Comparing Apples and Oranges in Christian Hedonism

There are two verses in the book of Romans that add support to the concept of Christian hedonism, and help us see it is very different than normal hedonism. In fact, I would say that trying to compare the two is like comparing apples and oranges.

For those unfamiliar with the term “Christian hedonism,” it was popularized by John Piper a couple decades ago through his preaching and writing. It is encapsulated in that memorable phrase, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” The defense of this is summed up by saying that God commands us to find the source of all our happiness in Him, and every sacrifice of lesser joys is for the greatest joys that are promised in Christ. I believe there is a watertight biblical case for this all through scripture.

One place it is clearly revealed is in Romans 2:5-8 which reads:

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

The first thing to address is the erroneous idea that Paul is advocating a salvation by works. That would be ripping this chapter out of Romans and torturing it with a rape and pillage hermeneutic. Paul is not dealing with salvation issues yet. He is dealing with judgement issues. He is addressing how the righteous judgement of God will bring rewards and punishments to different people.

Having said that, let’s look closely at verses 7 and 8. The two basic categories of people are those who persevere in doing good (i.e. Christians), and those who do not obey the truth (i.e. unbelievers). What is so interesting is how these people are defined. Christians are defined as those who “seek for glory and honor and immortality.” Unbelievers are defined by being “selfishly ambitious.” Now think about that. Could you not say that those who “seek for glory” would qualify as “selfishly ambitious?” Could you not say that those who are “selfishly ambitious” are those who want “honor?” Of course you could say that. It is part of what selfish ambition is all about.

There are similarities between hedonism and Christian hedonism. Both want pleasure. Both make great sacrifices for pleasure. But to say they are the same thing is like comparing apples and oranges.

The key difference that makes them radically antithetical is who makes the determination as to what the greatest pleasure is, what the greatest glory is, and what the greatest honor is. The unbeliever is a person still under Adamic headship. Just like his first parents, Adam and Eve, he takes upon himself the independence and the authority to make the final decision about what is good, what is a delight, and what is desirable (Gen 3:6). And fallen man, left to himself, will always chose the creation over the creator (Rom 1:25). The only question then is what part of creation will he find his delights in? To be sure, there are many to choose from.

But the Christian is under new management. Jesus Christ is now his Lord and master, being the head of the body, which is the church. God has drawn a sinner to himself, humbled him, and given him regenerating grace. The newly made Christian now has a new set of eyes to see the glory of Christ, new ears to hear the truth of Christ, and new taste buds to taste and see that the Lord is good. The Christian now finds that behind every good pleasure of creation is a creator who can make even more of those kinds of pleasures. In fact, the Creator himself is the greatest pleasure; no one and no thing can compete when it comes to beauty and power.

So is the Christian actually selfishly ambitious when he is seeking for “glory and honor and immortality.” Well, the Christian is acting for the good of self. And, yes, the Christian is ambitious in his pursuits of glory and honor. The key is that each of these terminate in Christ. The greatest good for the Christian’s self is the ultimate glory of Christ. The glory the Christian seeks is that glory which is found bowing before the Lord. The honor the Christian ambitiously seeks is that honor which comes from God for being a faithful slave of such an awesome Lord. God has put his stamp of approval on all of these actions, and rewards them, because God is at the center of them. God is not an idolater. Only He is worthy of being at the center. But the selfish ambition of the unbeliever terminates in himself. This is a lie that brings death to everyone and everything. God would be unjust to not punish this with eternal “wrath and indignation.”

So, in obedience to Rom 2:7, be a Christian hedonist and pursue glory and honor and immortality with all your might. Find Christ behind every good thing and enjoy Him in every good thing. But don’t settle for things that will only last 70 years. Persevere in doing good, for there are pleasures which will last 70 trillion years. Only at the right hand of God are there “pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11)