Jeff Carter
As we journeyed through the season of Advent and Christmas over the last few months, we took a look at the concept of hope—and how hope really is an absolutely integral part of our make-up as humans…and something we could not do without. Hope is a major theme in the coming of Christ and in our anticipation of His return.
Another powerful theme that arises from the Christmas story is joy. So I thought we might explore in this first of another two-part series, the concept of joy and how it is presented in Scripture. What exactly is joy and how can we experience it?
A dictionary definition of “joy” is: “…the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.” But what the world thinks of as joy is actually more the idea of happiness. The source of happiness is happenings or happenstance. It is transitory. It is temporary. The book of Job says: “…the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment” (Job 20:5). Happiness is momentary and fleeting because it is focused on our circumstances and the world around us. It comes and goes depending on the situation. This happiness is a cheap imitation and dim reflection of true joy. The Bible defines joy in a much different way.
In Scripture we see that joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness can be described as an outward expression of elation, whereas joy is more an inner sense of peace, contentment, and trust. The source of joy is God. It is founded upon His goodness, His promises, His faithfulness and His love. Joy is not temporary because it is grounded in who God is. It is a bold declaration that regardless of circumstances our hearts can rejoice. It is the jubilant cry of the heart that we are blessed and God is good.
Joy is a topic that radiates forth from the writers of scripture. “Joy,” “joyful,” and “rejoice” seem to ring from just about every page. But a key component of God’s perspective on joy is highlighted for us in John. “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10–11). Joy is intimately tied to our relationship with Christ—and our obedience to Him. According to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” Joy is not just a random experience of happiness or bliss. It is inseparable from and a byproduct of a relationship with God.
So we can actually use joy as a measuring stick for the state of our walk with God. If your soul is satisfied in Christ, you will rejoice in Christ. If you take your eyes off Christ, you’ll lose your joy. It has been said that Christian joy is a barometer of your spiritual life. When the needle dips, you should take note.
So, in addition to its source and foundation being in Christ, what else does the Bible say about joy?
It says that joy comes from God. It is a gift to those who belong in Jesus. The word ‘gospel’ can be defined as “good news” or “a message bringing joy.” What did the angel say to the shepherds? “…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). What was that good news? It was that true joy had now come into the world.
Joy is a fruit of walking in the Spirit. Paul says in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” and so on. One helpful definition of walking in the Spirit is that it is literally a moment by moment choice to submit our will to the will of the Spirit. It is not an ecstatic experience. It is an act of the will. Since joy is a fruit of that relationship, we must be walking in the Spirit to be connected to the source of joy. What this highlights for us is that joy is a choice. We can choose joy.
Joy is independent of circumstances. In James we read, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2). Paul said, “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you” (Phil 2:17). Peter also weighed in: “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet 4:13). So even if we find ourselves in the midst of a situation that genuinely brings us sorrow or pain, the joy we carry inside can never be touched. Our confidence in the sovereign hand of God filtering everything that happens to us through His watch-care gives us the perspective we need to remain joyful. Keeping in view the eternal weight of glory that awaits us outweighs and gives context to the momentary light affliction we experience.
Joy is a result of thankfulness. Paul ties joy and thankfulness together when he admonishes us to, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:16-18). It seems Christians are always looking for “God’s will” for their lives. How often in scripture do we get it laid out this plainly for us. Paul tells us that joy, prayer and thankfulness is God’s will for your life. Recently I came across an idea, or really a question, that I would like to try to use as a guiding principle for my life. The question is, “what if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?” When we live in a constant state of gratitude, we are acknowledging who the source is of our blessings, and we are voicing that gratitude in praise. And as God has designed in us, when we voice our appreciation of, and admiration of, and praise of something, we actually experience the joy of that appreciation so much more. Our joy grows as our thankfulness increases.
There are so many more aspects of joy we could explore. Yet with all the good that the Bible says about joy, unfortunately, an idea has crept into our Christian ethos which purports that somehow seeking joy, benefit or reward from even serving God somehow runs counter to the self-denial and ascetic kind of life we have been taught that we’re called to. We’ll explore this next time in part-two of our peek into what the Bible says about joy.
-Jeff
New Class
Please join us as Steve Esmond teaches through the book of Job. You’ll recall that Steve led us through the beginning chapters of Genesis in a study last year. The class will begin on Feb 4th and will be held on campus at Irvine Community Church from 9:30-11:00 a.m. Please see the class description page online for more information.
Also, check out the class Bob Morris is in the process of updating in our online school of Biblical and Jewish studies. His Minor Prophets class was only available in audio format and so Bob has begun updating and teaching that class via video.