The following is the final segment of an essay that I wrote for my 4000 level Topics in
Philosophy class: "Happiness and Suffering."
Click here to read part 3.
Since I think that this pursuit and use of spiritual gifts does justice to the philosophers that I have been examining in this paper, specifically Aquinas and Haybron, I will spend the remainder of the paper discussing spiritual gifting and some of its applications to happiness. This will in no way be an exhaustive treatment of spiritual gifts. Instead, it will be a cursory introduction. As I mentioned above, a belief in our own inability to reconcile ourselves to God and an acceptance of Jesus’s blood and his work on the cross in order to reconcile us to God is a prerequisite for an understanding of spiritual gifts. In this way, my view is completely in line with Aquinas’s view.
As defined by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology, “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church” (1016). The range of spiritual gifts is quite vast, and it can be very difficult to say exactly how many there are. There are six specific passages in the New Testament that list spiritual gifts, but none of them are designed to be a comprehensive list (Grudem 1019). Many of the lists have gifts that overlap, and yet many have gifts that are unique only to that specific list. Grudem has collected a list of 22 gifts that are named explicitly, and they include: “apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, kinds of healings, helps, administration, tongues, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, distinguishing between spirits, interpretation of tongues, evangelist, pastor-teacher, serving, contributing, leadership, mercy, marriage, and celibacy” (1020). Grudem adds, “Another reason for thinking that Paul could have made much longer lists if he had wanted to is the fact that some of the gifts listed will have many different expressions as they are found in different people” (1021).
As we can see, there are any number of different spiritual gifts, and they can be applied in all sorts of different contexts and ways. However, does a person have their spiritual gift stamped on their forehead by God when they become a Christian? No. Discovering one’s spiritual gift or gifts is a process that requires introspection and experimentation on the way to self-discovery. It is a long process that can sometimes take a lifetime, and it is entirely possible that one never truly understands the extent of his or her gifting. This unique gifting and the application of those gifts is very internally dependent, and is very reminiscent of what Haybron refers to in his concept of self-fulfillment. It also reminds me of his implicit claim that a person can fail to discover her true self: what would make her truly happy (181).
However, this pursuit of spiritual gifts as the means to imperfect happiness in this life is guaranteed to be more successful with the presence of the infinite in this pursuit as compared to Haybron’s. As I discussed above and as Aquinas also affirms, only an infinite God can satisfy all human thirsts and longings and provide true happiness. And while perfect happiness is only attainable in the afterlife once we are with God, imperfect happiness is the beginning of that perfect happiness. The key to imperfect happiness, then, rests in discovering one’s spiritual gifts and then using them to the glory of God.
The study of happiness is messy. Many philosophers such as Daniel M. Haybron try to define terms without any room for misinterpretation and attempt to set up differences and delineations between different ideas, yet so many of these terms resist definitions and there is so much crossover above the boundaries that these philosophers try to erect. There is one important distinction that Haybron fails to recognize, and that is the distinction between perfect happiness and imperfect happiness. Thankfully, Thomas Aquinas sheds some light on the topic with his considerable body of work. Since perfect happiness is only achievable in the next life when we are finally with our infinite God, it makes sense that imperfect happiness is the one primarily addressed in philosophical literature. In pursuit of imperfect happiness, Haybron’s move to self-fulfillment from Aristotle’s nature-fulfillment was a wise one. However, the infinite is still required for our desires to be satisfied, for us to experience real happiness. As a result, the best way to achieve imperfect happiness in this life is through the discovery of and use of our spiritual gifts. This keeps our eyes on perfect happiness, and also brings the infinite to bear in our daily lives, instead of muddling about futilely on our own. While the study of happiness may be messy, it is an important one, as there are few ends in human life that are as basic as happiness.
Works Cited
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. Print.
Haybron, Daniel M. The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2009. Print.
McGill, V.J. The Idea of Happiness. Ed. Mortimer J. Adler. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1967. Print.
Reginster, Bernard. The Affirmation of Life: Nietzsche on Overcoming Nihilism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.
Click here to read part 3.
Since I think that this pursuit and use of spiritual gifts does justice to the philosophers that I have been examining in this paper, specifically Aquinas and Haybron, I will spend the remainder of the paper discussing spiritual gifting and some of its applications to happiness. This will in no way be an exhaustive treatment of spiritual gifts. Instead, it will be a cursory introduction. As I mentioned above, a belief in our own inability to reconcile ourselves to God and an acceptance of Jesus’s blood and his work on the cross in order to reconcile us to God is a prerequisite for an understanding of spiritual gifts. In this way, my view is completely in line with Aquinas’s view.
As defined by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology, “A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church” (1016). The range of spiritual gifts is quite vast, and it can be very difficult to say exactly how many there are. There are six specific passages in the New Testament that list spiritual gifts, but none of them are designed to be a comprehensive list (Grudem 1019). Many of the lists have gifts that overlap, and yet many have gifts that are unique only to that specific list. Grudem has collected a list of 22 gifts that are named explicitly, and they include: “apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, kinds of healings, helps, administration, tongues, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, distinguishing between spirits, interpretation of tongues, evangelist, pastor-teacher, serving, contributing, leadership, mercy, marriage, and celibacy” (1020). Grudem adds, “Another reason for thinking that Paul could have made much longer lists if he had wanted to is the fact that some of the gifts listed will have many different expressions as they are found in different people” (1021).
As we can see, there are any number of different spiritual gifts, and they can be applied in all sorts of different contexts and ways. However, does a person have their spiritual gift stamped on their forehead by God when they become a Christian? No. Discovering one’s spiritual gift or gifts is a process that requires introspection and experimentation on the way to self-discovery. It is a long process that can sometimes take a lifetime, and it is entirely possible that one never truly understands the extent of his or her gifting. This unique gifting and the application of those gifts is very internally dependent, and is very reminiscent of what Haybron refers to in his concept of self-fulfillment. It also reminds me of his implicit claim that a person can fail to discover her true self: what would make her truly happy (181).
However, this pursuit of spiritual gifts as the means to imperfect happiness in this life is guaranteed to be more successful with the presence of the infinite in this pursuit as compared to Haybron’s. As I discussed above and as Aquinas also affirms, only an infinite God can satisfy all human thirsts and longings and provide true happiness. And while perfect happiness is only attainable in the afterlife once we are with God, imperfect happiness is the beginning of that perfect happiness. The key to imperfect happiness, then, rests in discovering one’s spiritual gifts and then using them to the glory of God.
The study of happiness is messy. Many philosophers such as Daniel M. Haybron try to define terms without any room for misinterpretation and attempt to set up differences and delineations between different ideas, yet so many of these terms resist definitions and there is so much crossover above the boundaries that these philosophers try to erect. There is one important distinction that Haybron fails to recognize, and that is the distinction between perfect happiness and imperfect happiness. Thankfully, Thomas Aquinas sheds some light on the topic with his considerable body of work. Since perfect happiness is only achievable in the next life when we are finally with our infinite God, it makes sense that imperfect happiness is the one primarily addressed in philosophical literature. In pursuit of imperfect happiness, Haybron’s move to self-fulfillment from Aristotle’s nature-fulfillment was a wise one. However, the infinite is still required for our desires to be satisfied, for us to experience real happiness. As a result, the best way to achieve imperfect happiness in this life is through the discovery of and use of our spiritual gifts. This keeps our eyes on perfect happiness, and also brings the infinite to bear in our daily lives, instead of muddling about futilely on our own. While the study of happiness may be messy, it is an important one, as there are few ends in human life that are as basic as happiness.
Works Cited
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994. Print.
Haybron, Daniel M. The Pursuit of Unhappiness: The Elusive Psychology of Well-Being. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2009. Print.
McGill, V.J. The Idea of Happiness. Ed. Mortimer J. Adler. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1967. Print.
Reginster, Bernard. The Affirmation of Life: Nietzsche on Overcoming Nihilism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.
Well said.
Proud of you...
Thanks!