It is not that uncommon to come across non-Christians who think that the Christian faith is, to some extent, against people experiencing pleasure. And this thinking is one reason why some are put off our faith.
Reasons why some
people think that the Christian faith is negative towards pleasure
There are two reasons
why some non-believers connect our faith with a negative attitude towards
pleasure.
First, there are some
Christians who, to a certain extent, really do view pleasure negatively. So
when non-Christians encounter Christians who think this, they sometimes assume
that this attitude towards pleasure is a standard part of the Christian faith.
Second and more
importantly, some non-believers see Christians opposing various things that
give pleasure, such as getting drunk or having sex outside marriage, and they often
just assume that the reason we oppose these things is because they are
pleasurable.
The result of these
two factors is that there is an impression among some non-Christians that the
Christian faith is, to some extent, against people experiencing pleasure.
God is positive
about pleasure
It can hardly be
overstated how wrong it is to think that the Christian faith is against
pleasure.
To begin with, we
need to understand that God Himself experiences pleasure. The Bible is full of
references to God taking pleasure in people and things.
For example, in Psalm
149:4 we read:
‘For the LORD takes
pleasure in his people . . .’ (ESV)
What is more, even
before God made the universe, the love relationships in the Trinity between
Father, Son and Holy Spirit undoubtedly caused God a tremendously deep source
of pleasure.
Secondly, a major
part of God’s purpose in creating humans was so that we could experience
pleasure – first and foremost pleasure in God Himself, but also pleasure in
human relationships of various kinds and in other aspects of creation.
To put it bluntly,
God is thoroughly in favour of people experiencing pleasure.
Things are not sinful
because they are pleasurable
If something is
against God’s will, it is important to understand that there
is always some reason other than it being pleasurable that makes it sinful.
So, for example,
getting drunk is not sinful because it is pleasurable, but because it causes
people to lose self-control. Losing self-control can lead people to do unwise
things, and it also fits poorly with the dignity of human beings as creatures
made in the image of God.
Similarly, sex
outside marriage is not sinful because it is pleasurable, but because God
designed sex to cement the marriage relationship between husband and wife that
mirrors the relationship between Christ and His church.
It is crucial to
understand that God is not a kill-joy. He isn’t against pleasure. There is no
activity that is sinful because it is pleasurable. The world as God made it is simply
not like that.
A special case
Despite what I have
just said, there is one kind of situation where pleasure is a problem in and of
itself. This is when people treat pleasure as an idol and seek it more than
they should.
Sometimes a person
can become obsessed with seeking after pleasure, and in that sort of situation there is a sense
in which pleasure itself is a problem for that person.
However,
the point still stands that in terms of what any particular activity involves,
it is not the pleasure derived from an action that makes it sinful. It is
always something else.
Living in a time of war
If Adam and
Eve had not fallen into sin, and if there had been a human race that had never
sinned, everyone would have experienced nothing but great pleasure all the
time.
Similarly,
after we die or Jesus returns to earth, our lives will be nothing but pleasure,
and this is what God will want.
However,
the reality is that the human race has fallen into sin, those of us now on
earth have not yet died, and Jesus has not yet returned. This
means that it isn’t possible right now for us to experience pleasure all the
time. Although pleasure should be a part of our lives, suffering is also
unavoidable to a certain extent. We are living in a kind of wartime, when
normal peacetime activities can’t always be enjoyed.
In 2
Timothy 2:3-4 Paul tells Timothy:
‘Share in
suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in
civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.’ (ESV)
There
should be no doubt that these words are meant to apply to all Christians. We
are all soldiers of Christ Jesus, and soldiers can expect to experience
hardships of various kinds. A time will come when suffering and hardship become
things of the past, but that time is not yet.
Correcting wrong ideas
When we
come across non-Christians who have wrong ideas about the attitude of the
Christian faith towards pleasure, it is worth trying to correct those ideas if
we have an opportunity.
As I have
already noted, some non-believers are put off our faith because they think that
it views pleasure negatively to a certain extent. When people decide not to
follow Jesus and reject the salvation that is in Him because of wrong thinking
like this, it is a real tragedy.
If we can
help them to view things correctly on the real Christian attitude towards
pleasure, for some it may make the difference between the decision to accept
Jesus as Saviour and Lord and the decision not to.
It is also
worth trying to correct the thinking of Christians who have a poor
understanding in this area. Some believers view God as more severe than He
really is, and they seem to imagine that to some extent He is against us
experiencing pleasure. If we can help them see reality better on this topic, it
could only aid them in their relationships with the Lord.
See also:
Charismatic
Churches and Their Attitude to Hardship
Is There
Any Place for Entertainment in Church Services?
How and Why
Should Christians Rejoice?
