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.
