For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5
Asceticism as a form of Christian teaching rejects God’s creative work, calling “bad” what God declares to be good. It is an insidious doctrine. This was the problem Paul fought repeatedly in the churches of the first century. Either Jewish legalistas would use the Old Testament incorrectly to require extra-gospel abstinence from foods, or pagan influences from incipient gnostics claiming special revelation would declare all sexuality, even that which God made good in marriage, to be fleshly and evil. Such denial of God’s good gifts is wrong. God made us to enjoy what He has declared to be good. Humans steward God’s good gifts as a form of worship and obedience.
This is the way Christians should see the world: Life is good. God is good. God gives us good gifts. I think it plays out like this:
Life is good, God made a universe that functions perfectly. We live on a planet fine-tuned for human existence. We have abundant resources that have made humanity thrive. And naturalism cannot explain WHY we enjoy life. Food tastes good. Travel rewards our sense of adventure. Work is fulfilling. Sex is pleasurable. The spiritual impact of the sheer goodness of what God has made draws us to contemplate the transcendent “other”. It points us to our Creator. I sincerely believe it is a form of worship to be thankful and to enjoy the goodness of our lives with joy.
God is good. The good gifts point to a good Creator. He longs for us not just to enjoy what points to Him, but to enjoy Him together in those gifts. And the pleasures God has made, great as they are, are faint compared to the pleasure of knowing and loving God. John Piper’s “Christian Hedonism” is perfectly true and biblical. We were made to find joy in God through Christ.
God gives good gifts. With thanksgiving I enjoy my daily bread. And in Christ I have unique pleasures that unbelievers may not know. With awe at the holy pleasures God pours into my life, I am thrilled through the Word of God and prayer to truly enjoy this life and anticipate even greater pleasures in the life to come. Every taste of food is a faint glimmer of feasting with my Lord. Every wild vista landscape is but a dim foggy hope of heaven. Every adrenaline rush a mere tickle of the pleasures of eternity. Every kiss is but a small advance on the love of God in Christ. It’s all good!
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