Most people think that God is a killjoy. They think He’s strict, relentless, and makes up rules. God does have morals that we should want to follow, but in no way is God a killjoy, nor does He condemn fun. In fact, it’s only because of God that we can have fun. If God didn’t want us to have fun, He wouldn’t have created it as an emotion, an experience, or a feeling. God doesn’t want us to be depressed, sad, or upset. Instead, He wants us to have fun, be happy, and be joyful always. Despite the argument that God doesn’t promise us happiness, it’s important to highlight that God doesn’t want us to be miserable. Instead, John 10:10 tells us that He died so that we could have an abundant life. This abundant life is full of love, joy, and fun.
The definition of fun.
In order to know what fun is, we have to define it first. The dictionary defines “fun” as “enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure.” When we read this definition, we notice that there’s nothing wrong or sinful about amusement, enjoyment, or pleasure. However, we also have to look at motives and see past the basic definition. As long as you aren’t doing anything that goes against God, there’s nothing wrong with having fun. As a believer in Christ, you won’t see sinful things or immoral behavior as fun. If someone sees cheating, lying, or stealing as fun, then you might question if they’re a believer or not. In and of itself, having fun isn’t problematic, but you could say it depends on how someone sees it.
If you see fun as participating in immoral behavior, being mean to others, or living in sin, then, in a sense, “fun” would be wrong, not because having fun is sinful but rather because what you have to do to have fun is sinful. As Christians, these things shouldn’t bring us enjoyment. Instead, they should bring guilt and conviction. If you can only have fun by doing something bad, then it may be time to turn to Jesus.
Dedicate your life to following God and repent. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that your life is now full of rules or boring. Instead, it means that you have a plentiful life. The abundant life that Christ gives us at the moment of salvation is better than anything this sinful world has to offer. Trust in Him and know that joy, true freedom, and happiness are found in Christ alone.
Having fun in accordance with biblical truths.
Fun that glorifies God is the type of fun that’s in accordance with His Word. From biblical standards, we can see that participating in sin shouldn’t be fun, nor should it be accepted. Instead of engaging in these kinds of behaviors, try to do things that bring you fun but leave no shame, guilt, or regrets. Anything that leaves you with these feelings isn’t actually fun. Genuine experiences of fun can be done through going to a Bible study with church friends, meeting up with friends at the park, or listening to music that glorifies God. Moreover, you can have fun by meeting new people and exploring God’s creation.
All of these things are fun, but there’s nothing sinful about them. As you can see, Christians can have fun, but it’s not the type of so-called fun that the secular world likes. For Christians, cheating on your spouse, being dishonest, or getting drunk isn’t fun. If a person thinks any of these things are fun, it could be that they haven’t experienced Jesus’ saving grace. Having fun should be true, moral, and wholesome. Most people think this means having “rules,” but it doesn’t. Once a person comes to know Jesus, they don’t want to participate in these things.
Biblical guidelines.
Part of the outburst of the Holy Spirit in our lives is that He develops the fruit of the Spirit, as detailed in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit includes peace, joy, love, kindness, forbearance, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As you can see, none of these characteristics are sinful. We should use the fruit of the Spirit as a guideline in our lives, including how we see fun. If we’re engaging in activities that are done in these traits, then we know there’s nothing sinful about what we’re doing. In addition to the fruit of the Spirit, we can also use Paul’s outlines in Philippians 4:8. When we’re having fun in a way that’s noble, right, genuine, pure, and praiseworthy, then we’re following God and living an abundant life.
Living life to the fullest.
Living life to the fullest is found in Jesus Christ. Most people might think that following Jesus is boring, but that shows that they don’t know Jesus. Nothing about Him or following Him is boring. Knowing Jesus and following Him is how we experience an abundant life. This life is found in knowing Jesus, being loved by Him, and knowing that He’ll always be with us. The abundant life that Christ has for us starts at the moment of salvation and will extend into eternity. In other words, we don’t have to wait until after we die to have the abundant life Jesus died for us to have. Instead, the full life of Jesus, who died for us to have, has already started and will continue forever. Throughout your life, you’ll have an abundant life because of Jesus.
This doesn’t refer to having abundant material possessions but the abundance of knowing Jesus. Once we know Him as our personal Savior, we’ll want to serve, follow, and bring glory to Him. The fun that we have also follows this truth, as we would never find fun in doing something sinful. Still, having fun isn’t sinful as long as it’s not rooted in sinful behaviors. Having fun can be seen in getting a call from a loved one, walking in a field full of flowers, or spending time with a pet. To know what the Bible says about fun, you have to acknowledge that sinful behaviors aren’t fun. Truly fun activities aren’t rooted in sin. Having fun is seen by doing things you enjoy, like cooking, reading, or listening to music.
When you’re following what God says, you’ll be able to have a full life. A life living in sin or in what the secular world calls “fun” isn’t a life that God wants you to have. This type of life will only bring guilt, shame, and remorse. Choose to have fun in a way that honors God because there’s nothing wrong with having fun as long as it’s not rooted in a sinful motive or heart.
