What Does the Bible Say About Joy?
The Bible makes a distinction between happiness and joy. Joy is the stronger and the more spiritually dynamic of the two emotions. Joy also stimulates particular responses on earth as well as in heaven.
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Identification
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Joy is defined as one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22. Since it takes a rather long growing process for a tree to develop ripe fruit, Christians take the Bible to imply that joy is something that must mature. There is even a biblical "fullness of joy" that only occurs in God's presence. One symbol for the presence of God, Mount Zion, is considered to be "the joy of the whole earth" according to Psalm 48:2.
Features
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True joy, "the joy of the Lord," is equated in Nehemiah 8:10 with "strength." Joy is also one of the core values, along with righteousness and peace "in the Holy Ghost" of God's kingdom according to Paul's letter to the Romans. See Romans 14:17. Joy overthrows mourning and, in Psalm 30, joy actually appears in the morning. Isaiah even suggests that there is an oil of joy to be applied when someone is mourning. This is described in Isaiah 61:3.
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Types
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The Bible gives several examples of things that cause joy. In heaven, there is more joy when one person repents than at any other time. See Luke 15:7. Harvest time is characterized by joy. God's presence and character produce joy. The confidence of being saved brings joy. See Habbakuk 3:18 and Psalm 51:12. Victory over enemies also results in joy as it did for all the Jews when Haman's plan to massacre them was thwarted. This is recounted in the book of Esther. Lastly, according to John, the greatest joy that a person experiences on earth comes when parents see their children living right. See John 4.
Effects
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There are quite a few biblical expressions of joy. One of them is rejoicing, which often includes dancing as when King David escorted the Ark of the Covenant to its place in the Tabernacle years after it had been kidnapped in a battle. Shouting and loud noisy celebration also frequently accompany joy. So does singing and skipping. Perhaps the most famous expression of joy was when the prenatal John the Baptist "leapt" in his mother when she first met the pregnant mother of Jesus.
Warning
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There is no joy, though, according to Proverbs 17:21, for the parents of a fool. Instead they experience grief, heaviness and disappointment. Of course, the Bible always offers hope for repentance. In the case of the parents of a repentant fool, the joy on earth would be as unparalleled as the joy in heaven.
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Resources
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Comments
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Money is a shelter.
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doknesswithcfs
Sep 22, 2009
Under Identification, "fruits" of the Spirit should be "fruit" of the Spirit, as we must have all the components (love, joy, kindness, etc.) to have the (whole, singular) Fruit of the Spirit. Although any one component is a blessing and a gift, we must have all the components to have the (whole) Fruit (singular) of the Spirit. This is for what we must strive.
