The master Christian, Christ Jesus, explained the nature of his mission in this way: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."I John 10:10; This abundant life promised us by Jesus is hardly consonant with the frustration and hypocrisy often associated today with religious experience. There are many who believe that it is unnatural, even unhealthy, to be moral or spiritually-minded.
Arguments supporting this belief are as follows: that man is an appetitive organism; that he cannot be entirely happy unless he is permitted gratification, particularly of his sexual appetite; that control or restraint is unnatural, and therefore that efforts to live a moral and spiritual life lead to frustration and hypocrisy.
The obvious contradiction between this theory and Jesus' words and example suggests that something is being misunderstood or misinterpreted. We all want life more abundantly, and we need not be deprived of it through misunderstanding or misconception.
