Selfish Love and Care

I think there needs to be a clarification on Christian hedonism, love, and dependency on God.

4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7


It clearly says that love does not seek its own. Sometimes it is impossible to divorce self-interest from love. Many try but it does not readily happen. John Piper's Desiring God clearly explains that not separating the two is ok with respect to God. He talks abstractly about means and ends but does not go far enough and say that selfish love and selfish doing good with respect to others is rarely ok.. The emotional (usually hormonal) dependancy that gives rise to a seeking of happiness outside of God which can come and go. The object of that love is usually not constant. This is not always love either but some kind of dependency in which we need someone else to be happy. Idolatry perhaps? This external source of happiness should be God for He will never disappoint. We must not confuse this problem with real christian devotion in caring for others either. It causes real problems when it is not centered on God.

Lets first discuss all kinds of selfish love. (It is not really love but dependancy to meet one's own needs in someone else.) It causes problems with a lot of relationships. People become controlling or people become needy. People somehow involve in the other's life. People somehow care or receive care for inappropriately. People care for addicts by feeding their adictions. People care for sinners by feeding them everything but what they really need to hear. These people place their happiness on things external. This hides easily within the christian message but it is sinful.

People can care for others to care for others rather than serving God through others. Some value the care of others when they really should value God's care through others. Our minds our darkened by nature to this truth. There is some illusionary aspect that can even outstrip reality of what is really needed. People still continue to do these things for their own needs to be satisfied though. They are ends in and of themselves. They are not the means that God intended to be glorified by. Such actions cannot be fit for worshipping God.

John Piper shows that self-interest can be God-centered and God-glorifying. This desire can draw one into the depths of God. (One desires to become closer with God and thus draws him nearer.) There is value in caring about the concerns of God. Namely his glory but this is not love. It is close but entirely independant. Luckily, it is not mutually exclusive to; real love can develop in the depths of this attraction.

Matyrdom is listed as something that can be a selfish act done without love in Corinthians 13. It seems strange for it looks like it might be its ultimate expression of love. Christ was essentially matyred. There is no greater love than him who lays down his life for a friend right? Yes and no. The difference is Christ did it entirely for others in purpose as well as effect. He did not consider himself in the act. He did not fill His own needs. Let us always examine that if we wish to see what our care aught to look like. Our love and self-interest can only be in God and his plan. If happiness in one's life comes from something external like a relationship, let that relationship be with God. God will never disappoint, so it does not matter.

Yet, it is not true love. Love does not seek its own. It develops with time after all our needs are met. Let those needs be met in God so you can serve others. This is the effect of the gospel. Our greatest need has been met. Love becomes forged not in caring for others burdens or being cared for greatly but by gladly sharing in the overflow and comfort we have from God. Our service eventually become nothing but an overflow of grace and care towards others. It is not that we loved God first but rather he loved us. We are drawn to that because we are needy creatures. It is from that real love and a real relationship is established that meets the needs of others without return.