Why Settle for the Good Life When You Can Have the Better Life in Christ?
The Good Life is admirable—it is good and there is nothing wrong with the Good Life rooted in Positive Psychology and focused on human flourishing. But as believers, we are invited into something greater. Why settle for good when you can live The Better Life in Christ?
Here’s how the two compare:
Positive Psychology is to the Good Life what Christian Biblical theology is to the Better Life in Christ.
The Good Life is natural; the Better Life in Christ is supernatural.
The Good Life is humanistic; the Better Life in Christ is Trinitarian and monotheistic—centered on one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Good Life draws on the strength of the human spirit; the Better Life in Christ is empowered, enabled, and equipped by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Good Life is self-centered and pro-social; the Better Life in Christ is God-centered—focused on loving God, others, and oneself in that divine order.
The Good Life leads to temporal happiness (both hedonic and eudaimonic); the Better Life in Christ leads to abundant joy in this life and eternal life with God.
Purpose of My forthcoming: ON Hebrews and the Better Life in Christ
My commentary on the book of Hebrews explores and explains one of the most profound sermons in the New Testament. Originally spoken to a first-century church of Hebrew Christians facing persecution and personal adversity, the message is one of divine exhortation and endurance.
My goal is to apply the timeless truths of this sacred text to our lives today—so that we, too, may live The Better Life in Christ daily.
In addition, this study of Hebrews integrates insights from Positive Psychology to enrich our understanding of human flourishing as flourishing in Christ. While some may be cautious about combining secular science with sacred theology, healthy skepticism is welcome. Yet, we trust that God grants us spiritual discernment to embrace what is good and true. After all, God is the Author of all truth—spiritual and scientific.
Both Positive Psychology, human flourishing and Christian theology challenge us to live virtuous lives. But it is Christ who empowers us to live well—not just for our own benefit, but for the glory of God.
A Theology of flourishing: What “Good” Really Means
Human flourishing finds its firmest foundation in good theology. I have always contended good psychology and philosophy support good theology. And the book of Hebrews gives us powerful insights into what it means to live The Better Life in Christ—a life made possible through a personal relationship with Jesus.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the word "good":
In our culture, the Good Life is often equated with the quality of one's lifestyle—comfort, success, and wellness.
Ethically, good refers to moral ideals.
Practically, good refers to beneficial outcomes—like physical exercise leading to good health.
But in biblical terms, good takes on even deeper meaning:
God is described as good (Psalm 119:68).
God’s Spirit is good and leads us on level paths (Psalm 143:10).
God’s creation was declared good (Genesis 1).
The Hebrew word for good is טוֹב (tov), used over 480 times in the Old Testament.
The Greek word for good is καλός (kalos), used over 100 times in the New Testament.
Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
My commentary will highlight the deep, Biblical truths about goodness—not just for human flourishing, but more importantly, for the glory of God.
There is nothing wrong with the Good Life. But when Christ offers something better—why settle for less?
Theobiopsychosocial: A Relational Model for Flourishing in Christ
I have been working on this relational model since 1992. Originally I developed this model in seminary as a theology of why people suicide. Then I revised it to be a relational model for Pastoral Care and Counseling. Now decades later I have enhanced it to be a Relational Model for Flourishing in Christ. Why?
We are created to relate to God, Others, and Self
Flourishing begins and ends in relationship—with God, with ourselves, others, and with all of creation. From the opening chapters of Genesis to the teachings of Jesus, Scripture reveals that life was designed to be whole, connected, and purposeful. The TheoBioPsychoSocial Relational Model for Flourishing in Christ brings this truth to life by showing how faith and science together illuminate the way to a fully integrated and Christ-centered life.
In Genesis 1:26–28, we see humanity created in the image of God—a relational loving God in relation to His creation. Jesus reaffirmed this divine design when He summarized all of Scripture in two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34–39; Mark 12:28–31). These commands are not merely moral duties; they are invitations to live in a loving relationship with God’s intended pattern for life.
This divine pattern can be described by two powerful theological ideas:
Perichoresis—the mutual indwelling and perfect relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit. There is one God in three persons in perfect union: co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent.
Shalom—the fullness of peace, well-being, and love in all relationships. Shalom is wholeness.
To flourish in Christ, then, is to live in the rhythm (dance) of Perichoresis and the wholeness of Shalom—reflecting the love and unity of the Triune God in every sphere of life (flourishing). How?
A Whole-person Approach to Flourishing
Drawing from both theology and modern well-being research, the model integrates the insights of Howard Clinebell’s “Six Dimensions of Wholeness” and Tyler VanderWeele’s “Four Pathways and Six Domains of Human Flourishing.” It shows that a flourishing life in Christ touches every dimension (Clinebell, 2011) of our being:
Theological: Deepening and vitalizing our relationship with God through faith, hope, and love.
Biological and Psychological: Enlivening our minds and revitalizing our bodies—embracing health, learning, and character growth. The biological includes creation, by deepening our relationship with the natural world and caring for the biosphere as partners and stewards in God’s creation.
Social: Renewing and enriching our relationships with family, friends, and community; growing within the institutions that shape our lives—home, work, education, and the church.
These interconnected dimensions remind us that spiritual maturity and our well-being are not separate pursuits. True discipleship encompasses the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—lived out in right relationship with others and most of all with God. Where?
The Better Life in Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life
The model identifies life domains where flourishing takes visible form: Happiness and life satisfaction, health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability (Vanderweel, 2017). When these are aligned with God’s design, they become expressions of His grace at work in us.
In essence, The Better Life in Christ is about more than personal growth—it is about relational wholeness. It is living in the flow of divine love, cultivating faith and hope, and extending that love outward into every area of life. As we grow in Christ, we participate in the divine dance of Perichoresis, experiencing Shalom—peace with God, within ourselves, with others, and creation.
Join the Journey
To flourish in Christ is to live the way we were created to live—fully alive, deeply connected, and purposefully engaged in God’s story of redemption.
Faith and hope anchor us. Love compels us. Wholeness awaits us.
This is The Better Life in Christ.
I invite you to join us on this journey to develop and live The Better Life in Christ. Together, we’ll discover how to live not just a good life, but the Better Life in Christ—a life filled with purpose, meaning, power, and eternal promise.
References:
Clinebell, H. J. Jr. (2011). Basic Types of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing & Growth (3rd ed.). Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
VanderWeele, T. J. (2017). On the promotion of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(31), 8148–8156. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114