A friend recently sent a link to an article on Christian hedonism. 

He asked for my thoughts. The author states, “Christian Hedonism claims that the Christian life should be the pursuit of maximum joy in God – joy both in quality and quantity.” The author further reasons that “God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God himself is glorified by our being satisfied in him. Therefore, our pursuit of joy in him is essential” (https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/christian-hedonism). 

I must confess – I find this view troubling. Are God’s ultimate goal and our deepest desire one and the same? I have no problem with the view that God is the supreme satisfaction of the human soul, nor with the view that God is glorified by our being satisfied in him. I have no problem with the fact that God wants us to be joyful. 

After sharing the parable of the vine and the vine-grower, Jesus tells his disciples to abide in his love by keeping his commandments just as he has kept his Father’s commandments and abides in his love. Then Jesus adds, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15.11; NRSV). Jesus addresses joy in the context of love.

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (p. 168) defines hedonism: “The pursuit of one’s own pleasure as an end in itself; in ethics, the view that such a pursuit is the proper aim of all action.” The emphasis is on one’s self and self-satisfaction. Isn’t this antithetical to the Christian life?

I believe the Christian life calls us to the love, adoration and worship of God as experienced in Jesus Christ and as seen in our obedience to God’s commands; when we commit to living in this manner, we allow God’s transforming power to work in our lives. As the prophet Micah (6.8; NRSV) says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

The “pursuit of maximum joy in God” is nowhere mentioned. What John calls “complete joy” is a by-product of loving obedience, of abiding in the Vine and keeping God’s commandments. When we pursue the pleasure of maximum joy in God for our satisfaction, we act in the mistaken notion that we can, of ourselves, attain the gift that only God can grant. And that, my friends, is a form of idolatry – putting our interests in God’s rightful place.