On Christian Apricity
Living Life in the glory of the Son
In the last year, I was introduced to the idea of Christian hedonism1 as coined by John Piper.
While I understand the intent in the name and the reasoning behind it,2 I still think there is a bit too much baggage associated with the term hedonism3 regardless of the preceding qualifier of Christian.
It is with this idea in mind that I hope to propose an alternative term, one that removes the provocative baggage and places all the focus on Christ.
The Warmth Within the Winter
The English language holds hidden treasures, words of profound beauty and untapped potential. Apricity is one such word. From older English of the 1600s, it describes the warmth of the sun on a cold winter day. It’s that feeling of stepping into the crisp air, feeling the bite of the cold, yet feeling the warm embrace of the sun’s rays touching one’s skin. This simple sensation sparked a deeper reflection on the Christian life. The concept of “Christian apricity” was then born.
This archaic word first caught my attention when I encountered a now-defunct Linux distribution named Apricity OS.4 The word has lingered in my mind ever since because I love old words that can still be used today.
Following an historic blizzard in Kansas City earlier this month,5 I walked my dog on a bitterly cold morning immediately after the blizzard had gone by. Finding a sunlit spot, I paused, struck by the unusual quiet brought on by the absence of traffic on the city streets and highways. It was a tranquility more akin to what you would find in a state or national park rather than the heart of a major U.S. city.
Despite the still, frigid air, the sun warmed my face, sending a slight tremor of satisfaction through my entire being. I had done nothing to receive this pleasure, for the sun had shone upon me without my bidding. My mind again returned to the idea of apricity.
This apricity resonates with the Christian’s position in the world—present but not fully belonging, as citizens of heaven acting as Christ’s emissaries on earth, and receiving His abundant benefits. We enjoy God’s creation while longing for the New Creation and our reunion with Christ. The glory of the Son dwells within us, even emanating from us as we share the Gospel. Despite the weight of sin, the radiant glory of the Son overcomes.
Despite the weight of sin, the radiant glory of the Son overcomes.
Christian apricity is not about escaping hardship. It is about finding joy and purpose within it, empowered by God’s presence and driven by the mission to make disciples. It is a robust faith embracing both future glory and present struggles.
This is Christian apricity: basking in the warm glory of Christ in a cold and fallen world.
A Community of Warmth
The church plays a crucial role in fostering this apricity, as it should be known as a community of warmth, particularly to those who need redemption and forgiveness. Like a herd protecting its members, the church provides a protective environment against the fiery darts of the devil. The church fosters Christian apricity through a number of means, including:
Instruction in right doctrine
Accountability for right living (both positive encouragement and corrective discipline)
Care during times of physical and spiritual sickness
Prayer for individual needs
This care and support are enacted within the context of a covenantal community, with members committed to caring for one another. This binds the body closer and encourages mutual support, reminding each other of Christ’s love, power, and sanctification.
This is not to say that the church is a place where one cannot struggle with sin. Rather, the church is a place where we can be open and honest about our struggles and bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2). Hebrews 10:24-25 sets the standard as we ought to pursue one another, inciting love and opportunities to do good works. Moreover, we should seek to regularly come together as a body to worship the God who is worthy of all praise, who unites us by the blood of His Son.
…the church is a place where we can be open and honest about our struggles and bear one another's burdens.
Whether inside or outside the church, this apricity is not dependent on circumstances. It is about Christ’s supreme reign in the Christian’s life, allowing us to trust God even in hardship. The proper response to struggle is not “Why me, God?” but “Thank you, God, for this opportunity to lean on you more because when I am weak, you are strong.” This concept is deeply intertwined with core Christian doctrines like grace, forgiveness, and redemption.
Apricity can only be experienced by those whose debt of sin has been paid by Christ. This realization is both debilitating and exhilarating—debilitating because we understand our own inability to pay the debt owed, and exhilarating to know that this debt has been paid by another.
This is Christian apricity: the radiant warmth of the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, coursing through us with new life.
For the Ploughman
Christian apricity is the result of Christ’s redemption of fallen humanity, leading to complete pleasure in the radiance of His glory, like the warmth of the sun on a cold winter day. I hope this concept leads to a deeper appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice, transforming lives into expressions of praise. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, I am free and alive in Him, able to bask in His radiance and lose myself in His mercy and grace.
Grasping Christian apricity allows us to remember God’s goodness and not be overwhelmed by life’s circumstances. It frees us to trust in His sovereign grace and providence. Practically, this means orienting ourselves daily toward the Son, incorporating God and His Word into every aspect of our lives, as Deuteronomy 6:4-9 instructs. Whether through devotions, journaling, praise, or poetry, we must actively engage with our faith. We must also be connected to the local body of Christ for mutual support and accountability.
It is important to address potential misunderstandings. Some might mistake apricity for mere positive thinking. Remember its grounding in Christ’s sacrifice. It’s not about denying hardship but finding joy within it. It is not stoicism6 but engaging with the world with Christ’s love. Apricity should never dismiss genuine suffering; it is about finding hope within suffering, acknowledging the importance of lament. It is not an individualistic concept; the church community is vital. You might consider checking out this book by John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, to rediscover your delight in God and experience the joys of Christian apricity.7
Christian apricity is the fruit of Christ’s redemptive work, enabling believers to find joy and purpose in His glory amidst life's hardships.
Until next time, keep your hand on the plow, and break up the fallow ground!
“[Piper’s] shortest summary of it is: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Or: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.” Read Piper’s words in context here.
Piper has suggested that a name with such a provocative nature is “appropriate for a philosophy that has a life changing effect on its adherents.”
Hedonism refers to a philosophical family of ideologies that emphasize the pursuit of personal pleasure, typically in a manner that is sinful.
I say defunct because, at the time of writing this article, there did not seem to have been any active development or commits to their Github repo for at least nine years.
At the time of writing, 11 inches of snow fell in a single day (2025 Jan 5) at the Kansas City International Airport, making it the fourth-highest snowfall in 137 years. In some places near my humble abode, the snow nearly reached my knees, and I am 6 feet tall!
Stoicism is a form of Greek philosophy which focused on living a virutous life in order to achieve eudaimonia, a well-lived life.
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