What’s really the harm in emphasizing "the pursuit of pleasure"?

Question 28.

What’s really the harm in emphasizing "the pursuit of pleasure"?

Answer 28.

Whenever an extra-biblical doctrine is created and taught broadly this question must be addressed: "What is the possible harm?"

As is pointed out in

FAQ 17 there may not be any harm at all depending on what the Christian believes the new doctrine teaches, or, in how the Christian acts upon what he hears. On the other hand, there are also many possible unhappy outcomes when embracing an extra-biblical doctrine.

First and foremost is the temptation to make the new extra-biblical doctrine obligatory and bidning on all. This is called legalism. It is most easily identified by seeing things stated as if they were commandments from the Word that must be obeyed, yet, oddly, these commandments are not actually found in the Word. Examples of such legalistic statements might be:

• "unless a man is born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the Kingdom of God"
• "we should pursue happiness with all our might"
• worship is only authentic if the worshipper is "transported (perhaps only for seconds) above the reasoning work of the mind and we experience feeling without reference to logical or practical implications."

Secondly the danger can come from lust, or as C.S. Lewis called it, greed. C.S. Lewis wrote to Malcolm a deadly serious warning regarding the temptation to desire "lawful" pleasure. Lewis called this temptation greed.

"Greed. Instead of saying, ‘This also is Thou,’ one may say the fatal word Encore

."

Greed. The pursuit of pleasure for oneself. Demanding of God that we again and again get pleasure from Him or His world.

Thirdly we face the pitfall of pride. Again, C.S. Lewis wrote to Malcolm about focusing too intently on pleasure in order to find God within that experience. Lewis thought that this practice could lead to pride since not everyone experiences the same emotions or sees the same relevance in similar events. And when a person begins to believe that "seeing God" in a pleasurable event is more desirous than, for example, seeing a warning or seeing a sober teaching then he is in danger of proudly judging others as being inferior. Lewis wrote:

"There is also conceit: the dangerous reflection that not everyone can find God in a plain slice of bread and butter, or that others would condemn as simply ‘grey’ the sky in which I am delightedly observing such delicacies of pearl and dove and silver."

Not everyone will respond the same way to any given circumstance, and when this happens, the tendency of man, including the hedonist, will be to assume oneself to be superior over another who sees not a pleasure in an experience, but perhaps some other equally valid but unpleasant message (e.g. a rebuke for sin committed, a memory of a lost one resurfaced, a foreshadowing of an impending doom that escapes the notice of the one consumed with pleasure).

What harms are possible? There are many more potential dangers beyond legalism, greed, and pride. A more in depth exploration can be found by reading What Harm a Little Hedonism?

Is the goal of worship about getting pleasure, or is it something else?

Question 27.

Is the goal of worship about getting pleasure, or is it something else?

Answer 27.

If you will pardon the brevity, I would like to reference you to three articles which address this question in some depth:

Forget the Theories of Authentic Worship–Please Just Give Me a Bible Verse

Music, Worship, and Spiritual Gifts

Mega Churches: Postmodern Seeker Sensitivity

Worship is about service to God and to others (Romans 12), it is about edifying one another verbally (1 Corinthians 14:26), it is about praising the Lord of our salvation (Hebrews 2:12). We can worship in our grief and mourning (Eccl. 7:2), in cheerfulness and joy (2 Chron.29:30), in depression and desperation (Jonah 1:13,14), and in fear and trembling (Mark 5:33). Yet we find nowhere that the goal of worship is to attain pleasure for ourselves.

As a summary statement of the Bible, isn’t "pursue pleasure" more encompassing than "love God" (Matthew 22:37)?

Question 26.

As a summary statement of the Bible, isn’t "pursue pleasure" more encompassing than "love God" (Matthew 22:37)?

Answer 26.

Asked another way the question might be: "Isn’t Christian Hedonism just a summary statement of all the Bible teaches?"

In either case, the answer is still the same. No, the pursuit of pleasure and Christian Hedonism are not summary statements that in aggregate describe in single phrases everything that the Bible attempts to explain and teach.

This question has been asked to me and even stated at me as a "fact" many times. For anyone to think that the Bible adds up to one giant summation that means "pursue your own pleasure in God as your highest calling and most important duty" is to ignore what the Bible says of itself.

Of itself, the Bible says that there is one all encompassing summary statement that combines the intent of every law from the Old Testament and every precept uttered by a prophet in the New Testament.

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.’

"This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.‘ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

The word "depend" means "to hang from", as a suspension bridge would hang from one of its two giant support cables. The bridge and the lives of all those who use it are completely reliant on those two cables for their support and usefulness of the bridge.

Every law and every word of the prophets are reliant on one of two summary statements:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
• Love your neighbor as yourself.

Paul understood well that love for God and love for your neighbor were the two summations of the Word.

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

Even the scribe who questioned Jesus came to understand that there was no higher summary of all that is written in the Word than to love God with all your strength and to love your neighbor with as much sincerity as you love yourself.

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

And what does it mean to love God? Many answers are possible, but one answer is predominant through the entirety of Scripture:

• "TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33b)
• Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)
• "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)
• If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15 )
• He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me…(John 14:21 )
• If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. (John 15:10 )
• …what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. (1Cor.7:19 )
• …you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God…for you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. (1Thes.4:1,2 )
• And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. (1John 2:3 )
• But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. (1John 2:5a)
• By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. (1John 5:2)
• For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1John 5:3 )
• And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. (2 John 1:6a)

There is no higher summary statement of the Word than the two which Jesus Himself delivered to us: Love God with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything written in the Word depends on these two summary statements. And what is love except that we fear and obey the Lord.

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Eccl.12:13 NIV)

Isn’t it true that non-hedonist Christians are really just dead, joyless, useless believers who displease God?

Question 25.

Isn’t it true that non-hedonist Christians are really just dead, joyless, useless believers who displease God?

Answer 25.

Someone who has intentionally assumed for themselves the label of "Christian Hedonist" subscribes to a certain philosophy. That philosophy requires them to pursue pleasure in God as their primary goal in this life and the next.

In turn, anyone who has not converted to the philosophy of hedonism may be judged by some hedonists as emotionally dead, joyless, and therefore useless to the kingdom of God. This judgment is based on a number of false assumptions about the Word and about the philosophy of Christian Hedonism.

The first false assumption made is that if someone is not pursuing their own pleasures as their primary goal then they must not have any joy at all. Such a person making this assumption is so mentally and visually focused on "joy" and "pleasure" as the purpose of life that he misses the chasm of separation in meaning between the terms "joyless" and "being consumed with nothing but my own joys and pleasure."

Joy is one of the things that brings hedonists pleasure, so they pursue it. By contrast, If a non-hedonist is motivated to act out of say, love, and not from a desire for personal pleasure (joy) then the hedonist accuses them of being "joyless".

Hedonism is blind to the fact that non-hedonists can be motivated by the entire spectrum of emotions, biblical reasons, and commandments. At any given time, a non-hedonist may be spurred to godly action by the fear of God, or by sympathy for a neighbor, or by a sense of duty, or by compassion. In fact, a non-hedonist believer is open to any form of godly influence by which to justify obedience to God and His Word.

Hedonists are narrowly restricted to act only on that which they feel will bring them pleasure. All motives and actions are measured by "will this bring me more pleasure in God than I had a moment ago?"

When one is spurred on to serve God from a selfless desire to please God he is never useless, dead, or joyless. Every Christian will grow in joy over time, for it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Sooner or later the bud of joy will begin growing and God will raise up such a one to experience the joy of the Lord, in His own good timing.

When that believer acts on his desire to please God, rather than to please himself, he becomes useful.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:2-11)

It is not pleasure-seeking nor joy that render a man useful and fruitful. Rather it is the qualities of moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

The absence of these qualities makes one blind or short-sighted and forgetful. Therefore, it is the one who concentrates on his own pleasures alone that is in more serious danger of becoming unproductive for the kingdom than the one who concentrates on duties instead of pleasure; duties such as self-control and love.

Joy and pleasure-seeking are not the qualities by which God judges usefulness and spiritual deadness. Those who do judge other believers on the basis of how much joy they display are themselves in danger of judgment:

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)

Never have I known a believer, a servant of God, who is "dead" for God has granted such a one new life. Nor have I known a believer who is "joyless" for all believers sooner or later experience some level of joy in their Christian walk with Christ.

When a hedonist accuses traditional Christians and their churches of being "dead", "joyless", and "useless" they are actually saying, "they do not meet my own personal preferences for outward displays of joy and pleasure-seeking therefore I have no use for them." Such hedonists are to be pitied for they have missed a vital element of being a Christian; they have missed the unity in Spirit with all God’s children.