Pleasure or Pain? Finding the Middle Ground between Living only for this World and Living only for the World to Come

Abstract

This thesis examines the Christian struggle to navigate between two spiritual extremes: living only for the pleasures of this world and living only for the world to come. It examines the theology of Ecclesiastes and the theology of the cross to see how pleasure becomes idolatry when elevated to life’s ultimate goal, and how an overreaction to this danger can produce an unhealthy suspicion of earthly blessings, distorted views on one’s vocation in life, and a misunderstanding of God’s character. It argues for the importance of Christians finding the narrow middle road between living only for pleasure and living only for pain. Christians want to acknowledge God’s gifts with thankfulness and also realize that suffering is a necessary part of being a Christian. The key to finding the narrow middle road is a childlike faith in God, rooted within God’s metanarrative, which leaves the big questions of life in God’s hands, and which trusts God to allow into the Christian’s life what he knows is best. (This abstract was drafted with assistance from ChatGPT (OpenAI), then revised and edited by the author.)