The word joy appears nearly two hundred times throughout Scripture. The Old Testament is filled with references to joy, from the psalmist who “shout[s] to God with loud songs of joy” to the prophet Isaiah describing “everlasting joy” (Ps. 47:1; Isa. 35:10). When we come to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul reminds believers that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a virtue present within Christian believers (Gal. 5:22). Joy is not to be confused with happiness, which is often based on favorable circumstances. True abiding joy is a feeling within believers of inner gladness, delight, or rejoicing despite circumstances.
True, spiritual joy does not naturally rise within fallen creatures, for apart from Christ, sinners have no capacity for this lasting joy. Scripture teaches a dual truth concerning joy. First, joy is produced by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Second, joy is a virtue to be pursued and cultivated in the Christian life (James 1:2). In other words, joy is possible only through the Spirit, who produces the fruit of joy within the life of a believer, yet at the same time joy is to be ardently pursued by the Christian.
True joy comes from Christ. Joy isn’t an emotion believers conjure up but is something formed within as the Holy Spirit increasingly conforms them to the image of Christ. That doesn’t mean believers will experience a carefree life; far from it. As believers are made more like Christ, joy is often realized through trials and suffering. Not only does Christ provide joy, but He also serves as our preeminent example of joy. While “he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” it was “for the joy that was set before him [that he] endured the cross” (Isa. 53:3; Heb. 12:2). Even in bearing the total weight of sin by suffering a cruel death on a cross, Jesus willingly and joyfully obeyed the will of God the Father. Through these hostile events and the anguish of death, joy most perfectly shined within Christ, demonstrating that true joy is not based on happy circumstances.
To comfort His disciples as He foretold His coming death, Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:20–22). Jesus describes a joy utterly foreign to the superficial joy of the world. This true joy is the promise of the psalmist who reminds us that “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Ps. 30:5). When the disciples saw the risen Christ, the weeping of the cross turned to radiant joy everlastingly founded in the truth of the gospel.
A prison cell is the last place we would expect joy to emerge. Yet writing from prison, the Apostle Paul reminds believers that they must unceasingly rejoice. He writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). This imperative is not a suggestion but a command. The word “always” indicates that joy is a characteristic that should consistently be present in the life of every true Christian—not occasionally or sporadically but “always.” Paul also identifies the course of all Christian joy as being “in the Lord.” While the world seeks to define joy as being found in money, fame, and pleasure, Paul reminds believers that true joy is found only “in the Lord.”
The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord. If Christ is in me and I am in Him, that relationship is not a sometimes experience. The Christian is always in the Lord and the Lord is always in the Christian, and that is always a reason for joy. Even if the Christian cannot rejoice in his circumstances, if he finds himself passing through pain, sorrow, or grief, he still can rejoice in Christ. We rejoice in the Lord, and since He never leaves us or forsakes us, we can rejoice always.
R.C. Sproul
Ligonier.org
Christianity is a religion of joy. Real joy comes from God, who has invaded us, conquered us, and liberated us from eternal death and sadness—who has given us hope and joy because He has poured out His love within our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us (Rom. 5:5). Joy comes from God, not from within. When we look within, we just get sad. We have joy only when we look outside ourselves to Christ. Without Christ, joy is not only hard to find, it’s impossible to find. The world desperately seeks joy, but in all the wrong places. However, our joy comes because Christ sought us, found us, and keeps us. We cannot have joy apart from Christ, because it doesn’t exist.
Burk Parsons
Tabletalk magazine
Rejoicing in times of trial is not some meaningless religious ritual in which we focus on how we feel or in which we resolve to be brave. Instead, we are following the example set by Jesus in His own life, death, and resurrection. Suffering and trials give way to the resurrection of our bodies, future glory, and eternal life. . . . Christians can rejoice in the midst of suffering because of Jesus, who has secured and now guarantees a future joy for all those who He redeems.
Kim Riddlebarger
Tabletalk magazine
