WEDNESDAY
Remember, this week we are exploring God’s response to our failure to uphold the moral law.
Hedonism is a philosophical and ethical theory that argues that pleasure is the most important or chief good. It posits that pleasure and pain are the only motivators of human action and that people should always seek pleasure and avoid pain. Ethical hedonism holds that pleasure is not only the chief motivator of human action but also the ultimate goal and standard of moral value. This idea is obviously present in a lot of media and pop culture today. If it feels good, do it. It’s just an expression of your true self. The idea is that moral laws are just limitations on your free self-gratification. We all know that we’ve already broken the law a bunch of times, so why not go hog wild?
This approach sadly often leads to increased feelings of guilt and shame, addiction and isolation.
Even in the Christian world we fall prey to hedonistic thinking all the time even if we haven’t adopted the whole philosophy. Who hasn’t started a diet only to slip up one day. When we are doing well we recognize the failure then get back on track the next day. But occasionally one slip-up is all it takes for the train to totally go off the rails and before we know it we go on a month-long binge of cake and ice cream. Of course, this is a rather innocuous example. We do this with more consequential sins like sex, ambition and substances as well.
Jesus tells the story of a little hedonist long before the term existed. In fact, we will derive both of our alternative approaches from this parable. First, we’ll look at the younger son’s actions in the tale of the Prodigal Son:
Luke 15:11–24 11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
In Jesus’ immediate context, he uses this character of the younger son to describe the tax collectors and sinners who had been living rather hedonistic lifestyles. The son’s pursuit of pleasure cost him everything he had and eventually he hit rock bottom—feeding pigs and desiring to eat even their food. Yuck! Double yuck for a Jew who saw pigs as unclean.
Notice the transitional word in verse 17. It is the same as in Ephesians 2:4—”But.” This younger son who has been living a hedonistic lifestyle realizes the abundance in the Father’s house and his own comparative lack. The father responds to his return with compassion, running (respectable men didn’t run in this culture because one risked exposing oneself), an embrace and a kiss. The son repents. The father welcomes him into the family, giving him an inheritance and rich blessing (see Eph. 1-2 again). Notice the verbiage: dead—alive, lost—found.
Instead of running wild in hedonism, pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. This son has found love, mercy, status and provision in the Father’s house. I love how John Piper has flipped the popular Christian approach to Hedonism on its head. Christians historically have viewed our passions and desires as the problem and subsequently attempt to squash them until we are joyless curmudgeons. He argues for “Christian Hedonism.” This is a return to the truth that true pleasure is found in God and God alone. His famous line is “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” He points to C.S. Lewis’s influence who says:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” - C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory
This is what makes the gospel so irresistible. Instead of pursuing pleasure in the self and our appetites, we find true bottomless pleasure in communion with God. This joy begins with the realization of our salvation—our sin has been removed from us by God’s grace through Jesus, and his righteousness being imputed to us. This is cause for joy, thanksgiving and the pursuit of true satisfaction in our Creator.
Additional Content
Reflection
Reflect on how the way of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins that Jesus offers, is better than a pursuit of pleasure apart from God. If you’re like me, you’ve been there. You’ve tried pursuing pleasure apart from God and it’s empty. It leaves you wallowing in “pig slop” and wanting only more pig slop. But in God and in his salvation there is fullness of joy and genuine satisfaction.