If Moses and Paul wished to be personally damned so others could be saved, didn’t they prioritize mission for others over joy in God? Both Paul and Moses said they would rather be personally damned in order for others to be saved — a sort of trade. So doesn’t this imply that their vision of mission was a higher priority than their personal and eternal joy in the presence of God? In other words, didn’t Paul and Moses prioritize mission over joy in God? Wow. The question is from Josiah in Michigan. “Dear Pastor John, when I first heard of Christian Hedonism, I was put off. I recognized that with God, the concept of altruism breaks down, but I still considered it virtuous for the biblical examples of Moses and Paul. Moses, while trying to make atonement for the sins of the Israelites — the golden calf — offers to God the option of blotting himself from the book of salvation rather than fully punishing the people ( Exodus 32:32 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. ). And the apostle Paul said he wished he were ‘accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh,’ the unbelieving Jews (in Romans 9:3 3 For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh: ). “As I work through your book Desiring God, I have become more fond of the theology. But I still don’t see how it works with the above two passages, which seem altruistic. My question: How could a Christian Hedonist, with a properly ordered mind, accept eternal separation from his greatest delight for the sake of achieving some other end? Aren’t Paul or Moses suggesting a personal end in which the salvation of the lost, not God, is their higher concern?” Episode 1221: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/did-paul-and-moses-prioritize-mission-over-joy-in-god Related Resources: ”Is the Great Commission for Every Individual Christian?“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cy_c1qN99o I'm Retired and Want to Do Missions — What’s My First Step? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyF7gWIl7qM “My Parents Say Missions Is a Waste of American Blessings” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFK38mPhOwM “The Future of World Missions” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--EqxkKwzcA Find other recent and popular Ask Pastor John episodes, http://desiringgod.org/ask-pastor-john