Christians Just Want to Have Fun

One of the most harmful misconceptions about Christians is that we are the religious equivalent of the NFL—not the National Football League, but the “No Fun League.” Unbelievers often think that we are opposed to fun, that we want to stomp out all the pleasures of life—and not just for ourselves, but for everyone else, too. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.

God has surrounded us with many fun things to see and do, from the routine pleasures of food and friends to the beauty and wonders of nature.[1]

Where Christians try to draw the line is with things that hurt ourselves or others—what is commonly called “sin.”[2]

Jesus called Satan “a liar and the father of lies.”[3] One of Satan’s most diabolical lies is that sin is more fun than God’s ways.

It’s not.

Now I don’t deny that many sins are pleasurable—“for a season.”[4] In other words, the pleasures are temporary, while the consequences can be severe and long-lasting. Before I retired, I was a criminal defense attorney, and many of my clients were in trouble with the law because of their abuse of drugs or alcohol. The temporary pleasures of abusing drugs or alcohol led to serious problems.

Adultery might be fun—until it destroys trust and ends a marriage. Casual sex might be fun—until someone becomes pregnant, gets a sexually transmitted disease, or is hurt emotionally. Gossip can be fun—until someone’s reputation is destroyed.

Any sin you can name—and Paul provides a long but non-exclusive list in Galatians 5:19-21[5]—will have adverse consequences in the long run, either to ourselves or others, or both.

Christians are not opposed to having fun. We just don’t want our fun to come at the expense of the well being of ourselves or others, because we understand that happiness in life ultimately comes from relationships—our relationships with other people and our relationship with our Creator. When we hurt others, through sin, we damage those relationships.

Jesus told us that the two greatest commandments are to love God above all else and to love others the way we love ourselves.[6] Christians know that doing our best to obey those two commandments is the surest way to find happiness, joy, contentment, and eternal life.

And it’s pretty darn fun, too.

[1]. As a happily married man about to celebrate 42 years of marriage with my wife, I can tell you that marriage provides many joys as well.

[2]. The apostle Paul said sin is falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)—in other words, failing to be all that God wants us to be. Sin can also be thought of as rebelling against God—going our own way, doing our own thing, instead of loving, trusting, and obeying God. As the prophet Isaiah said, “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6)

[3]. John 8:44

[4]. Hebrews 11:25 (King James Version)

[5]. The relevant portion of Galatians 5:19-21: “the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.” For similar lists, see Romans 1:28-31, 2 Corinthians 12:20-21, and 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

[6]. Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31