedonism is a term first coined by the Reformed Baptist pastor, John Piper in 1986, in his book, Desiring God. 

“It is the conviction that God’s ultimate goal in the world (His glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy), as believers, are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Furthermore, not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God Himself is glorified by us being satisfied in Him [especially in moments of greatest loss and suffering]”.

Desiring God, 1986, Piper

Christian Hedonism affirms that, the most durable and long-lasting joy, pleasure/satisfaction comes from God, Himself. Thus, believers ought to pursue maximum joy and satisfaction in God, alone forever.

Is this biblical?

Some have challenged the concept of Christian Hedonism. A recurring reason for this, is the term “hedonism”. The term itself dates to the ancient Greek word for “pleasure”. A philosopher named Aristippus of Cyrene taught that the true meaning of life is pleasure and therefore, this should be the ultimate goal. People who have challenged the concept of Christian Hedonism have done so because they believe that it condones this idea of the pursuit of worldly pleasure, which as we know the Bible speaks against [1 John 2:15-17] (ESV).

On the contrary, Christian Hedonism does not support the above claims but rather, encourages believers to seek God as the highest pleasure. It also does not support pursuing God to obtain pleasure, but because He is the greatest pleasure.

Other critics of Christian Hedonism might have thought about Christianity for so long, in terms of duty instead of delight. Thus, this concept might be a tough pill to swallow for some.

Although the Bible, does not explicitly say “Christian Hedonism” (similar to so many other doctrinal terms like the “Trinity”), this idea of enjoying the Lord and God being glorified in that, seems to be thoroughly biblical. 

Let’s look at some verses:

  • Psalm 37:4 (ESV) – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart”.
  • Psalm 16:11 (ESV) – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”.
  • Psalm 90:14 (ESV) – “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days”.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”
  • Philippians 3:8 (ESV) – “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”.
  • Philippians 1:20 – 21 (ESV) – “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.

The last verse referenced is an interesting one and one which captures the concept of Christian Hedonism well. Paul addresses the Philippi church from prison. For some context, Roman prisons were not used for punishment, but only used to detain those awaiting trial or execution. Paul knew He was possibly about to face death. Why would Paul count death as gain, you may ask? It is because He will be united with Christ forever, and that brought Him so much joy and satisfaction, even amid suffering – because the gain is Christ. His utmost joy was found in God. 

It is a privilege that God has so graciously revealed Himself to us and has chosen us. As believers, I believe we must seek to honour this privilege and gracious gift of Him, by truly and accurately knowing, understanding who He has revealed Himself to be, and by pursuing delight in Him, above all else. This will bring Him glory. 

Mathew 22:37 (ESV) – “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”.

A lot of people have approached and experienced Christianity from a place of duty, instead of delight/genuine love for God – of course, things do become mundane in this case. Others have approached and experienced Christianity from a place of fear of hell, which usually tends to falter especially under any semblance of suffering. Either way, these approaches have most likely stemmed from a place of lack of true knowledge and understanding of the gospel message and who God is or a flawed knowledge and understanding of it. 

The goal of the gospel and salvation is reconciliation back to God; into relationship and delight for God and others [1 Peter 3:18] (ESV).

The essence of Christian Hedonism is that God himself, is the supreme satisfaction, above all else and we ought to pursue that first, before anything else because only Him can truly satisfy us. I believe, God wants us to find utmost joy and delight in Him and in our walk with Him. If God is the utmost source of full satisfaction, then our walk, as Christians shouldn’t be boring [John 10:10] (ESV).

“If you do not pursue and find your pleasure supremely in God, above all things, you will not be generous with your resources from a heart that glorifies God and authentically loves people”

John Piper

True delight in God is expansive; it overflows. When you are truly satisfied in the Lord, you can delight in others, as well as, other things that glorify God; food, art, music, nature, travel, cooking, writing, etc. – looking for the true Gospel hallmarks of God’s joy in all things. Thus, bringing glory to God, in all you do [1 Cor. 10:31] (ESV).

The beauty of pursuing utmost delight and satisfaction in God is that, it is not dependent on circumstances. This is because God is unchanging and so, since He is the greatest and fullest pleasure, our satisfaction and joy in Him is also unchanging. Therefore, we will be always satisfied, and God will be glorified always. 

This is not to say that God is dependent on our pleasure in Him to be glorified. God is glorified, with or without our utmost pleasure being taken in Him. God is fully glorified in and of Himself; His glory does not diminish. 

As depraved people, finding utmost pleasure in the Lord, can be a struggle and may seek to find this utmost pleasure in other things like relationships, life experiences or money, to name a few. However, as Christ’s redeemed, we have the power to continuously pursue true delight, satisfaction and joy in the Lord, and that should be the goal. 

May the Lord help us to delight in Him, supremely, above all things in Jesus name, Amen.

References

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