Isn’t the doctrine of the Trinity similar to Christian Hedonism in that it is a label and a doctrine not explicitly taught in the Bible but is nonetheless true?
Question 36.
Isn’t the doctrine of the Trinity similar to Christian Hedonism in that it is a label and a doctrine not explicitly taught in the Bible but is nonetheless true?
Answer 36.
Many people have compared the speculative philosophy of Christian Hedonism to the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. The comparison is born on the assumption that extra-biblical labels may be freely created to apply to biblically derived doctrines. This assumption is acceptable enough. The comparison then continues using the logic that since labels are acceptable inventions (albeit they are not found in the Word) Christian Hedonism must be just as acceptable a doctrine as the Trinity because both are loosely based on Scripture, and are therefore both biblical concepts described by "artificial" labels. It is here that the logic of comparison is faulty.
Use of the Trinity as an analogous situation for Christian Hedonism is a false analogy because the Bible very clearly and explicitly teaches us the doctrine of one God consisting of three persons who are also called God. These tenets of the Trinity are based on explicit Bible verses that individually teach us that God is One, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Three make the One, or, Three in One (Trinity).
In contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity, Christian Hedonism fails to find such specific Bible verses for its primary tenets: the pursuit of one’s own pleasure with all one’s might is an actual command of Scripture, the pursuit of one’s own pleasure is one’s highest calling, one must become a Christian Hedonist to see the Kingdom of God and be saved, and the very goal of worship is attaining the pleasure which is found while worshipping God.
Perhaps it can be said another way. The "Trinity" is a very polite label for a gathering of specific Bible verses. It is not a label for a general idea or philosophy. Whereas Christian Hedonism is a philosophy that is not built from specific verses but from a system of logic and assumptions based loosely on abstract interpretations of a wide ranging set of passages that do not actually state or directly teach the very tenets of hedonism.
The "Proofs"
To "prove" the doctrine of the Trinity, you need to demonstrate that the Bible calls God "One God" and not three gods. Then you need to demonstrate that the Bible calls the Father "God", the Son "God", and the Holy Spirit "God".
In fact, the Word does just that. The four tenets of the doctrine of the Trinity are:
Tenet One
: God is One, not Three; God alone is the Alpha and the Omega (the First and Last God)–there are no other Gods but He
"Jesus answered, "The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD." (Mark 12:29)
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.’ " (Isaiah 44:6)
"…’I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’ " (Isaiah 41:4)
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son." (Revelation 21:6,7)
"…My glory I will not give to another. Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.’ " (Isaiah 48:11b,12)
Tenet Two
: The Father is God
"…the Father, God, has set His seal." (John 6:27b)
"…’I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ " (John 20:17b)
Tenet Three
: The Son is God (the child who is born is actually God Eternal, the first and the last)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. … For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. (John 1:1,14, 17)
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. … I, Jesus…", (Revelation 22:13, 16a)
For a child will be born to us, a son
will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6,7)
Tenet Four
: The Holy Spirit is God; and He, as God, appoints gifts to the saints as He wills
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:11)
But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. (1 Corinthians 12:18)
And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28)
And perhaps the best summation passage that aligns the worship of the Father with Jesus being worshipped as the Mighty God Who has all authority, which then is aligned with the fact that all believers are baptized (made to identify with) the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit is Matthew 28:17-20.
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
While the label "Trinity" may be a polite "made-up" label that describes a deep truth of plain Scriptures, each of the four tenets of the doctrine of the Trinity are expressly supported by direct Scripture. God says that only God is called "the first and the last", yet Jesus calls Himself by that title. We find that Isaiah calls the Son of God, who is born on the Earth, by the name Eternal Father and Mighty God. We read that God is the only One Who assigns the gifts as He desires, but we read that the Holy Spirit is the One who assigns the gifts as He wills.
This is not a game of logic or a philosophy lesson. The names God chose for Himself are equally applied to Jesus and the Holy Spirit in numerous verses that explicitly say these things. A person does not have to work at trying to find subtle connections between the Son and the Father, and it is not necessary to jump through loops of loosely tied threads of logic to see some minor insight that might lead in the right direction. Scripture spells out the doctrine plainly. God’s name is Eternal Father and His Son is to be called, Eternal Father. God is He Who gives out spiritual gifts, and God is the Holy Spirit who decides what person is to get which gifts. Each tenet of the doctrine is plainly corroborated by a very plain statement from Scripture.
Christian Hedonism Lacks Such Proof Verses
Now compare this to the philosophy of Christian Hedonism. To prove Christian Hedonism you need to demonstrate that the Bible calls devotion to pleasure the greatest pursuit and highest calling of mankind, and you must demonstrate that the Bible commands that one must be converted to Christian Hedonism to be saved, and that the worship of God is only valid when the goal of worship is to attain pleasure.
Tenet One of Christian Hedonism
: the pursuit of your own pleasure in God is a command from the Bible
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
[Note: nowhere in this verse are the words "pursue pleasure" found, nor is it proper to use logic to construe "delight yourself in the Lord" to infer a command to "pursue your own pleasure in God"--see
Tenet Two of Christian Hedonism
: the Pursuit of Pleasure is the greatest pursuit and highest calling of believers
"The radical implication is that pursuing pleasure in God is our highest calling." (Piper, page 21, The Dangerous Duty of Delight)
[Note: Christian Hedonism offers no Bible passages to support this tenet, so we offer this quote from Dangerous Duty.]
Tenet Three of Christian Hedonism
: one must be converted to Christian Hedonism to be saved
"Unless a man be born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55)
"Could it be that today the most straightforward biblical command for conversion is not, ‘Believe in the Lord,’ but, ‘Delight yourself in the Lord’?" (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55)
"The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an ‘extra’ that a person might grow into after he comes to faith. Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit, your ‘faith’ cannot please God. It is not saving faith." (John Piper, Desiring God, page 69)
[Note: Christian Hedonism offers no legitimate Bible passages to support this tenet, so we offer these quotes from Desiring God.]
Tenet Four of Christian Hedonism
: the goal of worship is to attain pleasure in God
"I came to see that it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in him." (Piper, Desiring God, page 16, 1996 edition)
[Note: Christian Hedonism offers no legitimate Bible passages to support this tenet, so we offer this quote from Desiring God.]
In fact, the Word says none of those things, anywhere. You cannot even find one passage that acknowledges that there is such as thing as "the pursuit of pleasure", except where that pleasure is utterly lewd and detestable in the sight of God.
Given you cannot find even one passage that elevates pleasure to a valid pursuit of any kind, much less our greatest pursuit (hence the label "hedonism"), it is an even harder task to imagine a Bible verse–much less find one–that requires conversion to hedonism as a condition of salvation.
And finally let us consider the tenet of Christian Hedonism that states that the worship of God is only valid when the goal of worship is to attain pleasure for the worshipper. Again, the diligent Bible student will discover that worship is valid or authentic when it aims to be verbally edifying (1 Corinthians 14:26), calls others to repent from sin (1 Corinthians 14:23-25), and causes us to put our physical bodies into motion serving God and one another (Romans 12:1-13).
It should also be pointed out that worshipping God involves praising Him, and this is often called "shouting with joy to the Lord". Even some of our labors of worship are to be done with "cheer" and with "joy". Yet, what is the purpose or goal of worship: to experience joy and cheer, or, to praise God, edify the saints, and serve one another? The Bible states the goal of worship is to praise God, sometimes accompanied by the expression of joy; edify the saints, sometimes with the heart of cheerfulness; and to serve one another. The goal, according to plain Scripture, is never so that we can experience pleasure, experience joy, or experience cheer. Such experiences are attitudes that can accompany worship, but they are neither the goal nor the test for authenticating worship. Worship may be conducted in fear, in great sadness, or even in depression, and it will still be valid and God-honoring worship.
Consider Psalm 42. The Psalmist said his soul panted for God. Why? Because God had cut off His presence and His temple worship from His people when they were driven into exile by God for their sins. The Psalmist was not giving some romantic notion about his soul desiring a mystical rapturous pleasure of a hedonistic encounter with God as if that were some kind of normative event. The Psalmist was here worshipping God in deep depression that God had withdrawn Himself from him and the people because they had sinned. The Psalmist’s soul was panting for forgiveness from God, his desire was to quench his sorrow over his sins for which he cried night and day (verse 3). He longed to be able to go to temple again and to have his prayers heard and his sins covered by sacrifice again (verse 4).
Was the Psalmist in Psalm 42 worshipping God any less because his attitude was one of grief and sorrow instead of rapturous pleasure? No. In fact, Jesus, in a parable (Luke 18), said of the tax collector who worshipped in anguish at the temple that his worship caused him to be proclaimed righteous whereas the man who stood up in his self-righteous pleasure and worshipped in his zeal left still in his sin. Such men who worship to attain pleasure and to attain the pleasure of being seen ought to consider with wise discretion and discernment what Jesus said about those who seek their spiritual rewards while still on Earth (Matthew 6:1-6).
When we begin to think and to teach that the worship of God is so that we can attain heights of pleasing emotions we miss the point of worship entirely. It is true that sometimes pleasing emotions accompany or result from praising God or serving others, yet that is not why we are told to serve. God’s motives for giving us these commands is for the edification of others, for meeting the needs of others, for demonstrating to God our dependence and gratitude toward Him.
Worship is outward focused on those who are greater and more important than ourselves. When we get the silly notion that the worship is "for me" we begin quite literally worshipping ourselves.
Doctrine Comes From the Word, Philosophies Have No Such Burden
Christian Hedonism fails the biblical test on all four of its primary tenets. Unlike the doctrine of the Trinity, the philosophy of Christian Hedonism finds no evidential support in the Word. It is entirely a human idea based on human philosophy and human desires. It is made into a religion only when men give its secular foundation religious intent. They then run the risk of repeating the error of the Pharisees, which is elevating one’s own ideas to a level of importance even above the plain commands of Scripture, eventually becoming experts at this newly established "tradition" instead of experts at obeying the Word.
For a more in-depth exploration behind whether the philosophy of Christian Hedonism is read out from biblical passages (exegesis) or whether the ideas are read into the Scriptural text (eisegesis) you are invited to read FAQ 30.
If I just substitute the word “joy” for “pleasure” doesn’t Christian Hedonism become biblical?
Question 35.
If I just substitute the word “joy” for “pleasure” doesn’t Christian Hedonism become biblical?
Answer 35.
To test this hypothesis, compare the original published defining claims of Christian Hedonism to the same claim re-written as it would appear if “pleasure” and “happiness” were replaced by the word “joy.”
|
Original Claim |
Same Claim Made for “Joy” |
| “Christian Hedonism answers: the pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed. If you aim to abandon the pursuit of full and lasting pleasure, you cannot love people or please God.” (Piper, Dangerous Duty, page 39) | Christian Hedonism answers: the pursuit of joy is an essential motive for every good deed. If you aim to abandon the pursuit of full and lasting joy, you cannot love people or please God. |
| Christian hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue happiness with all our might. (Piper, quoted from www.desiringgod.org on May 29, 2003) | Christian hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue joy with all our might. |
| “The radical implication is that pursuing pleasure in God is our highest calling.” (Piper, page 21, The Dangerous Duty of Delight) | The radical implication is that pursuing joy in God is our highest calling. |
| “Christian Hedonism does not put us above God when it makes the joy of worship its goal.” (Piper, Desiring God, page 85, 1996) | “Christian Hedonism does not put us above God when it makes the joy of worship its goal.” |
| “I came to see that it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in him.” (Piper, Desiring God, page 16, 1996 edition) | I came to see that it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the joy to be had in him. |
| “Unless a man be born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55) | “Unless a man be born again into a Christian Hedonist he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55) |
| “Could it be that today the most straightforward biblical command for conversion is not, ‘Believe in the Lord,’ but, ‘Delight yourself in the Lord’?” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55) | “Could it be that today the most straightforward biblical command for conversion is not, ‘Believe in the Lord,’ but, ‘Delight yourself in the Lord’?” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 55) |
| “The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an ‘extra’ that a person might grow into after he comes to faith. Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit, your ‘faith’ cannot please God. It is not saving faith.” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 69) | “The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is not an ‘extra’ that a person might grow into after he comes to faith. Until your heart has hit upon this pursuit, your ‘faith’ cannot please God. It is not saving faith.” (John Piper, Desiring God, page 69) |
| “Christian hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue happiness with all our might. The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon pursuit of your own joy you cannot please God.” (quoted from www.desiringgod.org on May 29, 2003) | Christian hedonism says more, namely, that we should pursue joy with all our might. The desire to be filled with joy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon pursuit of your own joy you cannot please God. |
As it becomes clear from the above side-by-side comparison, all that happens by swapping the word “joy” in the place of pleasure is that one unprovable presumptive set of claims is replaced by another set of assumptions. In some instances, the claim does not change one bit. With every claim, there is not one concrete Bible verse by which to uphold and establish the claim. Christian Hedonism, whether it elevates joy or pleasure, is improper when it places “our pursuits” of joy and pleasure with all our might ahead of God’s commandment for men to instead pursue love “with all our strength.”
Now, it is true that joy is a fruit of the Spirit, whereas “pleasure” and “happiness” are not. By that single measure, the “pursuit of joy with all our might” appears closer to the standard of being biblical than did the expression “pursue pleasure with all our might”. Still, neither expression quite meets that standard.
As always, it is necessary to point out that several times the Word does tell us to be thankful to God for His gifts and His mercy and therefore to rejoice. Rejoicing as it is presented to us in the Bible is usually a mechanism of praising God, outwardly demonstrating our appreciation to God. The “pursuit of joy” as Christian Hedonism authors this odd precept, defines it as a taking in of pleasure, an attainment and internalizing of pleasurable feelings for the benefit of the rejoicer. So in the eyes of Christian Hedonism, pursuing joy is more focused on experiencing the joy as a pleasurable event and less focused on the act of praise as a way of showing gratitude. This is the very key to understanding why Christian Hedonism so often phrases it as one’s own “pursuit” instead of simply agreeing with Scripture that men ought to rejoice as a way to praise God for His works.
The Bible’s command to rejoice as a way of praising God is Godward directed. The Christian Hedonist command to pursue joy is a man-directed craving for good feelings and pleasurable sensations in God.
The “pursuit of joy” is still not an actual precept or literal command of Scripture. By way of comparison the expression “pursue love” and “love God with all your strength” are genuine commands, literal precepts, and overt statutes of the Word (1 Corinthians 14:1, 1 Timothy 6:11, Mark 12:28-31).
“Pursue love with all your strength” meets the standard of “being biblical” while “pursue joy with all your strength” remains speculative, a presumption which ought not to be imposed on man as if it were a command from God the Almighty.
Wasn’t Jesus motivated to redeem mankind because He was seeking His own joy?
Question 34.
Wasn’t Jesus motivated to redeem mankind because He was seeking His own joy?
Answer 34.
What was the motive that induced Jesus to sacrifice Himself for us? Was it really just for the sake of His own joy, as Christian Hedonism teaches?
Motive 1: for the profit of others
Paul teaches that his own motivation for ministry is based on imitating Jesus’ motive for ministry: the profit of the many.
Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1Corinthians 10:33,11:1)
Motive 2: a servant’s heart of selflessness
Further, Paul teaches that Christ did not go to the cross looking only to please Himself by obtaining joy, but His going to the cross was not even self-pleasing but was selflessly motivated.
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me. Romans 15:1-3
Motive 3: a sense of duty toward God
Jesus taught us that he was motivated to minister and to die out of a sense of duty to God.
Jesus said
to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word." (John 8:42,43)
but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here. (John 14:31)
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. (John 4:34)
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." … He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." (Matthew 26:39,42)
And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42)
Motive 4: Jesus was moved to action by a heart full of mercy
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:5,6)
For He [Jesus] had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" He said to him, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." (Mark 5:8, 19b)
When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road. (Mark 10:47, 52)
Mary prophesied in song regarding the motive behind why Jesus was to be born
: "AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM." (Luke 1:50)
Zacharia prophesied over Jesus also saying the two motives for Jesus’ life were mercy and to guide mankind into the way of service and peace:
"To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:74-79)
Even the Apostle Paul said one of his motives for serving in the ministry was that he had received mercy from God, which is why he did not lose heart:
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)
Motive 5: Compassion
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:11-13)
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." (Matthew 9:35-38)
When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
Moved with compassion
, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." (Mark 1:41)
When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34)
Motive 6: Love
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34,35)
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Even though Jesus did not come on His "own initiative", but was under orders from God, He did get the commandment from God that He had free choice as to whether to lay down His own life for the sheep. Out of love for the sheep and motivated by duty to the Father, Jesus laid down His own life and then took it up again.
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." (John 10:17,18)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35,38,39)
Motive 7: Future Joy
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:12)
A Motive "Beyond All These Things"
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)
Certainly it is acceptable to be motivated in part by the anticipation that God will reward good behavior and that this will result in joy. But it would be silly and naïve to assume there is only one biblical motive behind all actions and thoughts. God was, and is, motivated by a rich diversity of reasons, affections, emotions, responses, and desires (love, compassion, mercy, duty). Men too are capable and blessed by similar, but imperfect, diverse motivations.
In truth, those who act only out of consideration for their own pleasure are to be pitied, for they are missing the vast array of affections and godly motives that swayed our Lord to act, and therefore, they are missing a tremendous number of opportunities to serve others and the Lord. Similarly, I confess to being angered by the teachings of some which contradict the Word when they claim that Christ had but one motivation and that we too should have only one motivation.
There is not generally much written in the Bible telling us to examine our motives. In those comparatively few instances where we are told to look within ourselves to determine why we do what we do, the motive most often cited as being "bad" and improper (so as to root it out of ourselves) is selfishness and literally hedonism, doing things for our own profit or pleasure. This is perhaps the ultimate irony: Christian Hedonism calls us to always act on the basis of seeking our own pleasure with all our strength as our highest motive, yet, the Scriptures do not often ask us to consider our motives, and when they do, hedonism (pleasure seeking) is the one thing that is most strongly condemned as an improper motive.
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)
