What is Christian Hedonism?
Courtesy of Desiring God
“A “Christian Hedonist” sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? If the term makes you squirm, we understand. But don’t throw this paper away just yet. We’re not heretics (really!). Nor have we invented another prosperity-obsessed theology by twisting the Bible to sanctify our greed or lust. We are simply stating an ancient, orthodox, Biblical truth in a fresh way.
“All men seek happiness,” says Blaise Pascal. “This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” We believe Pascal is right. And, with Pascal, we believe God purposefully designed us to pursue happiness.
Does seeking your own happiness sound self-centered? Aren’t Christians supposed to seek God, not their own pleasure? To answer this question we need to understand a crucial truth about pleasure-seeking (hedonism): we value most what we delight in most. Pleasure is not God’s competitor, idols are. Pleasure is simply a gauge that measures how valuable someone or something is to us. Pleasure is the measure of our treasure.
We know this intuitively. If a friend says to you, “I really enjoy being with you,” you wouldn’t accuse him of being self-centered. Why? Because your friend’s delight in you is the evidence that you have great value in his heart. In fact, you’d be dishonored if he didn’t experience any pleasure in your friendship. The same is true of God. If God is the source of our greatest delight then God is our most precious treasure; which makes us radically God-centered and not self-centered. And if we treasure God most, we glorify Him most.
Does the Bible teach this? Yes. Nowhere in the Bible does God condemn people for longing to be happy. People are condemned for forsaking God and seeking their happiness elsewhere (Jeremiah 2:13). This is the essence of sin. The Bible actually commands us to delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4). Jesus teaches us to love God more than money because our heart is where our treasure is (Matt. 6:21). Paul wants us to believe that gaining Christ is worth the loss of everything else (Phil 3:8) and the author of Hebrews exhorts us to endure suffering, like Jesus, for the joy set before us (Heb. 12: 1-2). Examine the Scriptures and you’ll see this over and over again.
Christian Hedonism is not a contradiction after all. It is desiring the vast, ocean-deep pleasures of God more than the mud-puddle pleasures of wealth, power or lust. We’re Christian Hedonists because we believe Psalm 16:11, “You show me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy, in Your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”
Join us in this pursuit of satisfaction in God, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”"
Came across your blog and I have several questions if I may:
1) Do you believe that Jesus died for the sins of all men without exception?
2) Do you believe in Salvation conditioned on the sinner or do you believe in Salvation conditioned on the shed blood and imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ alone?
3) Do you believe that those who believe in salvation conditioned on the sinner or that Jesus died for all men without exception (including those who ultimately go to hell) are your brothers in Christ?
Hopefully you will answer my questions and perhaps even view my own blog where I set forth to defend the true gospel of Jesus Christ and expose those who preach a false gospel as well as those who speak peace where there is no peace.
Just for your own information, I am not a Calvinist nor do I think historic Calvinism is any less heretical than Arminianism. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ following the admonition in Jude to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
To God alone be the glory!
Jonathan D Rogers
P.S. You may want to take a look at one website I wholeheartedly endorse: Outside the Camp.org
1. Christ laid His life down for His sheep, His elect. He did not die for all men without exception.
2. Christ’s death on the cross purchased all things necessary for salvation for His elect, including faith
and repentance.
3. It depends. I believe they can be. They just have some big theological problems that often lead to other problems.
Jacob,
No problems with the first two answers but I have to ask a follow-up question in response to your third answer. So you believe that someone who believes in Salvation conditioned on the sinner or who believes that Jesus died for all men without exception can be considered your brother or sister in Christ? The people who believe in salvation conditioned in any way on the sinner or who believe that Jesus died for all men (including those who go to hell) believe do not believe in the gospel but believe in a false gospel. How can you say that the nature of the Atonement which is the very heart of the gospel is merely a “big theological problem”? The Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul had some extremely harsh words for such men:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accused. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9(ESV)
The Apostle Paul didn’t just say that if someone preached another gospel to let him be accursed once..but twice. This seems important if it is said twice..especially twice back to back. This means that those people whom you think just have some big theological problems can be your brother or sister in Christ are God-haters..so you are willing to speak peace to those who essentially hate the gospel you just affirmed in your first two answers.
You seem unwilling to outright just say what those folks are..unregenerate God-hating idolaters who, lacking a knowledge of the gospel, seek to establish their own righteousness. I certainly believe that someone who is an Arminian can be saved as they may be among God’s elect but as soon as God saves them they will no longer believe in the false gospel they once believed before God regenerated them.
To God alone be the glory!
Jonathan D Rogers
This is a hard thing. I agree with you more than you might think. I understand what you’re saying, the only thing
is, I wasn’t a Calvinist when the Lord saved me. But He brought me to the place where I submitted
to and believed the Doctrines of Grace. Do you believe that men stop sinning and live perfectly holy lives once saved? Of
course not, the Lord grows them out of sin in His time.
If you did not believe the true gospel, which neither Arminians nor Calvinist do, then you were not a Christian and God had not, at that time saved you. Every genuine Christian from regeneration to final glory will believe the true gospel and at no time are they ignorant of what the true gospel is which Scripture tells us the gospel is the power of God unto salvation of all who believe. Do you think God would leave a believer for even a single moment ignorant of the gospel? I would encourage you to visit the site: outsidethecamp.org and read the Christian Confession of Faith..it contains the totality of the essential doctrines that no true Christian will disagree with.
Of course no Christian becomes sinless nor lives sinless lives all their days on this earth but their sins are no longer counted against them because Jesus Christ took all the sins of those for whom he died (past, present and future) onto himself and imputed to them ,at the moment in time God regenerates them, his righteousness. However as the Holy Spirit indwells all believers he will not allow them to commit any sins that are indicative of being lost such as, at any time, believing or confessing a false gospel. I am not a Calvinist nor am I an Arminian..both teach damnable heresy of salvation conditioned on the sinner (each does so differently but the result is the same..a false gospel). I would also encourage you to read the other articles on the outside the camp site.
To God alone be the glory!