Skip to main content

On the subject that Christians are no different from Epicureans in seeking pleasure

On the subject that Christians are no different from Epicureans in seeking pleasure, differing only in the choice of activities that one chooses to partake


You are right on one point in that we are all beings of pleasure. But to the Christian, God Himself is the pleasure not so much the Christian activities that grant us that (although a Christian should find the community of believers and the preaching of the Word pleasurable). The words from the Psalms are written in this form - "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). The use of the language which are usually associated to the partaking of food is deliberate for us to understand this. The invitation is to taste God and his goodness.

I do not mean exactly that the Epicurean acts are futile. It is healthy for Christians to thank God for everything we have been given from music, to food, to the gift of friendships and so on. So in this we share similarities with the Epicurean. The best way of explaining this is that at one point in our childhood, our toys were our everything. But we no longer derive the same pleasure that we used to.

It is the same with God. The knowledge of Him dwarfs out every other pleasure source. You may not agree with this but I suggest two things that points towards this - the first being that one never feels fully satiated on this earth with regards to the good things that we have. All the football, music, arts, travel, and relationships are pleasure giving but never satiates fully.

The second is a bit more counter-intuitive but it is worth asking this question: how did we come to be pleasure seekers in the first place? It presupposes a lot of things. I would suggest we were built for this.

On the matter of the adoption of the Christian religion - this is a subject matter that I have a lot to say but in the interest of brevity, I will simply describe it as such. Nobody actually chooses on their own accord to be a Christian. Theologically speaking, God Himself draws each and everyone out of their own prodigality and make them know His goodness. C.S.Lewis describes his own experience this way:

"The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? "


It is the reason why we cannot say Christianity is an "English" religion, nor is it an "American" religion, nor is it a "Roman" religion. We can only say at some point it was at its most influential in England and had a tremendous influence in English culture (which was true in the 17th-18th century) and now it is clearly less so although some remnant of its influence remains. So to put forth the matter, Christianity will always be independent of geography and culture. It is always the same, an awareness of who Jesus Christ really is and the things He did to die on the Cross for all of man's sins, as well as His resurrection in the 1st century. This is what will transform a person and enable him to find his way to God and obtain that relationship with which he was created to enjoy.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

人日

Yesterday was 人日, the 7th day of Chinese New Year. According to Chinese customs, this was the day humans were created. In modern times it is common to see people greet everyone "Happy birthday" on 人日. But what exactly is 人? This is probably the first Chinese character that everyone learns. Scripture tells us: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27) This has tremendous implications. Man was taken from dust and given the breath of life. He or she bears the divine image of the God of the Universe. This simple verse means at least a few things for us: (1) Because humans are made in His image, everyone bears the image of God. This includes people we don't like, or don't get along with. It includes people from a different race. It includes the disabled whom the world considers valueless. It means we should treat everyone by remembering they are a fellow image bearer. (2) In our lives ho...

2 Samuel 3 - Civil War in Israel and when Generals Run Amok

2 Samuel 3 – Civil War in Israel and when Generals Run Amok      The setting of 2 Samuel 3 describes Civil War in Israel. Perhaps Bible summaries have done us a disservice by describing David as the Second King of Israel after Saul and that is right, to some extent. But before David was king, there was Civil War in Israel where David was king in Judah, and Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was king over the Benjamin, and the rest of Israel. 2 Sam 3:1 documents for us: “There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.” We as readers know what will happen, for 1 Samuel already describes for us a time when Saul’s kingdom will go to David. But 2 Sam 3 is important for us. In both kingdoms, there are two generals, who overrule their kings. Abner overrules Ish-bosheth and Joab overrules David in these two kingdoms. First Abner, who by this time has gr...

Post-YA Retreat 2017 Thoughts

So much happened but I figured I better jot a few things down to process and recollect at some point in time. Sermons quick summary: 1) Wen Pin preached from Isaiah 6. A new insight I gained from this text is the definition of what it means to have "unclean lips". Wen Pin expounded from the text that "unclean lips" could also refer to our silence. Unlike the Seraphim, we do not give God His honour or praise His holiness. 2) Second sermon, from Leviticus - about Nadab and Abihu. The sermon rightfully points out the folly of not approaching God on His terms. Holiness is also not the end point. We pursue holiness ultimately to draw near to God. 3) Third sermon, the contrast between false and true holiness. An insight I gained from this is what it means to have a "healthy eye". Having a healthy eye means gazing at the lamp, Jesus Christ. 4) Fourth sermon, Living as Holy People. I was struggling a bit with my energy levels with this last one. Still I e...