I first heard of this when reading a John Piper book. The term “Christian Hedonism” is not for the faint-hearted to ponder, but when we think about our quest for pleasing God in all that we do, it seems to me that it is, indeed, something about which we should be open-minded. In my own faith walk, my desire is to love God in a personal and intimate way. But to do that I must remain faithful to a life system governed by God Almighty.
The definitions of hedonism found in the dictionary are: The doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good and Devotion to pleasure [1]
These definitions, when taken in a worldly context present a problem. If we look at the pleasure and happiness words alone, we might think that to be devoted to them, to pursue them, is worldly hedonism at its finest. But once we realize that what we really want is to remain faithful to a life system governed by God Almighty, our desire takes on a virginal significance. Pleasure and happiness obtained solely from dedication to a life system governed by God Almighty requires authentic self-evaluation.
We must determine what tangibles and statutes come from a cosmic life system governed by God Almighty. Will they be valuable and sustainable? Each one of us makes our life-altering decision. For me, to think that a life system governed by God Almighty is somehow less than “the highest good” seems almost blasphemous.
From my own experience, I can tell you emphatically that my intimate and personal faith in God blankets me with love, value, and caring. And it will prepare me and make me worthy to see Jesus face to face, and what a glorious day that will be. And I would know that my enjoyment, pleasure and happiness came from my dedication and pursuit of the Highest Good, which is God.
[1] The American College Dictionary using definitions from The Dictionary of American English (1944) – (page 560)