During a recent Sunday School class, we discussed the idea of Christian Hedonism. It is a concept popularized by John Piper. As you know, hedonism is the love of pleasure. So, why would he combine a love of pleasure with Christianity? According to Piper’s website, the idea is that “God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God himself is glorified by our being satisfied in him. Therefore, our pursuit of joy in him is essential.”1 For some reason, that doesn’t sound completely right. Is he saying that the pursuit of joy should be our primary focus? There have been others who have struggled with the idea.2 3 Whether he meant to or not, his idea gives the idea that our happiness is the most important thing in life.
In our study tonight, we will look at the idea and then compare it with what the Bible actually says.
- What does John Piper teach about Christian hedonism?
In a short Youtube video, John Piper explains that his father’s desire to glorify God and his father’s consistent joy made him think that glorifying God and being joyful were one and the same.4 To him, God is most glorified when we delight in Him. He says that this idea was reinforced by the writing of Jonathan Edwards and C. S. Lewis. This idea is also repeated in the Westminster Catechism which states that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”5
While focusing on enjoying the relationship with God may seem to be self-focused, Piper says that it is no different than a husband telling his wife that he is going to enjoy taking her out and enjoying the time together. In the same way, he believes that Christians should focus on enjoying their relationship with God and in this way bring glory to God. With this in mind, he thinks that delighting in the relationship with God can be described as Christian hedonism and that this glorifies God more than any other action.
If Piper had simply said that God is glorified when we delight in Him, there would be no problem with his statement. But he goes a step further by saying that the most complete way of glorifying God is us being happy. While that happiness is supposed to be based on our relationship with God, it still gives the impression that our happiness is most important. If nothing else, his teaching is a bit awkward. - What does the Bible say?
Believers should glorify God.
When we are told to glorify God, what does that mean? It means that we should make God look good. In every aspect of our lives, we should be seeking to make others see how good God is. The Bible verses below teach the same thing.
Rom. 15:6 – Glorify God with your thoughts and words.
1 Cor. 6:20 – Glorify God because of your redemption.
1 Cor. 10:31 – Glorify God in all you do.
1 Pet. 4:16 – Glorify God even during suffering.
In each of these verses, God’s glory should be the driving focus of our lives. When we think and talk, we should seek to make God look good. When we think about our redemption, we should exalt God for what He has done. When we are suffering, we should still point to God’s goodness. In every part of our lives, we should be making God look good to others.
Believers should delight in the Lord.
When we are told to delight in the Lord, what does that mean? It means that the Lord needs to become the thing that we cherish most. No matter what we are doing, God is to be the most important focus of our attention and love. This is spelled out in the following Bible verses.
2 Chron. 17:6 – Jehoshaphat delighted in the ways of the Lord.
Psalm 37:4 – Instead of fretting about evildoers, believers should delight in the Lord.
Matt. 22:37 – Jesus said that loving God completely was the greatest commandment.
Rom. 7:22 – Paul delighted in God’s law despite the inward struggle.
When you choose to delight in the Lord, you will see the wisdom in his commandments. You will stop focusing on the evil around you. You will see the good that He does for you on a daily basis. Your daily duties will become a delight because you love Him with your whole being. And you will choose to obey despite the temptation to do otherwise. - How does it apply?
When you compare Christian hedonism to what the Bible says, there are some differences. It is true that we can have a joyful relationship with God (1 John 1:4). But this joy is not something to be sought in itself, it is a result of our fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. With that in mind, let’s consider several applications.
We should focus on loving and glorifying God.
We know this to be true. When we love the Lord with our whole being and seek to glorify Him, we will please Him in all areas of our lives. To do this, we need to protect our minds from competing ideas. We need to keep focused when the world, the flesh, and the devil are tempting us to focus on other things. Keep your mind focused on God and His glory. But then let your heart for God be seen in your speech and actions. Show others that you love God by saying and doing things that make Him look good.
We should not focus on our own happiness.
When we focus on ourselves, we no longer make God the most important thing in our lives. It is easy to think about our health, finances, relationships, and future and make those our primary focus instead of God. We want those things to be settled so that we can be… happy. But happiness shouldn’t be our goal. Paul said that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Jesus said that we should “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). If we focus on ourselves, we will never find happiness. But when we focus on the Lord, we will find joy.
Conclusion
I would imagine that John Piper’s idea of Christian hedonism came from good motives. He saw the joy in his father’s life and noticed that it was a result of him wanting to glorify God. But the idea (and the term itself) goes a bit further than it should. As Christians, let’s not be focused on what we can get out of God. Instead, let us focus on glorifying God no matter how things turn out. He is good when we feel good and when we do not. Let us be thankful for that.
Footnotes
- https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/christian-hedonism ↩︎
- “What are your thoughts on Christian Hedonism and John Piper?” as viewed at https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChristian/comments/yjjd3p/what_are_your_thoughts_on_christian_hedonism_and/ on 9/14/2025. ↩︎
- “What is Christian hedonism?” as viewed at https://printer.gotquestions.net/GeneratePF?articleId=2094 on 9/13/2025. ↩︎
- “What is Christian Hedonism” as viewed at https://youtu.be/109w5_wbk5U?si=R9WaSjpuwtx2TzlN on 9/14/2025. ↩︎
- https://www.cambridgepres.org.uk/resources/app/type/westminster-shorter-catechism/resource/405/title/q1 ↩︎