Jesus, Agency, and the Life Led Well

Abstract

The flourishing life, summarised by Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun, identifies three interconnected components to human flourishing: the life going well, the life led well, and the life feeling as it should. Further, they, alongside many theologians with a Christocentric focus, propose that Jesus is the epitome of the flourishing life. However, according to the Gospels, life did not always go well for Jesus, nor did it always feel as it should. Despite this, Jesus still embodies the life led well. Yet this raises questions about the extent to which common human beings (those not hypostasised to the second Person of the Trinity) can emulate the kind of life that Jesus leads. To explore the possible similarity and dissimilarity between the life of Jesus and mere humans who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, this article will utilise a framework from within Self-Determination Theory as it relates specifically to human agency and motivation. The more internalised the motivation, the more agentic the person is, and the better the life is led. Yet this is not a flourishing for its own sake or for its own ends but is agency utilised for the sake of the other.