Happiness in God: Alur Pemikiran Filsafat Teologis tentang Kebahagiaan

Abstract

Happiness is one of the fundamental themes of human life, yet in the modern context it is often reduced to a subjective experience and material satisfaction. This article aims to examine the concept of happiness through a dialogue between philosophy and Christian theology, placing happiness in relation to suffering, faith, and eschatological hope. This study employs a qualitative-descriptive method with a literature review approach, encompassing etymological and terminological analysis, textual analysis of the Old and New Testaments, reflections on the thought of philosophers and theologians, and contextualisation within the tradition of the Batak Protestant Christian Church (HKBP). The findings indicate that happiness in the Christian faith is not understood as the absence of suffering, but rather as a condition of life rooted in a right relationship with God. Suffering is understood as part of the process of faith formation and the sanctification of life. True happiness finds its fulfilment in God as the summum bonum and is realised in the eschatological hope of eternal life. Thus, Christian happiness is a relational and transcendental reality that is relevant to the life of the church and believers amidst a modern world that tends towards materialism.