Christian Hedonism Promotes Real Love for Individuals
Nobody has ever felt unloved as a result of he was instructed that the attainment of his pleasure would make one other individual blissful. I’ve by no means been accused of selfishness when justifying a kindness on the idea that it delights me. Quite the opposite, loving acts are real to the diploma that they aren’t finished begrudgingly. And the nice different to begrudgingly shouldn’t be neutrally or dutifully however gladly. The genuine coronary heart of affection “loves kindness” (Mic. 6:8); it doesn’t simply do kindness. Christian Hedonism forces this fact into consideration: “By this we all know that we love the kids of God, once we love God and obey his commandments. For that is the love of God, that we maintain his commandments. And his commandments should not burdensome. For everybody who has been born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:2–4).
Learn these sentences in reverse order and see the logic. First, being born of God provides an influence that conquers the world. That is given as the bottom or foundation (“for”) for the assertion that the commandments of God should not burdensome. So being born of God provides an influence that conquers our worldly aversion to the desire of God. Now his commandments should not “burdensome” however are the need and delight of our coronary heart. That is the love of God: not simply that we do his commandments but in addition that they aren’t burdensome.
Then in 1 John 5:2, the proof of the genuineness of our love for the kids of God is alleged to be the love of God. What does this train us about our love for the kids of God? Since love for God is doing his will gladly quite than with a way of burden, and since love for God is the measure of the genuineness of our love for the kids of God, due to this fact, our love for the kids of God should even be finished gladly quite than begrudgingly. Christian Hedonism stands squarely within the service of affection for it presses us on to glad obedience.
John Piper’s influential work on Christian Hedonism, Wanting God, challenges the assumption that following Christ requires the sacrifice of enjoyment. Fairly, he teaches that “God is most glorified in us once we are most happy in him.”
Jesus was large on giving to the needy. How did he inspire giving? He says, “Promote your possessions, and provides to the needy. Present yourselves with moneybags that don’t develop previous, with a treasure within the heavens that doesn’t fail” (Luke 12:33). In different phrases, cease craving two-bit possessions on earth when you possibly can have infinite treasures in heaven by giving alms! (Keep in mind Hudson Taylor: “Giving up is inevitably receiving.”)
Or a bit in a different way however principally the identical, he says, “If you give to the needy, don’t let your left hand know what your proper hand is doing, in order that your giving could also be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:3–4). In different phrases, cease being motivated by the praises of males, and let the considered God’s reward transfer you to like.
Sure, it’s actual love when our giving is motivated by the heavenly treasure. It’s not exploitation as a result of the loving almsgiver goals for his alms to rescue the beggar for that very same reward. A Christian Hedonist is all the time conscious that his personal enjoyment of the Father’s reward can be even better when shared with those he has drawn into the heavenly fellowship.
My level is that this: if Jesus thought it sensible to inspire acts of affection with guarantees of reward (Matt. 6:4) and treasures in heaven (Luke 12:33), it accords along with his educating to say that Christian Hedonism promotes real love for individuals.
Take into account one other illustration. Hebrews 13:17 provides the next counsel to each native church: “Obey your leaders and undergo them, for they’re retaining watch over your souls, as those that must give an account. Allow them to do that with pleasure and never with groaning, for that may be of no benefit to you.” Now, if it isn’t worthwhile for pastors to do their oversight sadly as an alternative of joyfully, then a pastor who doesn’t search to do his work with pleasure doesn’t take care of his flock. To not pursue our pleasure in ministry is to not pursue the revenue of our individuals. This is the reason Paul admonished those that do acts of mercy to do them “with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:8) and why God loves a “cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). Begrudging service doesn’t qualify as real love.
The pursuit of pleasure via mercy is what makes love actual.
Christian Hedonism Glorifies God
And that is appropriately: “For from him and thru him and to him are all issues” (Rom. 11:36).
Does Christian Hedonism put man’s pleasure above God’s glory? No. It places man’s pleasure in God’s glory. Our quest shouldn’t be merely pleasure. It’s pleasure in God. And there’s no means for a creature to consciously manifest the infinite value and fantastic thing about God with out delighting in him. It’s higher to say that we pursue our pleasure in God quite than merely saying that we pursue God. For one can pursue God in methods that don’t honor him:
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I’ve had sufficient of burnt choices of rams
and the fats of well-fed beasts. (Isa. 1:11)
Our solemn assemblies could also be a stench in God’s nostril (Amos 5:21–24). It’s attainable to pursue God with out glorifying God. If we wish our quest to honor God, we should pursue him for the enjoyment in fellowship with him.
The pursuit of pleasure via mercy is what makes love actual.
Take into account the Sabbath as an illustration of this. The Lord rebukes his individuals for looking for “their very own” pleasure on his holy day. However what does he imply? He implies that they’re delighting of their enterprise and never in the fantastic thing about their God. He doesn’t rebuke their hedonism. He rebukes the weak spot of it. They’ve settled for secular pursuits and thus honored these above the Lord:
In case you flip again your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing all your pleasure on my holy day,
and name the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
in the event you honor it, not going your personal methods,
or looking for your personal pleasure, or speaking idly;
you then shall take delight within the Lord,
and I’ll make you journey on the heights of the earth;
I’ll feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isa. 58:13–14)
Discover that calling the Sabbath a delight is parallel to calling the holy day of the Lord honorable. This merely implies that you honor what you enjoyment of, otherwise you glorify what you take pleasure in. They have been going their very own methods and doing their very own enterprise. That was their pleasure, and that’s what they honored.
The enjoyment and the glorification of God are one. His everlasting function and our everlasting pleasure unite. To enlarge his title and multiply your pleasure is the rationale I’ve written this, for the chief finish of man is to glorify God by having fun with him without end.
This text is customized from Wanting God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper.
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