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We often think joy is synonymous with happiness — something dependent on circumstances. However, Scripture presents an entirely different picture. Joy as a fruit of the Spirit results from hope and understanding, allowing us to be joyful no matter our circumstances.
Key Points
- Scripture teaches that joy coexists with suffering.
- Joy is how we respond when we know something good has come or is coming our way
- Joy is more closely tied with hope than happiness.
- Joy as a fruit of the Spirit results from believing in gospel—which transforms our worldview—and gives us an enduring hope.
- Passages: 2Corinthians 6:3-11; 2Corinthians 8:1-2; James 1:2-4; Matthew 13:44; John 16:21; Luke 15:4-10; Matthew 28:5-8; Romans 12:12; Romans 15:13; 1Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalms 30:5; Galatians 5:25.
- Greek Word: Strong’s G5479.
Next: 05 Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
Previous: 03 Fruit of the Spirit: Love Part 2
Series: Fruit of the Spirit
Fruit of the Spirit Discussion Questions
Joy as a Fruit of the Spirit
Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians to correct the teaching of the Judaizers. The Judaizers thought that believing in Christ was a necessary first step to salvation, but that Gentile believers must also live like Jews and follow the Mosaic Law.
In the immediate context of this list, Paul argues that being free from the Law does not give us a license to pursue sin. As believers, we have a different motivation to avoid sin. We have the teaching and the guidance of the Spirit.
Today we’re going to talk about joy. At first glance, there seems to be nothing to say. Everyone knows what joy is.
2Corinthians 6:3-11
The easiest way to define joy is to look at what joy is not. Our gut reaction is joy is the same thing as happiness. When I have joy, I feel good about everything. But the Bible frequently describes a situation where we feel terrible and have joy. For example, in 2Corinthians, Paul describes the difficulties of being an apostle.
3We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. – 2Corinthians 6:3-11
The biblical perspective is that we can be joyful in the middle of hardship.
Paul describes himself as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. His life is characterized by enduring great afflictions. Yet Paul rejoices in the midst of that sorrow.
2Corinthians 8:1-2
1We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. – 2Corinthians 8:1-2
The Macedonian churches have helped others financially, even though they had little money. Paul says they helped in the midst of their severe affliction, deep poverty and abundance of joy. Again, we see joy is compatible with trouble.
James 1:2-4
Probably the most well-known statement on this subject is in the book of James. James starts his letter by encouraging his readers to be joyful when life gets hard.
2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2-4
Joy is our natural response when we realize something good is coming our way.
We may feel happy when all our troubles are gone. But joy is the response we have when we believe something good has come or is coming our way.
Suppose I told you that when you turn off this podcast, your best friend in the world will knock on your door. How would that change your outlook? You may be having a rotten day, but the hope that you’ll see your friend soon would bring you joy.
Or suppose you’re working hard on a project, but at the end of this project, your boss will give you a raise and a vacation. That hope changes your perspective. You might still have to spend a few sleepless nights to get the project done on time. But underneath the struggle you would have joy because something good is coming out of all that struggle.
We rejoice in trials when we understand the value of the gospel.
Happiness is that feeling of euphoria that results when good and exciting things happen. But joy is more that sense of knowing the end result is going to be really good. Joy is more closely tied to hope than to happiness.
Joy is not a feeling of well-being, so much as it is a confident response that it will be worth it. Joy comes not from our present circumstances, but from hope in the promises of God. We don’t have to be happy in the midst of sufferings. But we can rejoice, because we know God has a plan and a purpose.
Joy is the response we have when we know it’s going to turn out all right in the end. We find this meaning in many places in Scripture.
Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. – Mathew 13:44
What’s the joy over? The man knows there’s a great treasure in the field. He doesn’t have it yet, but he knows it’s there. He’s about to spend every penny he has to buy the field. But he knows in the end, he’s not losing. He’s joyous because something good is coming.
John 16:21
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. – John 16:21
While the woman is in labor, she has sorrow. This is hard work. But once the baby is in her arms, she has joy, because something very good has arrived. What’s the joy over? The outcome, the end result of all that hard work.
Luke 15:4-7
4What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. – Luke 15:4-7
One sheep is lost. The shepherd searches for it. The search is challenging. But when he finds the sheep, he rejoices because something good has happened. All that hard work has paid off. The end result was worth it.
Luke 15:8-10
8Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. – Luke 15:8-10
A woman loses one silver coin and finds it after hours of searching. She was anxious and fearful while searching. But in the end a good thing resulted, so she rejoices. Likewise, the angels in heaven rejoice when a sinner repents. A good thing has happened.
Matthew 28:5-8
5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. – Matthew 28:5-8
After the women discover Jesus has risen from the dead, they run back to town with great joy. Why do the women rejoice? Because something wonderful has happened. The outcome, the end result of Jesus’ horrible suffering on the cross, is that he was resurrected. He suffered greatly, but the result of that work was wonderful, especially for us. There is joy in the outcome.
This explains how joy can coexist with sorrow.
We rejoice knowing God has a purpose for our sorrows.
Life is challenging. Many things cause us great pain in one way or another. But as believers, we know that God has a purpose and a plan for our sorrows. These sorrows test and mature our faith. Faith gets us into the kingdom of heaven.
The Bible never forbids weeping. This world is a difficult place, but we also know that God will fix it. One day, He will destroy sin and conquer death. He will gather His people into His arms and make us worthy, good, and holy. He will set His Messiah on the throne of David to reign in justice and righteousness over all creation. There will be no more tears, dying, or suffering. That day is coming.
We know the outcome in advance so we can rejoice now.
But right now, we are at war with a powerful enemy: sin. We feel all the sorrows of that war. But we know how the war is going to end. The tide of victory has already turned. The cross proved to us that God will be victorious. One day, our enemy will be fully, finely, and completely defeated.
Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. – Romans 12:12
Hope is the foundation of our joy. We can be joyful no matter what life throws at us, because we know it’s going to be worth it. In the end, God uses the sufferings of this life to teach us valuable lessons that we need to learn. We stand to inherit the promises of God and life in the kingdom of heaven. That very good thing is coming to those who continue to trust God.
That puts us in a position to figure out how joy is a fruit of the Spirit. We tend to think of the fruit of the Spirit as being some sort of magical feeling. We tap into the Spirit, and then this feeling comes upon us. That is not what the Bible teaches.
Love, joy and all the other items on this list result from the Spirit teaching us truth. The fruit of the Spirit is not a magical glow that spills out from the inside. The fruit of the Spirit is not like channeling the force in Star Wars, where we tap into the power of the Spirit to produce a certain state of mind.
Rather, the Spirit of God teaches us truth. This new understanding leads to the fruit of the Spirit.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13
Joy and peace result from this foundation of belief. We are joyful and we have peace because we believe.
If we seek joy based on how we feel at any given moment of the day, then we will never have joy. If we try to base joy on how free we are from sufferings, then we will never rejoice. We might be mildly happy at times. We might even be deliriously distracted. But without faith, if we stop and consider the reality of our situation, that happy feeling will evaporate.
Joy is rooted in the unchangeable promises of God.
Joy comes from the fact that God has promised to redeem His creation. He has promised to gather a people to Himself. He has promised to free His people from sin and set them in a kingdom where His Messiah rules in truth and justice, where there is no more death or despair.
We believers are on a journey to that place. In the kingdom of heaven, we will find everything we truly need and desire. If we believe that promise, we will abound in hope. Standing on that rock solid truth becomes the foundation for joy and peace. Hope, joy and peace are all tied to believing, and that all comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit.
You can see why Paul talks about joy as a fruit of the Spirit. The power of the Spirit at work in our lives brings about belief. Belief brings about hope, and hope brings about joy. The Spirit makes our faith a living dynamic quality in our lives, so that we have an anchor to stand on when the storms hit us.
We have a reason to rejoice. As the Spirit builds conviction in us, we have tangible evidence that we are believers. We see ourselves changed. We face situations that tempt us to abandon God, but we don’t.
Persevering through the trials gives us tangible evidence that our faith is real and the hope of the gospel is ours. We can look and say, ‘that’s not just some abstract theology. I know that the promises are mine because I went through that trial and my faith survived.’
This is truly miraculous if you stop and think about it. We’re talking about a supernatural activity of God. Paul describes it as the power that created the universe at work in you. The overwhelming power of God that planned and stitched the entire universe together has been brought to bear on you and me. It changes us and it’s a miracle.
This miracle happens in daily life. It happens little by little, bit by bit, through the choices we make, the struggles we face, the places we fail, the places we succeed, the relationships we have and how we choose to treat friends, family and coworkers. The Spirit works through all those daily mundane activities to bring us to a place of mature faith, hope, and joy.
The exhortation to rejoice is an encouragement to believe.
This is why Paul can say that joy is a fruit of the Spirit and then turn around and exhort us to rejoice. When Paul exhorts us to rejoice, he’s not saying stop feeling bad. He’s saying believe.
Stop and remind yourself of the big picture. You have the promises of God. You have the hope of the gospel. You know that all those failures are teaching you and maturing your faith.
1Thessalonians 5:16-18
16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1Thessalonians 5:16-18
The key words here are ‘always,’ ‘without ceasing,’ and ‘in all circumstances.’ Don’t just turn to God in the good times or when life is easy and everything makes sense. Rejoice always, in both the good and the bad. Give thanks in everything, both the good times and the hardships. It’s easy to rejoice and pray, and give thanks when life is good and everything is going our way. But when life gets hard, the temptation is to despair and complain. You can rejoice even in those bad times because you understand who’s in control.
We may not know why God asks us to walk a particular path, but we know where the path will take us.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. – Psalm 30:5
God is quite willing to take us through a season of trial and education. These temporary afflictions will bring us to a permanent joyful state. That’s a pretty good trade, and that’s what we have to rejoice in.
Suppose you’re working away in midlife. You have young children to raise. You’re trying to save for both their college education and your own retirement. And you’re watching every penny so that you can pay for music lessons and braces and the new roof your house is going to need. Life is tough. You have to work hard. But you know that your beloved grandmother has promised you her sizable inheritance. You two have always been close. You have lovingly cared for her in her old age, and she has promised to leave you her sizable estate.
You can keep struggling to make wise choices, but you have a measure of confidence that your efforts are going to pay off. You’re going to get that lift that will take you over the finish line if you just persevere today. You have a good, solid reason to hope for the best.
Hope changes your perspective on your current situation.
The hope of the gospel is like that. We have confidence now despite our struggles because we know we’re going to finish the race.
Given that all that is true, why does joy seem so elusive sometimes? I think it’s because it’s very easy to lose sight of what’s true. We get blinded by the pressures, the deadlines right in front of us, and we forget what we know to be true.
Sometimes we get the picture backwards. We think the promises of the gospel are like a ghost ship on the horizon that we can barely see through the fog. We have to keep convincing ourselves the ship is really there in the haze.
But this world is the ghostly, insubstantial ship by comparison. The days of this world are numbered. Christ secured victory on the cross. The outcome of the battle is already guaranteed. Jesus is coming back and he is going to bring victory and judgment. That event is going to happen whether we believe it or not. But it’s easy to get distracted and forget what’s really going on.
Why does God wait so long? Why hasn’t Jesus returned already? Because this life is our opportunity to find Him.
Right now, the door to grace is open.
Right now, if you seek God, you will find him. But one day it will be too late. One day, judgment will come. Be grateful. We have this long window of opportunity. The longer God delays his judgment, the more opportunity more of us have to find Him.
Why aren’t Christians by and large joyful people? Why do so many of us struggle with depression and despair?
On the one hand, it’s natural. We live in a hard and difficult world. Life is tough. Tragedy strikes. The longer we live, the more loss and regret we accumulate. It’s natural to feel bad about it all. It’s appropriate to mourn over death and loss. Even Jesus, when he was on this earth, wept over death. We don’t need to beat ourselves up for feeling sorrowful about sorrowful things.
Sorrow comes with some cousins we need to be wary of: despair, self-pity, and discontent.
That’s where belief comes in. We know what’s true. We know that God has a purpose for all these trials and sufferings. We know that God can redeem any situation and bring something good out of it. We know that these trials are teaching us faith, and faith will get us into heaven. We can feel the winds of change blowing already. God is working for our ultimate good right now.
The question we face when we’re tempted to despair is, will I keep believing? Will I stand on what I know to be true, or will I abandon it?
You may have noticed in Scripture, we frequently see the phrase, ‘pray and don’t lose heart.’ That’s our choice. We can turn to God in prayer. Or we can despair. Our choice in hardships is to turn to God in belief or run away from Him in self-pity. When you turn to Him in prayer and belief, you can find joy.
Joy does not eliminate sorrow, but it does triumph over it.
Joy comes from belief. Joy comes from standing on the promises of the gospel. Joy says to sorrow, ‘I know you’re temporal and you will not last. The day is coming when you will be totally wiped away.’
The choice to rejoice is really the choice to believe. Weak as we are, we’re not going to make this choice on our own. The further good news of the gospel is that this is also a work of the Spirit. The Spirit will make us the kind of people who persevere in faith.
I heard R.C. Sproul explain it this way once. Picture a father and a child walking along a road by a cliff. The father is holding the child’s hand. The father could admonish the child to pay attention to his steps and to hold on tight. But at the same time, the father is not going to let go of the child’s hand. The child could stumble and let his fingers slip in his father’s grasp, but the father will never let go. Even when the child stumbles and skins his knee, the father is going to hold on tight.
That’s how God treats us. We may stumble and fall. We may despair at times. We may need to be admonished to hold on tight, but God will never let us go. Therefore, we can rejoice no matter what.
Copyright © 2024 · Krisan Marotta, WednesdayintheWord
Photo by Bill Williams on Unsplash
Season 24, episode 04